Why does the media seem to hate North Melbourne?

[d_henderson1810]

I'm not trying to be a troll here (I like North Melbourne as a club), but I wonder if any of you supporters know or suspect the reason that the media is constantly negative towards North Melbourne?

Today, the "Age" ran an article about North Melbourne "having no cash". A couple of days ago, Caroline Wilson writes an article criticising James Brayshaw (which she often does). It seems to happen especially by Age and "Australian" journos (Greg Denham, Patrick Smith).

Some other examples.

North's premiership-winning era is not held up to the greatness that other eras are. You won two flags, yet were considered a one-man team. Robert Walls gives Wayne Carey and Dennis Pagan ALL the credit for those wins (remind me of which GF Carey won a Norm Smith? That's right, he didn't, meaning that someone else must have contributed to the win as well).

Furthermore, your 1999 flag is constantly discredited by critics saying "well, they didn't play Essendon in the Grand Final". If Carlton beat Essendon, and North beat Carlton, wouldn't it be a chance that North could beat Essendon?

North seem to be constantly maligned or ignored by the media. Is it because you didn't go to the Gold Coast, costing these journos some stories to write?

I will name and shame some of your critics:- Caroline Wilson, Rohan Conolly, Robert Walls, Greg Denham, Patrick Smith. Any others?

Why doesn't your team get some respect from the media?

 

[Flawed Genius]

Because they want us to die, and we refuse to.

 

[ansonholt]

OP, thanks for your post. It's good to know that neutral people can share the same view that a lot of us have about our treatment in the media.

Go back to any number of pre-seasons in the past, say, 30 years, and you'd see the same sort of stuff being posted. Once the season starts and the journos have real footy to write about, all of this will be forgotten.

For now, I'm adopting a "here we go again" attitude, and waiting for the media to switch onto something else. Kind of losing a bit of respect for the Age in the process, too.

 

[NiceCunnington]

Connolly loves us.

 

[numchuks]

We are the Millwall of the ALF.

Like my sig says. No-one likes us, we don't care!

 

[jacko57]

Some good points from the OP.

To answer the question, I suspect that some of those named are simply ****s who hate the club, for whatever reason, and would love to dance on our grave. Caro si the prime suspect. Others (like Mark Hawthorne, who penned today's hatchet job in the Age) are just lazy buffoons with a herd mentality : 'hey everyone's having a shot at North, I better have my turn.'

I will correct you on one name though : Rohan Connolly has consistently given North a fair shake, often expressing his admiration for the club's achievements in adverse circumstances. I think it's partly because The Age sometimes recognises the need to balance out Wilson's poison, and partly because he means it.

 

[jacko57]

PS Dwayne Russell (who??????) and Gerard Healy are another pair of serial North bashers.

 

[Flawed Genius]

Here are some additional responses.

 

[speedy]

I will name and shame some of your critics:- Caroline Wilson, Rohan Conolly, Robert Walls, Greg Denham, Patrick Smith. Any others?

Why doesn't your team get some respect from the media?

You have got Rohan Conolly all wrong mate, he is a closet North supporter.

The media want us to fall over because its a bigger story than us sticking around. They are not writing these articles for the minority (north supporters), they are writing them for you and the general football public who would only be interested in negitive north news others wise most wouldn't give a crap.

 

[kangalover]

Thanks for your awareness about negative media attitude to North, you really have posed the "million dollar question"
I respect your insight and thank you for taking the time to create a post about it on our board. I am sure your thread will attract many posts.

It could be because of many things,

perhaps because the club has always survived and produced results despite being "cash strapped and low profile" that irks many outsiders, especially those in the media. They just cannot kill us off.
North thrives and prospers through times of adversity

Could be because for many years past boards and administration have been too "closed shop" to media and community due to the private ownership of the club.

I am of the opinion that the board and admin became a bit of a law unto themselves during the period of private ownership, and during this period felt no obligation to create a community public profile that allowed access to the players and the club.

Despite the many changes that have taken place at the club over the last 3 years, many in the media have been slow to accept and embrace these changes.
However some media people are slowly coming around and recognising the changes and are no longer trying to talk the club down.

The appointment of Brad Scott as Senior Coach has been very helpful towards building media and outside respect and awareness of the club.

 

[jschwag]

The Haters appeal to society's lowest common denominator.

Unfortunately, many of this element are footy fans. As there are greater numbers of opposition supporters, these media and journo types figure it's an easy way to get the numbers hanging on their words.

Yellow journalism!

 

[Funkalicous]

We are the Millwall of the ALF.

No-one likes us, we don't care!

I don't reckon the "nose-up" attitude is serving your club's interests.... Being defiant may seem cute from an insider's point of view, but to potential new members you appear introverted and stubborn. Not the right qualities if you want a greater slice of the pie.

 

[DarwinRoo]

Weren't you one of the supporters who wanted north to go to the gold coast?

 

[DunderHead]

I don't reckon the "nose-up" attitude is serving your club's interests.... Being defiant may seem cute from an insider's point of view, but to potential new members you appear introverted and stubborn. Not the right qualities if you want a greater slice of the pie.

Oh, god. You're a Carlton supporter. Didn't you invent the us versus them head up your own mentality?

 

[Zondor]

I don't reckon the "nose-up" attitude is serving your club's interests.... Being defiant may seem cute from an insider's point of view, but to potential new members you appear introverted and stubborn. Not the right qualities if you want a greater slice of the pie.

How does get ****ed sound? :stern look

 

[Funkalicous]

Yeah we should drop the defiance. And maybe you should drop the attitude atleast until your team's played a single game of AFL.

"Attitude"? Is that what an opinion's called these days?

 

[Funkalicous]

How does get ****ed sound? :stern look

Typical to the point I made, since you ask.

 

[Zondor]

Typical to the point I made, since you ask.

That was too easy.

 

[Roos4eva]

I don't reckon the "nose-up" attitude is serving your club's interests.... Being defiant may seem cute from an insider's point of view, but to potential new members you appear introverted and stubborn. Not the right qualities if you want a greater slice of the pie.

At least we can make up our mind as to who the **** we support, and that is said with a stern look.

 

[Northerly]

I'm not trying to be a troll here (I like North Melbourne as a club), but I wonder if any of you supporters know or suspect the reason that the media is constantly negative towards North Melbourne?

Today, the "Age" ran an article about North Melbourne "having no cash". A couple of days ago, Caroline Wilson writes an article criticising James Brayshaw (which she often does). It seems to happen especially by Age and "Australian" journos (Greg Denham, Patrick Smith).

I think that you've hit on a good point in relation to the negativity coming predominantly from certain sections of the media.

In Victoria footy sells papers, and the HS rates well ahead of the Age in the minds of most footy fans as a source of relevant news while the Oz doesn't even register on the radar.

What's the easiest way to build market share when your competition has a lock on all the run of the mill footy news? Target sensational stories with a negative angle in the hope that the article will attract attention. It doesn't matter if the story only bears a passing resemblance to the truth - grabbing a headline is more important.

An even easier path for particularly desperate "journos" is to dress sensationalism under the guise of "opinion".

North is nothing more than a soft target and an easy get in the current environment. While none of us on here like it, I am firmly of the belief that those who seek to take cheap shots will have no relevance in their profession in the longer term. Smart journos know that you don't bite the hand that feeds.

 

[Shagga is all Class]

I wonder if any of you supporters know or suspect the reason that the media is constantly negative towards North Melbourne?

It is not logical for a broke a*se club like North with no supporters to participate in 2 out of every 3 finals series over the last 30 odd years, win flags and compile a team of the century like we have.

The fear is that we might do it again.

The media (and many big footy posters) have been sucked into the AFL model of football is business and a successful club is one that makes money and therefore should win the flag.

The actual game itself has always been won on talent, will, tactics, coaching, recruiting, belief, momentum, luck and a team effort which cannot be quantified in $.

The North model has been about surviving to fight another day and winning in spite of the odds which is really a very Australian quality in days gone by.

In conclusion - your average Richmond or Carlton supporter journo sits at their desk banging out thinly veiled hyper critical rants because relative to their own underachieving club "the computer says no."

 

[A.N.T]

Firstly their journalists who have daily quotas to fill . Like sharks sensing blood they will circle and if their whirlpool helps the kill all the more to feed on .
Secondly I can never but help feel the likes of Caroline Wilsen is trying to justify her own support of Richmond . Ie by bagging us it's like "see see their worse than us oh I'm glad I'm not them" !!!
I can't vouch for the others on this but it would be interesting to see the clubs they support .
Best to patch the wounds and stay out of the water !
Let the sharks circle elsewhere !

 

[Roos4eva]

It is not logical for a broke a*se club like North with no supporters to participate in 2 out of every 3 finals series over the last 30 odd years, win flags and compile a team of the century like we have.

The fear is that we might do it again.

The media (and many big footy posters) have been sucked into the AFL model of football is business and a successful club is one that makes money and therefore should win the flag.

The actual game itself has always been won on talent, will, tactics, coaching, recruiting, belief, momentum, luck and a team effort which cannot be quantified in $.

The North model has been about surviving to fight another day and winning in spite of the odds which is really a very Australian quality in days gone by.

In conclusion - your average Richmond or Carlton supporter journo sits at their desk banging out thinly veiled hyper critical rants because relative to their own underachieving club "the computer says no."

 

[LuvtheKangas]

I don't reckon the "nose-up" attitude is serving your club's interests.... Being defiant may seem cute from an insider's point of view, but to potential new members you appear introverted and stubborn. Not the right qualities if you want a greater slice of the pie.

Thanks, the opinion of someone who has absolutely zero concept of loyalty to one's football club is really important to us.

Come back soon and often.

 

[numchuks]

lul. Funkalicious.

Turncoated on his own club. Worst kind of fan.

Go jump off a cliff mate