North talking up ANOTHER big game. Will it be different this time?

[Pinpoint Pass]

North have been talking ever since Brad Scott arrived.

He has been the main driver of all this baloney about top 4 finishes and beating top teams, yet every time they have fallen flat on their faces and been smashed.

Lately he has left that talk to Harvey and Petrie, yet they have still been smashed, the last time to the tune of 117 point.

So here we are yet again, massive game against a top 4 side and here's Petrie talking up the significance of the game once again.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/we-need-to-land-a-big-one-petrie/story-e6frf9io-1226104056413

We need to land a big scalp

"We do (need a big scalp). We haven’t performed well against top four – or even top eight – sides this year and that is something we have stated that we wanted to do," .

"It’s great to play the first game of the weekend and hopefully sit back and relax for the Saturday and Sunday after a win Petrie said.

Why don't they just shut up and do what he said they will do?

We haven’t done that and I suppose we will let our actions do the talking

So the question remains will this time be any different or will they once again fall to the superior side in another big test?

 

[Rack Watts]

They'll do it tonight.

 

[Hill2Pav]

North Melbourne to win this one by 19 points in an upset. Will probably do it again next week against the Hawks before choking for the rest of the year and losing to the Saints, Freo and Richmond (so the Tiger fans can have 5 months of gloating on here).

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Do North ever learn?

 

[Corrosion]

They're a massive chance tonight at Etihad; however, if it was the MCG, I'd wouldn't give them any chance.

 

[trooroo4life]

Absolutely nothing wrong with what was said this time around. I'm pretty sure that was an answer to the reporters question, they can't answer with something like this "No were no chance. We struggle against the better sides so I don't give us any chance". Seriously what do you want em to say?.

And they can't just not answer because one it would e seen as arrogant and two we are hyping tonight's game to get as many supporters there as possible

It's about time we knocked of one of the "big" boys. We beat them last year in an upset and am quietly confident about tonight. As long as they show up and play then I don't give a rats arse what was said pre-game.

 

[tomwalsh]

NO they will get reamed.

North are a 9-11 team, playing a top 6 team.

Would be surprised if they won. Very surprised.

Might help if they just shut up and play footy. But who knows? They need to do something to get the crowds there i guess.

Whatever ...... both teams irrelevant this year. North will finish 10th and the blues will lose the semi final in perth. WOW! yet apparently making grand finals is failing

 

[Rooiginal]

North have been talking ever since Brad Scott arrived.

He has been the main driver of all this baloney about top 4 finishes and beating top teams, yet every time they have fallen flat on their faces and been smashed.

Lately he has left that talk to Harvey and Petrie, yet they have still been smashed, the last time to the tune of 117 point.

So here we are yet again, massive game against a top 4 side and here's Petrie talking up the significance of the game once again.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/we-need-to-land-a-big-one-petrie/story-e6frf9io-1226104056413


Why don't they just shut up and do what he said they will do?



So the question remains will this time be any different or will they once again fall to the superior side in another big test?

What is he supposed to say? No where does he state that we will perform well or win just that we need to start performing against better teams. How is that talking it up?

 

[Rooiginal]

Do North ever learn?

You didnt actually read the article did you?

 

[trooroo4life]

NO they will get reamed.

North are a 9-11 team, playing a top 6 team.

Would be surprised if they won. Very surprised.

Might help if they just shut up and play footy. But who knows? They need to do something to get the crowds there i guess.

Whatever ...... both teams irrelevant this year. North will finish 10th and the blues will lose the semi final in perth. WOW! yet apparently making grand finals is failing

Bit rich coming from a saints fan ain't it ?.

 

[Teffy]

A young improving side wanting to measure up favorably with one of the better performed sides in the competition.

Outrageous stuff.

The world is becoming inundated with pavlovian flogs.

 

[Pinpoint Pass]

What is he supposed to say? No where does he state that we will perform well or win just that we need to start performing against better teams. How is that talking it up?

If you actually comprehended my OP you would realize i never said or intimated that he said they would win.

What i said was that they have been talking about beating top 4 teams ever since Scott arrived and EVERY SINGLE time they have been smashed.

Petrie himself said they will let their actions do their talking yet what does he do, he talks ONCE AGAIN.

 

[pazza]

North have won 7 out of their last 8 games against Carlton so are a huge chance tonight. Carlton doesn't have anyone to counter Petrie in the backline.

 

[beez]

North have won 7 out of their last 8 games against Carlton so are a huge chance tonight. Carlton doesn't have anyone to counter Petrie in the backline.

The problem is will their midfield get enough of the ball to deliver it to Petrie?

 

[Rooiginal]

If you actually comprehended my OP you would realize i never said or intimated that he said they would win.

What i said was that they have been talking about beating top 4 teams ever since Scott arrived and EVERY SINGLE time they have been smashed.

Petrie himself said they will let their actions do their talking yet what does he do, he talks ONCE AGAIN.

How is that talking it up. He has said we are going to try and win. How is that different from what anyone esle would say. He has actually made a point of saying we are not going to talk it up just go out there and play!

Your thread title is misleading.

 

[Mitchemx]

Think the Roos are a huge chance tonight and will be having something on at the line as well as the head to head.

 

[NAUGHT5]

The thing about this is, if North win, I wouldn't really be calling Carlton a huge scalp. Carlton have gone L W L L W in the last 5 weeks beating Richmond and a depleted Essendon. If we lose tonight, we'll be 5th and not really the 'big scalp' that North are after.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

North by 4 points.

 

[THRILLHO]

If you actually comprehended my OP you would realize i never said or intimated that he said they would win.

What i said was that they have been talking about beating top 4 teams ever since Scott arrived and EVERY SINGLE time they have been smashed.

Petrie himself said they will let their actions do their talking yet what does he do, he talks ONCE AGAIN.

Would have been a pretty awkward media interview if he didn't mention the game he was playing in this week.

What was he meant to do? Talk about last weeks win? Talk about next weeks game against Hawthorn? Better yet, should he have said that North's no chance, will get reamed again by a top four team and people shouldn't waste their time in showing up?

Bigfooty: Where every topic is a controversy and people complain that every topic is a controversy.

 

[Suma Magic]

I'll be cheering for a north win, to extend the gap we currently hold over Carlton in the race for the top 4.

But it does seem a consistent theme that north make a point of games against top 4 opponents, where other mid-tier teams probably don't as much.

Blues will win comfortably.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

But it does seem a consistent theme that north make a point of games against top 4 opponents, where other mid-tier teams probably don't as much.

Call the press! Coach/players say they wants their team to do well against top sides, shock horror!

 

[jesterwester]

Call the press! Coach/players say they wants their team to do well against top sides, shock horror!

There's nothing wrong with that, but there definitely needs to be an improvement in the effort that was shown against the magpies the other week.

North are a sneaky chance tonight, if they can put a clamp on the midfield and the ball going into their forward line, they are a big chance on the rebound, Petrie could have a field day.

Heres hoping for a much better game than last weeks snorefest.

 

[Suma Magic]

Call the press! Coach/players say they wants their team to do well against top sides, shock horror!

You're over-simplifying the issue.

You're spot on, it is perfectly normal to want to do well, and obviously stupid not to say you're out to win. But you're over-simplifying the issue and you've missed my (subtle and pedantic) point:

It seems to me that North, more than any team in the league, have been in the media over the past 2 seasons about wanting to beat a top 4 team. Other teams seem to take the approach of "we want to win all games, we're going out this weekend and hopefully we can get the points." Whereas North might say "we are keen to beat a top 4 team and this week is another chance, we're going out this weekend and hopefully we get the points." And after each heavy defeat, it perhaps could weigh on the playing group a bit more than otherwise.

It's a very minor difference, but I think it's there. And as I said, I hope you win tonight.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

You're over-simplifying the issue.

You're spot on, it is perfectly normal to want to do well, and obviously stupid not to say you're out to win. But you're over-simplifying the issue and you've missed my (subtle and pedantic) point:

It seems to me that North, more than any team in the league, have been in the media over the past 2 seasons about wanting to beat a top 4 team. Other teams seem to take the approach of "we want to win all games, we're going out this weekend and hopefully we can get the points." Whereas North might say "we are keen to beat a top 4 team and this week is another chance, we're going out this weekend and hopefully we get the points." And after each heavy defeat, it perhaps could way on the playing group a bit more than otherwise.

It's a very minor difference, but I think it's there. And as I said, I hope you win tonight.

Couple of things. Until this year North has had a habit of wining all the games they should and failing - often spectacularly - against top rung teams. So bridging that gap became more of an issue for our club, which the media has jumped on and always asks about and reports on. Melbourne's record this year has put them into the same boat, which the media have started to focus on.

This year has been different, North has struggled to win close games against teams near and below it on the ladder, which has cost it dearly - any media who were watching would talk more about that than about this old chestnut of the top-four hoodoo.

Regardless, neither Carlton nor Hawthorn are part of the hoodoo, we've done fine against both of them even when they've been above North on the ladder. In Carlton's case the only game North dropped in years was one where the team kicked nine behinds in the last quarter and narrowly lost - bit like the St Kilda game this year, but worse - so they have held no fears and it's not a "big game" in the way games against Pies and Cats have been. Hope that continues tonight.

Happy with Brad Scott's message on this issue this week - from here, any club who makes the eight will have to beat sides round and above it in the last few rounds, so they will all have to earn their spots the hard way.

 

[Tas]

The problem is will their midfield get enough of the ball to deliver it to Petrie?

That is the big question. We have seen all our mids play good games this year but not all at the same time, will need to get good output from all the mids.

In the game last year Greenwood really made it difficult for Judd to get a lot of quality ball or have a lot of space to put lace out passes and Swallow/Bastinac put the squeeze on Murphy and Gibbs (not sure if he is playing mid or back this year).

On the plus for us Ziebell and Wells are much improved from last year and our forward line didn't have Petrie, Pedersen or Edwards. Goldstein has also been massive for us this year.

I still think Carlton should be favourites to win but if our mids all have decent games then I think we can win, Carlton also have a fair number of young/inexperienced players but the midfield shields them from being exposed, we need to win enough ball to have a crack at testing out the weaker links in the side.