Autopsy GWS d NMFC 121 - 82.

[Joshen]

I don't get the Shiels sub call.

He is an endurance athlete and a leader. Strange fit.

 

[Joshen]

Our inability to win one on ones and take contested marks was noticeable.

It is an issue up forward and down back.

 

[Nate7]

Have at it!

 

[amaz199]

 

[Reagan Smash]

We were always pushing poop uphill against GWS
Too fit, too experienced and well drilled and they already blew out the cobwebs last week.

And thank you afl for setting the fixtures where a team who has played round zero at home to play round one at home again vs an interstate team

 

[Hearts to hearts]

show ignored content

 

[Wild Bill]

A lot to like.

 

[The5YearPlan]

Has the Goater injury been confirmed yet?

 

[Moti]

Thought we did some good things but were outsized in the middle, impotent up forward and lacked accountability in defence.

LDU and Powell were the best mids across 4 quarters in an attacking sense, even though they both made errors with the ball. Powell made 3-4 howlers but also was the main architect on a lot of plays. LDU struggled early but started to get his mojo going and was strong over the board. Lacked a partner. George is an animal but needs a really strong skill based pre season to improve his ball use.

Cam should have been part of the midfield rotations from the starts. Also liked getting Curtis involved.

Hardeman could be the most important player on the list moving forward, we need a decent defender to play on smalls.

Other than that, can't wait for Charlie.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Well GWS didn't kick 30 goals so I'll take that as a moral victory.

 

[kool kangas]

While we got beaten l liked what l saw...Goater going down was a blow but opens up the spot for either Comben, Biggie or LMac. Stevens needs to improve so l will give him a few games to show me what he has. With Simpkin coming back next week l think Sheil will be the likely out with Lazzaro as sub. So many promising signs....l cant wait for next week.

 

[Disco Dew]

Well GWS didn't kick 30 goals so I'll take that as a moral victory.

Eat shit damo you ****wit

 

[Mr north man]

A lot to like.

We gave it a crack today were outclassed happy for Mckercher and Dursma sad for Goater.
Let’s give it real crack next week let’s get to Marvel support the team should try and get 20k to the game.

 

[Its a Process]

I understand and like our want to play fast but we have to balance it up a little better. When the game was still somewhat tight we took on some suicidal options that resulted in goals the other way.

It was a deadset hospital pass of a round 1 match up and up until Goater’s injury I was fine with what I saw.

 

[Black Diamond]

We were within a kick as half time approached and should regret letting it slip so far from there.

A lot of the typical North errors. Missing easy targets and fumbling under no pressure.

 

[Horizons_00]

What I noticed big time is how much bigger they are physically as well

We looked like skinny little boys out there

 

[CURVE]

We were outplayed, but we were up against the premiership favourites with a competitive game under their belts, and while there were a couple of periods where a 10+ goal defeat was a real possibility, I thought the guys showed tremendous character to fight it out and keep it to under 40. I hope all the guys take a lot of confidence out their performances and because there were some fantastic signs that we are heading in the right direction.

• Sheezel, Wardlaw, McKercher and Duursma are all class players and rightful top 5 draft picks, all looked elite at various stages.
• I wasn't convinced Xerri could be our future #1 ruckman but today he showed some really positive signs with his marking, ruck craft and general game play.
• Our defense was under pressure for most of the game and made some poor and costly decisions, but for the most part I thought they performed fairly well, especially Dawson, McKercher and Goater who all looked very calm.
• Speaking of Dawson, we have to persist with him, he probably isn't tall enough to take the number one forward, but I think he can become a very good KP defender or intercept defender, he reads the play very well, backs his abilities and attacks the ball.
• I thought the ball movement was the best I've seen by a North Melbourne team since the days of mid 2010's when we were battling for finals positions. There were still errors, and some of them cost us the maximum, but generally the movement by foot or by hand was superior to anything I've seen for 6/7 years at least.
• I thought Powell's game was a little underappreciated, he wasn't fancy, but he did the dirty things in tight and was able to get the ball to team mates on the outside on numerous occasions.

The dagger to the heart moment was undoubtably the Goater injury, it looked like a serious Achillies rupture which probably means the season. It's a killer blow to a young man who looks every bit an AFL player and who has the skills to be a genuine star down back for us for a decade or more. All the best for a speedy recovery.

 

[Val Keating]

Need to work on locking the ball in our forward 50 and our pressure through the middle of the arch’s, they transitioned way too easily. That will come with in time as our players get more experience playing with each other and fitness, they’re very green.

Wasn’t terrible, but the ease that the giants moved the ball through the middle was concerning. Could’ve got belted, but our blokes kept working hard all day. Can’t ask for more than that.

 

[ferball]

We lost by 39 against a flag contender on their home deck. Collingwood also lost by 33 at home. Not the end of the world.

Yep. We lost by nearly seven goals. Got our arses kicked.

 

[Samsquanch]

What I noticed big time is how much bigger they are physically as well

We looked like skinny little boys out there

I remember saying that back in the day. It was when we played the West Coast Eagles during their peak years.

 

[ferball]

question - can anyone make a votes thread?

Yep but only mods can sticky it.

 

[Val Keating]

I remember saying that back in the day. It was when we played the West Coast Eagles during their peak years.

Tbf the eagles allegedly had some very good supplements..

 

[Samsquanch]

Tbf the eagles allegedly had some very good supplements..

So it seems.

 

[Spud11]

We were outplayed, but we were up against the premiership favourites with a competitive game under their belts, and while there were a couple of periods where a 10+ goal defeat was a real possibility, I thought the guys showed tremendous character to fight it out and keep it to under 40. I hope all the guys take a lot of confidence out their performances and because there were some fantastic signs that we are heading in the right direction.

• Sheezel, Wardlaw, McKercher and Duursma are all class players and rightful top 5 draft picks, all looked elite at various stages.
• I wasn't convinced Xerri could be our future #1 ruckman but today he showed some really positive signs with his marking, ruck craft and general game play.
• Our defense was under pressure for most of the game and made some poor and costly decisions, but for the most part I thought they performed fairly well, especially Dawson, McKercher and Goater who all looked very calm.
• Speaking of Dawson, we have to persist with him, he probably isn't tall enough to take the number one forward, but I think he can become a very good KP defender or intercept defender, he reads the play very well, backs his abilities and attacks the ball.
• I thought the ball movement was the best I've seen by a North Melbourne team since the days of mid 2010's when we were battling for finals positions. There were still errors, and some of them cost us the maximum, but generally the movement by foot or by hand was superior to anything I've seen for 6/7 years at least.
• I thought Powell's game was a little underappreciated, he wasn't fancy, but he did the dirty things in tight and was able to get the ball to team mates on the outside on numerous occasions.

The dagger to the heart moment was undoubtably the Goater injury, it looked like a serious Achillies rupture which probably means the season. It's a killer blow to a young man who looks every bit an AFL player and who has the skills to be a genuine star down back for us for a decade or more. All the best for a speedy recovery.

The first sentence you wrote is the issue I have with our club.

“But we were up against the premiership favourites”

Etc, etc.

When is our turn?

How many years do we have to spend justifying honourable losses on the basis of the accepted fact that the other team is simply better? Why not us?

A year ago everyone expected GWS to crash. But they grabbed their own narrative with two hands and turned it in their favour.
Watching them dourly destroy interstate teams (Adelaide comes to mind) with no support… I haven’t been proud of North doing something like that for 15-20 years. We don’t seem to pull of mercurial unexpected wins, even like Hawthorn did last year.

Let alone mercurial, unexpected seasons.

When is our turn?

 

[CURVE]

The first sentence you wrote is the issue I have with our club.

“But we were up against the premiership favourites”

Etc, etc.

When is our turn?

How many years do we have to spend justifying honourable losses on the basis of the accepted fact that the other team is simply better? Why not us?

A year ago everyone expected GWS to crash. But they grabbed their own narrative with two hands and turned it in their favour.
Watching them dourly destroy interstate teams (Adelaide comes to mind) with no support… I haven’t been proud of North doing something like that for 15-20 years.

When is our turn?

Next year we start our climb, 2026 we start to contend.