Northball

[Gavin Excell]

Northball - a bold new game plan or just marketing hype?

Kane Cornes’ early observations of the Kangaroos’ new ‘Northball’ game style

‘Northball’ is the new term that entered the footy lexicon on Wednesday.

www.sen.com.au

 

[JayJ20]

Lame name. Using your hands and the corridor doesn't need a name lol.
They looked good though.

 

[Augustine]

There doesn't seem to be anything "new" about the game plan - playing on with fast, direct and aggressive ball movement. It's a fun game plan but nothing new. Other game plans that have had their own "brand" are usually novel and/or unique - Pagan's Paddock, Weagles Web, Clarko's Cluster, "tempo footy" of the mid 2000s, Bulldogs' "Flooding" of the early 2000s, Robert Walls' "Huddle" etc.

Also they're usually named by the media or fans rather than the coaches themselves. I think this points to marketing primarily.

I'm 100% here for it though. We will get mocked by opposition fans and media personalities but better to be bold and cop a ribbing than timid and nobody pays you any attention. We're the smallest club in Melbourne, and we've had four bottom 2 finishes in a row - we definitely need marketing.

Maybe we should have gone with "Can you smell what the Roos are cooking?" to maximise opposition mockery.

 

[M Malice]

North are the moral victors.

 

[Gavin Excell]

There doesn't seem to be anything "new" about the game plan - playing on with fast, direct and aggressive ball movement. It's a fun game plan but nothing new. Other game plans that have had their own "brand" are usually novel and/or unique - Pagan's Paddock, Weagles Web, Clarko's Cluster, "tempo footy" of the mid 2000s, Bulldogs' "Flooding" of the early 2000s, Robert Walls' "Huddle" etc.

Also they're usually named by the media or fans rather than the coaches themselves. I think this points to marketing primarily.

I'm 100% here for it though. We will get mocked by opposition fans and media personalities but better to be bold and cop a ribbing than timid and nobody pays you any attention. We're the smallest club in Melbourne, and we've had four bottom 2 finishes in a row - we definitely need marketing.

Maybe we should have gone with "Can you smell what the Roos are cooking?" to maximise opposition mockery.

It was interesting and illuminating that Wardlaw mentioned the term in his press conference
I imagine that would have been both by design and with approval of management

 

[Elixuh]

I don’t think too many will be rushing to copy whatever it is that North are doing

 

[SSSSSS]

Anything is better than the slow boring approach that North demonstrated last year.

Clarko has been quite unimaginative and dour in his coaching in the last few seasons at the Hawks and early on at North. Maybe he's finally got some players he can trust to execute a more attacking gameplan or he's re-discovered himself over the break and embraced the YOLO philosophy.

 

[Mofra]

Good on them for trying to do something different, but it does sound like a horrific cycling injury

 

[Freomaniac]

I guess we are all scared of North Melbourne

 

[Sphynx]

If you listened to Adcocks interview, it is purely the name they use for referring to setups for when North are in possessions. It's not regarding game style or anything.

Bit of a media beat up.

 

[Magpie Since 1986]

Isn't handballing through the corridor with fast movement how Collingwood played in 2023 (our attack mode, we also had a defence mode)? So Northball is just copying the premiers of the previous year, something most teams do a bit of every year.

 

[Mcarcherey]

Anything is better than the slow boring approach that North demonstrated last year.

Clarko has been quite unimaginative and dour in his coaching in the last few seasons at the Hawks and early on at North. Maybe he's finally got some players he can trust to execute a more attacking gameplan or he's re-discovered himself over the break and embraced the YOLO philosophy.

last year was lightning quick compared to the noble year and a half.

 

[SSSSSS]

last year was lightning quick compared to the noble year and a half.

That's grim.

I thought last year was painfully slow.

I've enjoyed my shitfights with North over the last few years it's been some good banter but I really hope you guys start to kick on in 2024. Supporters deserve a bit of joy after sitting through the suck.

 

[Cleavy]

quick ball movement, what a coaching revelation!

 

[VinnieB]

Don’t see what’s wrong with it. Not sure it’s was anything new, but at least the marketing machine is doing something positive.

 

[VinnieB]

While it was just a scratch match, if North can win a few more games and Davies-Uniake can stay injury free, I think he can be a Brownlow medalist.

 

[SurreyBlue]

First Bazball now Northball…well at least its unique.

 

[Rich01]

Don’t see what’s wrong with it. Not sure it’s was anything new, but at least the marketing machine is doing something positive.

Yep, they will get killed on the rebound from their attacking 50 if they can’t trap it in. Their defence is VFL standard.

 

[Liam Boy]

Not sure why this warrants a main board thread. Seems more like it's a rhetorical tool to give the group a basic concept to rally around.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

North are the moral victors.

Hard to argue that this week.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Off to the Optometrist for me. I read the Thread Title as Mothball.

 

[Osho]

Off to the Optometrist for me. I read the Thread Title as Mothball.

Your vision may yet prove correct.

 

[Engimal v3]

Isn't handballing through the corridor with fast movement how Collingwood played in 2023 (our attack mode, we also had a defence mode)? So Norfball is just copying the premiers of the previous year, something most teams do a bit of every year.

Didn't the Roos just thump the Pies?

 

[The Nostradamus]

Going to be fun to watch

And then we unveil rooball

 

[Shane Heard]

Everyone runs like Usain Bolt in February. Let’s see where they are in round 6.