Preview Round 5, 2018: North Melbourne v Hawthorn, 22 April 2018, 3.20pm @ Etihad Stadium

[realhawk]

How did we win the flag with a plodder like Langford in 2014?

He has his weaknesses but his best is good enough for a premiership so it's nonsense to say that we aren't top 4 with him in the 22.

If he even plays like last year but with better goal conversion he kicks 25-30 goals.

If Langford plays like we know he can and gets rid of the yips (yes his kicking is average, but if he builds confidence we have seen him kick clutch goals) he will make us a better side not hold us back.

That being said, hd needs to get fitness, form, confidence and goals before he comes in. No doubt he will be first in against stkilda if he can kick goals this weekend at box Hill.

Langers might be a one year (2014) wonder. We have had a few., Robert chopper Handley in 1984 and big Stevie Lawrence in 1991.

 

[Brant]

Langers might be a one year (2014) wonder. We have had a few., Robert chopper Handley in 1984 and big Stevie Lawrence in 1991.

Chopper Handley reminds me of 'Topper' Harley from Hot Shots!

 

[Baz_hawk]

Burton will go back, Duryea will we might see Hardwick or Duryea get thrown forward or perhaps with Mirra in the team they may throw Sicily forward.

Will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Hope Cousins plays a blinder.

 

[KOLOKOTRONIS]

We have seen on many occasions that when a player has a break out season (burton), the follow up isn’t what we expect.

This is a huge opportunity for Burton subsequent to being omitted. There is no doubt that he has been challenged this week to deliver. We have missed his influence this season. He has enormous ability yet had a poor start (albeit an injury which ultimately didn’t rule him out though).

The conditions are perfect, the opposition is mid table talent wise (still rebuilding), and the stakes whilst high are not huge. Needs to be in our best six. He is capable and needs momentum.

KOLOKOTRONIS

 

[becalm]

North seem to me to have too many talls. We should be able to exploit that, particularly Magic.

 

[Dewnior]

Apparently Waite has pulled up a bit sore from the Carlton game

Sheesh, that's one hell of a hangover then

 

[Dewnior]

Check out the youth: Sic, Jaegar, Timmy, Hardwick, Morrison, Impey, Mitchell (yes he is young), Glass, Burton, Howe and Cousins [11]

With the recent outs, I wonder what the average age of this team is and how it compares to the rest of the comp.

 

[Thaihawk]

North seem to me to have too many talls. We should be able to exploit that, particularly Magic.

Sydney thought Adelaide had to many too, and we know how that ended, don't we?

 

[Thaihawk]

4 points, a healthy win and healthy players at games end, and I'll be happy.

 

[Rev08]

This week screams late change, I wouldn't be surprised to see Langford back in by Sunday.

Worpel is the first emergency so it will take at least a double late out for Langford to play.

 

[Burtman]

Worpel is the first emergency so it will take at least a double late out for Langford to play.

Don’t think that’s how it works. They can throw anyone from the emergencies in

 

[threesixpio]

Not sure that’s the way it works.

I actually think Worps would make sense in the forwardline in a defensive forward role. And if he gets a HTB decision going his way at 70m I say kick truly and don’t look for “lesser” options

 

[market]

I suppose you are the one to ask then, do you know if they ever found Brendan Krummel's body? I heard he's still buried at Waverley Park.

Maybe the same place as where vlad's is buried.

 

[MinerBoy]

I've always been a fan of Langers, but my confidence dropped over multiple of his post 2013 preseasons, he'd have an interview where he talked about improving his strength, core or something. I don't know why we didn't rebuild his kick from the ground up like we did with Sewell. Nonetheless I take issue with saying his game was undeserved, before Mitchell he was the best clearance player we had, not to mention the pressure he brings to any position, let's not go overboard after a bad game and a year we were forced to play him out of position.

I disagree strongly about being our best clearance player pre Mitchell or his pressure. For somehow who gets SFA of the ball, he hardly ever tackles and often gets run through like paper mache.

I feel a lot of his game is myth based on how hard he makes it looks, thus he must be really having a crack.

 

[MinerBoy]

How did we win the flag with a plodder like Langford in 2014?

He has his weaknesses but his best is good enough for a premiership so it's nonsense to say that we aren't top 4 with him in the 22.

It's obvious isn't it? We had a champion team and a team of champions at that time. And at that time he also wasn't the liability he is now.

But if we're building to climb to those heights again and he is considered a best 22 player, the way he plays now and has played for years, then we aren't really a top 4 quality side. We have to move past players like him to improve.

So don't get me wrong he deserves his 2014 medal and his 2014 was very good. He isn't that player anymore and we aren't that team anymore.

 

[Jade]

You blokes should win this by 30+

 

[hk89]

I disagree strongly about being our best clearance player pre Mitchell or his pressure. For somehow who gets SFA of the ball, he hardly ever tackles and often gets run through like paper mache.

I feel a lot of his game is myth based on how hard he makes it looks, thus he must be really having a crack.

His ability to win contested possessions was ahead of both Mitchell and Lewis in 2016 and 2015, and only behind Lewis in 2014 (based on averages per game). The guy has his limitations, but he is a contested beast. His average clearance numbers are not terrible either, was third in 2016 behind Mitchell and Lewis. Second behind Lewis in 2015, and third again behind Mitchell and Lewis in 2014. In other words, he's a more prolific Contested ball and Clearance player than Shiels has been over that period. You're right, he doesn't execute a massive number of tackles like Shiels does, but that is largely because he's more often the guy winning the ball in a contest than what shiels is. The main issue I have with him is that too often his clearances were 'throw it on the boot and hope' kicks that often ended up in the hands of the opposition. His field kicking isn't actually terrible when he gets outside ball (despite what his poor kicking at goals last year might suggest), but just doesn't seem to have the ability to get the time and space required to make better disposal decisions when he's winning the ball at stoppages. If he could improve that, he'd be a seriously good midfielder instead of the fringe player he's become.

 

[threesixpio]

You blokes should win this by 30+

You must really hate Norf

 

[Jade]

You must really hate Norf

I just love you so much.

 

[MinerBoy]

The guy has his limitations, but he is a contested beast.

The main issue I have with him is that too often his clearances were 'throw it on the boot and hope' kicks that often ended up in the hands of the opposition.

Yeah I think this is basically the issue. No point being bull at a gate in a contest if the hands are fumbly and disposal is basically an invitation for the opposition to launch an attack. It's meant to be his strength but it's really not. He doesn't tackle (often or well), he doesn't win much of the ball and he turns it over when he does win it (either by inaccurate goal kicking or a shank from a contest).

Outside of the fact 'he goes hard' I honestly don't see what he brings. And I still believe if he had cleaner hands at the contest the impression of him going hard wouldn't be as pronounced. I think that's a case of making things look hard.

Anyway, I'll leave it there. He's not selected anyhow and actually don't want to overly bash the guy. I like all Hawks players and wish them the best. I just think he's had enough chances to 'correct the issues' by now and think we're at a stage we should be moving past him and looking at others.

 

[MasterSamurai]

I reckon I would've been pretty good with Sammy, Lewy , Hodge and Silk around me when at their peak! Having said that, he deserves his medal in 2014, he went into beast mode for the last 6 weeks of that season, but it's time for him to take the next step into a consistent senior player , if he gets back to that form then along with Tommy, Jag, Pup, Imp and Isaac, we will have the best balanced midfield in the comp. I hope he gets there.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Maybe the same place as where vlad's is buried.

Any bump on Vlad is a good one.

 

[kazzooka]

A lot of people saying North not as bad as people predicted this year... Well actually they are.

Carlton, Brisbane, and Stkilda looking like bottom 4 sides at the moment a place where everyone expected North to be too.

Well why does beating Carlton and Stkilda change that and people now think they are doing okay? Those 2 teams are in epica poor form stkilda have no talent and cqrl who have a sliver of talent but they are all too young at the moment and many injuries.

I think tomorrow we will show that north are still very much a bottom 4 side.

 

[thejockey]

Norths team is actually a fair bit older and more experienced then I think a lot of people realise
Plenty of experience through the spine with Tarrant, Thompson, Goldstein , Brown and a few solid bodies in the midfield in Cunnington and Ziebell when not forward
So they still have a hard edge . Younger players filling more periphery type roles.
Not a bad way too do it either

Probably why they are far more competitive then people expected

Still should cover them without Poppy, Cyril and Burgoyne ( can we still add Birchall ??? )
Will be a hard game though

 

[Snake_Baker]

Well why does beating Carlton and Stkilda change that and people now think they are doing okay?

I think tomorrow we will show that north are still very much a bottom 4 side.

Because a lot of people expected us to be bottom two. Me included.