Opinion Commentary & Media V

[NMFC49]

Jacovich, Silvagni, Bluey McGrath, some bulldog hack, etc, etc.... have all had the wood over Carey apparently. It's a wonder he made all-australian so many times.

Truth is Carey used to regularly embarras his oponents like the time he turned Jacovich 'inside out' and kicked a goal from 50 out on the boundary line. Remember how oppo teams would stick close to north for first two quarters, then North led by Carey would rip them apart after half time. No wonder they hate Carey.

 

[Hojuman]

Truth is Carey used to regularly embarras his oponents like the time he turned Jacovich 'inside out' and kicked a goal from 50 out on the boundary line. Remember how oppo teams would stick close to north for first two quarters, then North led by Carey would rip them apart after half time. No wonder they hate Carey.

I always reckon when Carey played well v Jakovich we lost. Jakovich beat Carey we won. Reckon he sacrificed his game to get the win.

 

[Snake_Baker]

I always reckon when Carey played well v Jakovich we lost. Jakovich beat Carey we won. Reckon he sacrificed his game to get the win.

I dunno if that was always the case, but there were occasions where Duck played decoy.

The 1999 grand final springs to mind.

He really was the complete footballer.

 

[D23D]

Lord twins at Geelong pre-AFL. Wakelins, Scotts. There must be others.

Febey twins at Melbourne too. And as you said, there are surely others too.

 

[Shinboner1]

 

[giantroo]

Another letter from the Chairman

Firstly, my thoughts go out to all those in lockdown and to those doing it particularly tough. I sincerely hope that you are getting through ok and have plenty of love and support around you. It is the mid-way point of the season and I feel a good time to touch base with you and provide an update on how we are progressing with our longer-term club strategy and list rebuild. While wins have been hard to come by in terms of securing four-premiership points, we are seeing small wins of a different kind on and off the field as we continue to lay the foundations for the future of our club. This requires diligent execution of all our plans and strategies and an understanding that we will not be deterred or pushed off the path we’ve elected to take, for short term results. We are pulling out all stops to establish an elite football program under David Noble who has methodically stripped back our game-plan and has instilled a new way of playing and competing. At times we acknowledge it’s been frustrating to watch, but we need to be patient, understanding and supportive. With an entirely new coaching line-up, new players who have not played together much, and a new game style and systems in place, these things take time and a lot of hard work. However, we are comforted by the fact that this model has been used successfully before by successful teams, and that is obviously our goal. I can assure you the benchmarks and standards that are being set are extremely high, and only those who buy-in completely will be part of the success we will achieve. As David has said many times, success is not linear and we are hell-bent on winning every time we take the field – but there will be many ups and downs along the way. As must be expected from such a young bunch of players. Our challenge as members and fans is to stay the course, keep the faith and support the team as best we can. We continue to look at our high-performance areas for gains and competitive advantage, identifying and developing elite talent through the draft, trade and free agency. The past few weeks has seen a flurry of exciting activity for our club with two new additions and a number of contract extensions and re-signings. We were strategic in keeping two spots available on our list coming into the mid-season draft. The club’s direction and future-focus was clear for all to see with No.1 pick, Jacob Edwards, added to our young and talented list. Edwards is still studying, so his energy and concentration will rightly be on his Year 12 education for the remainder of the year. While we won’t put a ceiling on his capabilities, our view is that he’ll be a key player for us for many years to come. With two list spots available, we also welcomed 19-year-old Charlie Ham, and both players have filled specific list needs for us. Along with the excitement of the mid-season draft, our list management team has been diligently working in the background to secure the futures of some of our most promising players with Ben McKay, Will Phillips and Charlie Lazzaro - all recently signing two year deals. These players are part of the young nucleus we are establishing for the mid-to-long term and will be pivotal as we climb back up the ladder in seasons to come. We hope to have more exciting announcements soon. Off the field Ben Amarfio and the admin team are doing everything they can to limit the impact of the latest Covid lockdown and implications. Our priority has been to keep the community safe, but to ensure we do our part to allow the season to continue. With no crowds allowed into Melbourne stadiums, we’ve sought to secure Blundstone Arena as a venue for future games which gives us the best chance of winning and allows us to fulfil our contractual obligations – something we were unable to achieve last season. We thank the Tasmanian government, CHO and state police for their co-operation and support. We’ve also had some new partners join us, significantly increasing our stable of sponsors – Aqium, Tasmanian Heritage, HART Sport, Colonial Brewing Co, ELMO, Dominance and Coolabah Turf. We welcome them all to the North Melbourne family. Together, we are building off-field sustainability and looking at all areas for substantial growth. The Arden Precinct planning is a key pillar as well as building an aspirational brand and increasing our fan-base. As we currently stand, we have grown our membership tally to over 43,000 – our 2nd highest tally in the history of our club. This is a phenomenal result given where we currently are in our rebuild cycle and for that we are forever indebted to you, our wonderful and loyal members. Your generosity and passion is critical, but not something we take for granted. Remarkably, we are on track to surpass our all-time membership record this season which is a glowing endorsement and shows our people not only care strongly for their club, but believe in what we’re doing and trying to achieve. Thanks to you and our incredible sponsors and partners, we are still aiming to be debt free at season’s end and we hope to be profitable yet again. In the second half of the year, we hope to see more continual improvement, and will gladly welcome back the likes of Robbie Tarrant, Jed Anderson, Jaidyn Stephenson, Jarred Polec, Aidan Corr, Luke McDonald, Aiden Bonar and Kyron Hayden into the line-up – all have been sorely missed. Again, take care in these challenging times. We hope to provide you with plenty of encouragement, cheer and a vision of the future that lies ahead for us for the remainder of the season. Go Roos!

[TD valign="top"] [TD valign="top"]

[/TD]

[/TD]

Ben Buckley Chairman

 

[koshari]

Another letter from the Chairman

Firstly, my thoughts go out to all those in lockdown and to those doing it particularly tough. I sincerely hope that you are getting through ok and have plenty of love and support around you. It is the mid-way point of the season and I feel a good time to touch base with you and provide an update on how we are progressing with our longer-term club strategy and list rebuild. While wins have been hard to come by in terms of securing four-premiership points, we are seeing small wins of a different kind on and off the field as we continue to lay the foundations for the future of our club. This requires diligent execution of all our plans and strategies and an understanding that we will not be deterred or pushed off the path we’ve elected to take, for short term results. We are pulling out all stops to establish an elite football program under David Noble who has methodically stripped back our game-plan and has instilled a new way of playing and competing. At times we acknowledge it’s been frustrating to watch, but we need to be patient, understanding and supportive. With an entirely new coaching line-up, new players who have not played together much, and a new game style and systems in place, these things take time and a lot of hard work. However, we are comforted by the fact that this model has been used successfully before by successful teams, and that is obviously our goal. I can assure you the benchmarks and standards that are being set are extremely high, and only those who buy-in completely will be part of the success we will achieve. As David has said many times, success is not linear and we are hell-bent on winning every time we take the field – but there will be many ups and downs along the way. As must be expected from such a young bunch of players. Our challenge as members and fans is to stay the course, keep the faith and support the team as best we can. We continue to look at our high-performance areas for gains and competitive advantage, identifying and developing elite talent through the draft, trade and free agency. The past few weeks has seen a flurry of exciting activity for our club with two new additions and a number of contract extensions and re-signings. We were strategic in keeping two spots available on our list coming into the mid-season draft. The club’s direction and future-focus was clear for all to see with No.1 pick, Jacob Edwards, added to our young and talented list. Edwards is still studying, so his energy and concentration will rightly be on his Year 12 education for the remainder of the year. While we won’t put a ceiling on his capabilities, our view is that he’ll be a key player for us for many years to come. With two list spots available, we also welcomed 19-year-old Charlie Ham, and both players have filled specific list needs for us. Along with the excitement of the mid-season draft, our list management team has been diligently working in the background to secure the futures of some of our most promising players with Ben McKay, Will Phillips and Charlie Lazzaro - all recently signing two year deals. These players are part of the young nucleus we are establishing for the mid-to-long term and will be pivotal as we climb back up the ladder in seasons to come. We hope to have more exciting announcements soon. Off the field Ben Amarfio and the admin team are doing everything they can to limit the impact of the latest Covid lockdown and implications. Our priority has been to keep the community safe, but to ensure we do our part to allow the season to continue. With no crowds allowed into Melbourne stadiums, we’ve sought to secure Blundstone Arena as a venue for future games which gives us the best chance of winning and allows us to fulfil our contractual obligations – something we were unable to achieve last season. We thank the Tasmanian government, CHO and state police for their co-operation and support. We’ve also had some new partners join us, significantly increasing our stable of sponsors – Aqium, Tasmanian Heritage, HART Sport, Colonial Brewing Co, ELMO, Dominance and Coolabah Turf. We welcome them all to the North Melbourne family. Together, we are building off-field sustainability and looking at all areas for substantial growth. The Arden Precinct planning is a key pillar as well as building an aspirational brand and increasing our fan-base. As we currently stand, we have grown our membership tally to over 43,000 – our 2nd highest tally in the history of our club. This is a phenomenal result given where we currently are in our rebuild cycle and for that we are forever indebted to you, our wonderful and loyal members. Your generosity and passion is critical, but not something we take for granted. Remarkably, we are on track to surpass our all-time membership record this season which is a glowing endorsement and shows our people not only care strongly for their club, but believe in what we’re doing and trying to achieve. Thanks to you and our incredible sponsors and partners, we are still aiming to be debt free at season’s end and we hope to be profitable yet again. In the second half of the year, we hope to see more continual improvement, and will gladly welcome back the likes of Robbie Tarrant, Jed Anderson, Jaidyn Stephenson, Jarred Polec, Aidan Corr, Luke McDonald, Aiden Bonar and Kyron Hayden into the line-up – all have been sorely missed. Again, take care in these challenging times. We hope to provide you with plenty of encouragement, cheer and a vision of the future that lies ahead for us for the remainder of the season. Go Roos!

[TD valign="top"] [TD valign="top"]

[/TD]

[/TD]

Ben Buckley Chairman

he basically said the same thing when we got the bump with Shaw, ( minus the covid stuff) . nothing in there that really rocks any boats.

 

[Grossy Morrell]

The age just put up a ‘north needs to make Harry McKay and offer he can’t refuse article. Anyone got a screenshot?

 

[B4Bear]

Sometimes in footy there are offers you simply can’t refuse.
No one can begrudge a player setting themselves up for life with the security of a substantial long-term contract.

Harry McKay has starred for the Blues this season.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
The mega-deal that landed Gary Ablett on the Gold Coast, and the multi-million-dollar deals that got Tom Scully and Callan Ward to GWS are just a few examples.

As we’ve seen at clubs such as Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn in recent years, the lure of premiership success can ensure players will accept less than what they can get on the open market.
But, at the same time, money talks.
It’s why North Melbourne should launch a “godfather” offer at Carlton’s Harry McKay.
While the Blues maintain they’re not facing a salary cap squeeze, the deals they’ve done recently with Zac Williams and Adam Saad, and Mitch McGovern before them, make you wonder how tight their cap is.
If you’re McKay’s manager, you are using those deals as a starting point in any negotiations.
Advertisement

Despite reports Patrick Cripps has committed to Carlton, the skipper is yet to sign on the dotted line. Then there’s Sam Walsh, who will command a significant pay rise when he negotiates a new deal next year.
Are the Blues stretched enough that they’d struggle to match a big offer from the Kangaroos for McKay? For argument’s sake, let’s say the Blues can offer him $800,000 a season.
If North put $1 million-plus on the table over five years, McKay, at the very least, will have some thinking to do. Even $1.2 million-plus is not out of the question.
As soon as the gap between what he’d get at Carlton versus what he’d get elsewhere is more than a million dollars over a five-year period, it can’t be dismissed simply on loyalty.
We’ve seen the Roos chase a number of big names without luck in recent years, most notably Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly.

But with those two the circumstances were very different, because of the outlook at their respective clubs.
When the Roos went after Dusty, Richmond were in the middle of that incredible drought-breaking premiership campaign in 2017. The Giants were also a finals team when the Roos came knocking for Kelly.
Is this North Melbourne’s best chance to finally snare that big fish they’ve been chasing?
Crucially, in the past week, the Roos secured the signature of McKay’s brother Ben, who is emerging as a fine player in his own right, in defence.
Don’t underestimate the lure of family.

While money is clearly a factor, the Roos can pitch pairing the McKay brothers at Arden Street and I assume Ben is already in Harry’s ear.
There’s also the situation unfolding at Carlton, with the club undergoing a review of the football department after an underwhelming first half of the 2021 campaign.
Not for a second am I suggesting North Melbourne are in a better position.
But could another year without finals, and the uncertainty over the coaching group at Princes Park, be a factor in Harry McKay’s thinking?
His signature – for Carlton or North – would be huge for what it signals to the rest of the competition. Having him locked in long-term makes any club more attractive as a destination.

It’s why, for the Roos, going hard for McKay really is a no-brainer.
Yes, they’ll have to pay him overs to a degree, because in the era of free agency clubs have paid as much for potential as they do proven performance.
But while I don’t believe McKay is anywhere near his ceiling as a player, he’s still leading the Coleman Medal and it’s not just his goals that have been impressive.
When he aggravated a shoulder injury against Melbourne, it looked like McKay could be done for the afternoon.
But he fought through the pain barrier and showed a real maturity to his game by continuing to provide a contest. That’s the type of player you want at your club.

I would have liked to see him fly the flag a bit more for Walsh when he was struck by Kyle Hartigan, but that will come in time.
His baseline performance is now much higher than it once was. McKay can be well held, but still kick his two or three goals.
The Roos need reinforcements right across the ground, but after trading Ben Brown to Melbourne and choosing a midfielder with their first pick in last year’s draft, it’s clear they particularly need more support for Nick Larkey and Cam Zurhaar in that forward line.
The best part about chasing McKay is the fact they wouldn’t have to mortgage their draft position to do it.
Should they finish bottom, the Kangaroos can simply walk him to the pre-season draft and land him for nothing. The Blues, themselves, got Jack Martin from Gold Coast through the pre-season draft in 2019.

Clearly, the Roos won’t be the only team making enquiries about Harry, but if they can pull it off, it would set the club up for the next decade.

 

[Devington]

Another letter from the Chairman

Firstly, my thoughts go out to all those in lockdown and to those doing it particularly tough. I sincerely hope that you are getting through ok and have plenty of love and support around you. It is the mid-way point of the season and I feel a good time to touch base with you and provide an update on how we are progressing with our longer-term club strategy and list rebuild. While wins have been hard to come by in terms of securing four-premiership points, we are seeing small wins of a different kind on and off the field as we continue to lay the foundations for the future of our club. This requires diligent execution of all our plans and strategies and an understanding that we will not be deterred or pushed off the path we’ve elected to take, for short term results. We are pulling out all stops to establish an elite football program under David Noble who has methodically stripped back our game-plan and has instilled a new way of playing and competing. At times we acknowledge it’s been frustrating to watch, but we need to be patient, understanding and supportive. With an entirely new coaching line-up, new players who have not played together much, and a new game style and systems in place, these things take time and a lot of hard work. However, we are comforted by the fact that this model has been used successfully before by successful teams, and that is obviously our goal. I can assure you the benchmarks and standards that are being set are extremely high, and only those who buy-in completely will be part of the success we will achieve. As David has said many times, success is not linear and we are hell-bent on winning every time we take the field – but there will be many ups and downs along the way. As must be expected from such a young bunch of players. Our challenge as members and fans is to stay the course, keep the faith and support the team as best we can. We continue to look at our high-performance areas for gains and competitive advantage, identifying and developing elite talent through the draft, trade and free agency. The past few weeks has seen a flurry of exciting activity for our club with two new additions and a number of contract extensions and re-signings. We were strategic in keeping two spots available on our list coming into the mid-season draft. The club’s direction and future-focus was clear for all to see with No.1 pick, Jacob Edwards, added to our young and talented list. Edwards is still studying, so his energy and concentration will rightly be on his Year 12 education for the remainder of the year. While we won’t put a ceiling on his capabilities, our view is that he’ll be a key player for us for many years to come. With two list spots available, we also welcomed 19-year-old Charlie Ham, and both players have filled specific list needs for us. Along with the excitement of the mid-season draft, our list management team has been diligently working in the background to secure the futures of some of our most promising players with Ben McKay, Will Phillips and Charlie Lazzaro - all recently signing two year deals. These players are part of the young nucleus we are establishing for the mid-to-long term and will be pivotal as we climb back up the ladder in seasons to come. We hope to have more exciting announcements soon. Off the field Ben Amarfio and the admin team are doing everything they can to limit the impact of the latest Covid lockdown and implications. Our priority has been to keep the community safe, but to ensure we do our part to allow the season to continue. With no crowds allowed into Melbourne stadiums, we’ve sought to secure Blundstone Arena as a venue for future games which gives us the best chance of winning and allows us to fulfil our contractual obligations – something we were unable to achieve last season. We thank the Tasmanian government, CHO and state police for their co-operation and support. We’ve also had some new partners join us, significantly increasing our stable of sponsors – Aqium, Tasmanian Heritage, HART Sport, Colonial Brewing Co, ELMO, Dominance and Coolabah Turf. We welcome them all to the North Melbourne family. Together, we are building off-field sustainability and looking at all areas for substantial growth. The Arden Precinct planning is a key pillar as well as building an aspirational brand and increasing our fan-base. As we currently stand, we have grown our membership tally to over 43,000 – our 2nd highest tally in the history of our club. This is a phenomenal result given where we currently are in our rebuild cycle and for that we are forever indebted to you, our wonderful and loyal members. Your generosity and passion is critical, but not something we take for granted. Remarkably, we are on track to surpass our all-time membership record this season which is a glowing endorsement and shows our people not only care strongly for their club, but believe in what we’re doing and trying to achieve. Thanks to you and our incredible sponsors and partners, we are still aiming to be debt free at season’s end and we hope to be profitable yet again. In the second half of the year, we hope to see more continual improvement, and will gladly welcome back the likes of Robbie Tarrant, Jed Anderson, Jaidyn Stephenson, Jarred Polec, Aidan Corr, Luke McDonald, Aiden Bonar and Kyron Hayden into the line-up – all have been sorely missed. Again, take care in these challenging times. We hope to provide you with plenty of encouragement, cheer and a vision of the future that lies ahead for us for the remainder of the season. Go Roos!

[TD valign="top"] [TD valign="top"]

[/TD]

[/TD]

Ben Buckley Chairman

A few thoughts. Firstly it was nice to receive this on the back of good news, as opposed to the one after the WB loss.

Anyone know which of the dozens of ELMO's hopped on board? No particularly big players in the list of sponsors, but it's been nice to see them steadily find new ones all year. Also I liked the little shout out to Bonar and Kyron at the end.

Overall a decent letter, covering a variety of points that the average member might not be completely across.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Sometimes in footy there are offers you simply can’t refuse.
No one can begrudge a player setting themselves up for life with the security of a substantial long-term contract.

Harry McKay has starred for the Blues this season.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
The mega-deal that landed Gary Ablett on the Gold Coast, and the multi-million-dollar deals that got Tom Scully and Callan Ward to GWS are just a few examples.

As we’ve seen at clubs such as Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn in recent years, the lure of premiership success can ensure players will accept less than what they can get on the open market.
But, at the same time, money talks.
It’s why North Melbourne should launch a “godfather” offer at Carlton’s Harry McKay.
While the Blues maintain they’re not facing a salary cap squeeze, the deals they’ve done recently with Zac Williams and Adam Saad, and Mitch McGovern before them, make you wonder how tight their cap is.
If you’re McKay’s manager, you are using those deals as a starting point in any negotiations.
Advertisement

Despite reports Patrick Cripps has committed to Carlton, the skipper is yet to sign on the dotted line. Then there’s Sam Walsh, who will command a significant pay rise when he negotiates a new deal next year.
Are the Blues stretched enough that they’d struggle to match a big offer from the Kangaroos for McKay? For argument’s sake, let’s say the Blues can offer him $800,000 a season.
If North put $1 million-plus on the table over five years, McKay, at the very least, will have some thinking to do. Even $1.2 million-plus is not out of the question.
As soon as the gap between what he’d get at Carlton versus what he’d get elsewhere is more than a million dollars over a five-year period, it can’t be dismissed simply on loyalty.
We’ve seen the Roos chase a number of big names without luck in recent years, most notably Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly.

But with those two the circumstances were very different, because of the outlook at their respective clubs.
When the Roos went after Dusty, Richmond were in the middle of that incredible drought-breaking premiership campaign in 2017. The Giants were also a finals team when the Roos came knocking for Kelly.
Is this North Melbourne’s best chance to finally snare that big fish they’ve been chasing?
Crucially, in the past week, the Roos secured the signature of McKay’s brother Ben, who is emerging as a fine player in his own right, in defence.
Don’t underestimate the lure of family.

While money is clearly a factor, the Roos can pitch pairing the McKay brothers at Arden Street and I assume Ben is already in Harry’s ear.
There’s also the situation unfolding at Carlton, with the club undergoing a review of the football department after an underwhelming first half of the 2021 campaign.
Not for a second am I suggesting North Melbourne are in a better position.
But could another year without finals, and the uncertainty over the coaching group at Princes Park, be a factor in Harry McKay’s thinking?
His signature – for Carlton or North – would be huge for what it signals to the rest of the competition. Having him locked in long-term makes any club more attractive as a destination.

It’s why, for the Roos, going hard for McKay really is a no-brainer.
Yes, they’ll have to pay him overs to a degree, because in the era of free agency clubs have paid as much for potential as they do proven performance.
But while I don’t believe McKay is anywhere near his ceiling as a player, he’s still leading the Coleman Medal and it’s not just his goals that have been impressive.
When he aggravated a shoulder injury against Melbourne, it looked like McKay could be done for the afternoon.
But he fought through the pain barrier and showed a real maturity to his game by continuing to provide a contest. That’s the type of player you want at your club.

I would have liked to see him fly the flag a bit more for Walsh when he was struck by Kyle Hartigan, but that will come in time.
His baseline performance is now much higher than it once was. McKay can be well held, but still kick his two or three goals.
The Roos need reinforcements right across the ground, but after trading Ben Brown to Melbourne and choosing a midfielder with their first pick in last year’s draft, it’s clear they particularly need more support for Nick Larkey and Cam Zurhaar in that forward line.
The best part about chasing McKay is the fact they wouldn’t have to mortgage their draft position to do it.
Should they finish bottom, the Kangaroos can simply walk him to the pre-season draft and land him for nothing. The Blues, themselves, got Jack Martin from Gold Coast through the pre-season draft in 2019.

Clearly, the Roos won’t be the only team making enquiries about Harry, but if they can pull it off, it would set the club up for the next decade.

Has Kane Cornes moved on from McKay's to * to McKay's to North?

 

[Hojuman]

Has Kane Cornes moved on from McKay's to * to McKay's to North?

Think he is intelligent enough to make the leap ?

I'm a no.

 

[shintemaster]

Clearly, the Roos won’t be the only team making enquiries about Harry, but if they can pull it off, it would set the club up for the next decade.

The article in a nutshell.

 

[King Corey]

Sometimes in footy there are offers you simply can’t refuse.
No one can begrudge a player setting themselves up for life with the security of a substantial long-term contract.

Harry McKay has starred for the Blues this season.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
The mega-deal that landed Gary Ablett on the Gold Coast, and the multi-million-dollar deals that got Tom Scully and Callan Ward to GWS are just a few examples.

As we’ve seen at clubs such as Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn in recent years, the lure of premiership success can ensure players will accept less than what they can get on the open market.
But, at the same time, money talks.
It’s why North Melbourne should launch a “godfather” offer at Carlton’s Harry McKay.
While the Blues maintain they’re not facing a salary cap squeeze, the deals they’ve done recently with Zac Williams and Adam Saad, and Mitch McGovern before them, make you wonder how tight their cap is.
If you’re McKay’s manager, you are using those deals as a starting point in any negotiations.
Advertisement

Despite reports Patrick Cripps has committed to Carlton, the skipper is yet to sign on the dotted line. Then there’s Sam Walsh, who will command a significant pay rise when he negotiates a new deal next year.
Are the Blues stretched enough that they’d struggle to match a big offer from the Kangaroos for McKay? For argument’s sake, let’s say the Blues can offer him $800,000 a season.
If North put $1 million-plus on the table over five years, McKay, at the very least, will have some thinking to do. Even $1.2 million-plus is not out of the question.
As soon as the gap between what he’d get at Carlton versus what he’d get elsewhere is more than a million dollars over a five-year period, it can’t be dismissed simply on loyalty.
We’ve seen the Roos chase a number of big names without luck in recent years, most notably Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly.

But with those two the circumstances were very different, because of the outlook at their respective clubs.
When the Roos went after Dusty, Richmond were in the middle of that incredible drought-breaking premiership campaign in 2017. The Giants were also a finals team when the Roos came knocking for Kelly.
Is this North Melbourne’s best chance to finally snare that big fish they’ve been chasing?
Crucially, in the past week, the Roos secured the signature of McKay’s brother Ben, who is emerging as a fine player in his own right, in defence.
Don’t underestimate the lure of family.

While money is clearly a factor, the Roos can pitch pairing the McKay brothers at Arden Street and I assume Ben is already in Harry’s ear.
There’s also the situation unfolding at Carlton, with the club undergoing a review of the football department after an underwhelming first half of the 2021 campaign.
Not for a second am I suggesting North Melbourne are in a better position.
But could another year without finals, and the uncertainty over the coaching group at Princes Park, be a factor in Harry McKay’s thinking?
His signature – for Carlton or North – would be huge for what it signals to the rest of the competition. Having him locked in long-term makes any club more attractive as a destination.

It’s why, for the Roos, going hard for McKay really is a no-brainer.
Yes, they’ll have to pay him overs to a degree, because in the era of free agency clubs have paid as much for potential as they do proven performance.
But while I don’t believe McKay is anywhere near his ceiling as a player, he’s still leading the Coleman Medal and it’s not just his goals that have been impressive.
When he aggravated a shoulder injury against Melbourne, it looked like McKay could be done for the afternoon.
But he fought through the pain barrier and showed a real maturity to his game by continuing to provide a contest. That’s the type of player you want at your club.

I would have liked to see him fly the flag a bit more for Walsh when he was struck by Kyle Hartigan, but that will come in time.
His baseline performance is now much higher than it once was. McKay can be well held, but still kick his two or three goals.
The Roos need reinforcements right across the ground, but after trading Ben Brown to Melbourne and choosing a midfielder with their first pick in last year’s draft, it’s clear they particularly need more support for Nick Larkey and Cam Zurhaar in that forward line.
The best part about chasing McKay is the fact they wouldn’t have to mortgage their draft position to do it.
Should they finish bottom, the Kangaroos can simply walk him to the pre-season draft and land him for nothing. The Blues, themselves, got Jack Martin from Gold Coast through the pre-season draft in 2019.

Clearly, the Roos won’t be the only team making enquiries about Harry, but if they can pull it off, it would set the club up for the next decade.

I don't mind this narrative getting out there for some reason. The more all are conditioned to us being a genuine PSD threat the tighter it gets for Carlton.

Even if (lol 'if') they're paying him off the books, they need more contacts, more collusion involved to seal the deal. Visy is going to have an awful lot of ambassadors at the least.

 

[Rod Stroker]

One of Wayne's better articles. Points well made, although nothing we didn't already know.

We should be throwing everything at HMac, although preferably not for draft picks. Could be our next Carey.

 

[B4Bear]

The article in a nutshell.

I don’t get paid by the word.

 

[giantroo]

 

[Snake_Baker]

Pretend laces? Why?

 

[Ligma]

They should just go laceless like me, everyone’s a winner


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Star]

Sometimes in footy there are offers you simply can’t refuse.
No one can begrudge a player setting themselves up for life with the security of a substantial long-term contract.

Harry McKay has starred for the Blues this season.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES
The mega-deal that landed Gary Ablett on the Gold Coast, and the multi-million-dollar deals that got Tom Scully and Callan Ward to GWS are just a few examples.

As we’ve seen at clubs such as Richmond, Geelong and Hawthorn in recent years, the lure of premiership success can ensure players will accept less than what they can get on the open market.
But, at the same time, money talks.
It’s why North Melbourne should launch a “godfather” offer at Carlton’s Harry McKay.
While the Blues maintain they’re not facing a salary cap squeeze, the deals they’ve done recently with Zac Williams and Adam Saad, and Mitch McGovern before them, make you wonder how tight their cap is.
If you’re McKay’s manager, you are using those deals as a starting point in any negotiations.
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Despite reports Patrick Cripps has committed to Carlton, the skipper is yet to sign on the dotted line. Then there’s Sam Walsh, who will command a significant pay rise when he negotiates a new deal next year.
Are the Blues stretched enough that they’d struggle to match a big offer from the Kangaroos for McKay? For argument’s sake, let’s say the Blues can offer him $800,000 a season.
If North put $1 million-plus on the table over five years, McKay, at the very least, will have some thinking to do. Even $1.2 million-plus is not out of the question.
As soon as the gap between what he’d get at Carlton versus what he’d get elsewhere is more than a million dollars over a five-year period, it can’t be dismissed simply on loyalty.
We’ve seen the Roos chase a number of big names without luck in recent years, most notably Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly.

But with those two the circumstances were very different, because of the outlook at their respective clubs.
When the Roos went after Dusty, Richmond were in the middle of that incredible drought-breaking premiership campaign in 2017. The Giants were also a finals team when the Roos came knocking for Kelly.
Is this North Melbourne’s best chance to finally snare that big fish they’ve been chasing?
Crucially, in the past week, the Roos secured the signature of McKay’s brother Ben, who is emerging as a fine player in his own right, in defence.
Don’t underestimate the lure of family.

While money is clearly a factor, the Roos can pitch pairing the McKay brothers at Arden Street and I assume Ben is already in Harry’s ear.
There’s also the situation unfolding at Carlton, with the club undergoing a review of the football department after an underwhelming first half of the 2021 campaign.
Not for a second am I suggesting North Melbourne are in a better position.
But could another year without finals, and the uncertainty over the coaching group at Princes Park, be a factor in Harry McKay’s thinking?
His signature – for Carlton or North – would be huge for what it signals to the rest of the competition. Having him locked in long-term makes any club more attractive as a destination.

It’s why, for the Roos, going hard for McKay really is a no-brainer.
Yes, they’ll have to pay him overs to a degree, because in the era of free agency clubs have paid as much for potential as they do proven performance.
But while I don’t believe McKay is anywhere near his ceiling as a player, he’s still leading the Coleman Medal and it’s not just his goals that have been impressive.
When he aggravated a shoulder injury against Melbourne, it looked like McKay could be done for the afternoon.
But he fought through the pain barrier and showed a real maturity to his game by continuing to provide a contest. That’s the type of player you want at your club.

I would have liked to see him fly the flag a bit more for Walsh when he was struck by Kyle Hartigan, but that will come in time.
His baseline performance is now much higher than it once was. McKay can be well held, but still kick his two or three goals.
The Roos need reinforcements right across the ground, but after trading Ben Brown to Melbourne and choosing a midfielder with their first pick in last year’s draft, it’s clear they particularly need more support for Nick Larkey and Cam Zurhaar in that forward line.
The best part about chasing McKay is the fact they wouldn’t have to mortgage their draft position to do it.
Should they finish bottom, the Kangaroos can simply walk him to the pre-season draft and land him for nothing. The Blues, themselves, got Jack Martin from Gold Coast through the pre-season draft in 2019.

Clearly, the Roos won’t be the only team making enquiries about Harry, but if they can pull it off, it would set the club up for the next decade.

F*** yeah!

 

[Devington]

> Jesser added: “What we would like is for all clubs to stock it as a consumable for their training table. Mums and dads buy it for their kids.”

Yes, I'm sure they would like that.

 

[Marstermind]

We made Dusty an offer he couldn't refuse. Kelly got an offer he couldn't refuse. Gaff got an offer he couldn't refuse.

They refused them.

OK. Give Harry and offer he can't refuse. Just don't have a meltdown when he refuses it and move on.

 

[DrZaius]

We’ve seen the Roos chase a number of big names without luck in recent years, most notably Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly.

But with those two the circumstances were very different, because of the outlook at their respective clubs.
When the Roos went after Dusty, Richmond were in the middle of that incredible drought-breaking premiership campaign in 2017. The Giants were also a finals team when the Roos came knocking for Kelly.

A bit of re-writing history with this tbh.

Mid way through 2017 Richmond were 7-4 and most likely playing finals, but they had finished 13th the year before and were on a streak of elimination finals losses. There is no way that anyone at that point would've thought they would go on to win 3 flags in 4 years. GWS had only played finals for the first time the year before, but to be fair everyone thought they would be the unstoppable juggernaut with their list.

 

[Marstermind]

A bit of re-writing history with this tbh.

Mid way through 2017 Richmond were 7-4 and most likely playing finals, but they had finished 13th the year before and were on a streak of elimination finals losses. There is no way that anyone at that point would've thought they would go on to win 3 flags in 4 years. GWS had only played finals for the first time the year before, but to be fair everyone thought they would be the unstoppable juggernaut with their list.

Yeah. But if we believe what we hear, midway through 2017 Dusty was very much a Shinboner. Richmond were 7-4 and we were 4-7. From there they went 8-3 and us 2-9.

Had both gone 5-6 from there the 12-10 Tigers would have embarked on another uninspiring finals campaign and we'd have be pumped about a better that expected year.

However, by the time Martin finalised his decision, the Tiges were very much in the premiership race and North had just narrowly avoided the spoon. So, not so much rewriting history, just finishing writing at a convenient time.

 

[nelroo]

Okay has it been confirmed that there will be no crowds in Melb for the foreseeable future?
What pricked my ears a bit was the bit in the chairman’s letter about moving home games to TAS..
If crowds are suddenly allowed again will it move back to Melb?