Analysis Random NORTH thoughts not worthy of a thread

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Mar 14, 2002
61,770
83,164
Gasometer Wing
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On a tangent, I would say one issue where the silence has been deafening is the lead-up to the Anzac Day blockbuster. The amount of noise in the lead-up to our match on Good Friday and calls in the media for us to be stripped of the fixture because we are not good enough was off the charts. Collingwood and * are both 1 and 4. That is not a blockbuster! Where are the calls for them to lose one of the many prime slots they both get each season?
What about poor Eagles and all their injuries to Seniors?
 

Passmore

Brownlow Medallist
May 22, 2001
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it’s truly embarrassing that our first year players, one who didn’t play football at all last year are fitter and working harder than blokes who have 4&5 pre seasons under their belt.
It should be embarrassing to the coaches who were in charge over that period.

The new breed will lead the way. It's up to the rest to keep up. We can have them held back by mediocre players and a game plan built around damage control.

These kids will be setting the standards from now.

Sent from my SM-A908B using Tapatalk
 

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Apr 24, 2013
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Arden Street Hill
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It should be embarrassing to the coaches who were in charge over that period.

The new breed will lead the way. It's up to the rest to keep up. We can have them held back by mediocre players and a game plan built around damage control.

These kids will be setting the standards from now.

Who ultimately made the decisions about "the coaches who were in charge over that period" and "the new breed"?

Did all of these people just walk in off Arden Street one day and decided they were in charge?

These clowns were wrong then, but no, they have got it right THIS TIME?!
 
Nov 7, 2020
2,591
6,323
AFL Club
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We are closer to a flag than:

Hawks
Collingwood
Saints (easily, even excluding historical impost)
Geelong (I reckon we salute well before they next do)
Swans, Crows, I don’t reckon this Lions team has a flag in them personally either.

We will be better in 2024 than at any stage throughout Brad’s tenure and we might even finish in the top 4 after a home and away season giving us a real chance. Not a ‘thousand ifs need to go right scenario’.

8 best 18 players were missing from the team who we would have pencilled in if fit. That’s our senior core and then some.

If they were all playing and we were still non competitive then the game plan, the development the strategy would be under the microscope.

They aren’t and it’s not and any other informal kerb-side analysis is disingenuous.
 
Apr 24, 2013
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Arden Street Hill
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And the umpires Chamberlain, Margetts & Glouftsis pay every single one.


We were significantly reamed again, but the contemporary "nice" North Melbourne won't raise a murmur about it for fear they might offend someone.
 
I'm pulling my hair out when I watch matches live at the moment.

I see Tarryn Thomas get 19 silky, smooth touches and bang through some shots on goal, and think "imagine what he could have done today" as his opponent burns him through hard work, time and time again, and I pull my hair out.

I watch Nick Larkey standing there in suspended animation all game instead of leading, when the bloke we turfed out of the club for him used to top this list most weeks, and I pull my hair out.

When I see Cam Zurhaar strike every contest with intensity, but with his hands on his knees gasping for air when the next contest is barely 15m away, I pull my hair out.

When I see Powell, Mahony, Phillips and Stephenson busting their gut to run defensively, trying to get back to provide us with some sort of structure, while LDU (admittedly did not look fit to play last night), Taylor, even Simpkin at times are walking 5m behind them, I pull my hair out.

When I see us burst forward and have absolutely nothing to kick to, I pull my hair out.

This my friends is how you lose your Man Bun. I should probably stop pulling my hair out.
All three have endurance too.
 
Irony:

GoDeez win pre-lim > through to G.F. Only thing is Gawn and Wiedemann injured can't play the next week.

In come Daw and Brown. Former wins Norm Smith as BOG, Brown kicks 7
🙄
We both know that is gonna happen.
 

Passmore

Brownlow Medallist
May 22, 2001
23,603
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Irony:

GoDeez win pre-lim > through to G.F. Only thing is Gawn and Wiedemann injured can't play the next week.

In come Daw and Brown. Former wins Norm Smith as BOG, Brown kicks 7
🙄

Reality would be Daw doesn’t get a touch, Brown is injury subbed and Melbourne lose by 100.
 

susurrar

All Australian
Apr 30, 2018
861
2,951
AFL Club
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from anne franks diary. not too happy with her mother, north board style:

"I find it difficult to describe what I mean, but the word 'mom' says it all. Do you know what I’ve come up with? In order to give me the feeling of calling my mother something that sounds like 'Mom,' I often call her 'Momsy.' Sometimes I shorten it to 'Moms': an imperfect 'Mom.' I wish I could honor her by removing the 's.'"
 

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Jun 9, 2001
37,651
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Fogarty Street
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There was a passage of play David King pointed out which was particularly damning. Freo with the ball, at the attacking side of their wing. Three of our blokes standing there occupying space, holding defensive 'structure' while all three of their opponents were goalside of them and steaming towards the 50 to impact the contest.

If you've ever wondered how we are always outnumbered in both our defense and attack, that's the reason why.

The Arden Street game vs hawks allowed the kind of close observation that is sometimes harder for some reason at modern stadiums.

It was obvious then that even if the sides were equal matches for size, talent and skill, the main differentiator was the hawks ability and/or willingness to repeatedly run in possession or to create an option. Up and down the ground and continuously.

The fact that Hawthorn had plenty of kids themselves and were comically (as I mentioned at the time) running the wing ins PAIRS was just damning.

When Malcolm Blight had a short stint at St Kilda 100 years ago he had the sense to try and prioritise brining their running up to modern AFL standard. I'm not sure how this basic element still eludes us in 2021.
 
Dec 27, 2017
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AFL Club
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