Most Underrated Team?

[The Donners]

u no that the syd v wce grandfinals were the most watched?an some called it the most excitin (aside from the 89).
the point is we win games an thats what footballers are paid to do.

Close yes, exciting no.

Most watched, get your head out of your arse, 2 non-Victorian teams being the most watched grand finals!

Footballers are paid to win, coaches are paid to win, doesn't make it anymore attractive. If Sydney didn't struggle for a larger supporter base it would be a non-issue. Without winning Sydney have no supporter base but without a more attractive brand of football the game in Sydney will stagnate, hence Demetriou detests the brand played by Sydney... I 100% agree.

So you continue to look at the smaller picture, good luck when West Sydney come into the competition!

 

[The Donners]

Typical un-informed view, obviously you watch all of our games? This 'ugly' view is just hyperbole created in the media and ignorant supporters such as yourself jump onboard without any actual insight into our game style.

For some reason whenever we play adelaide and collingwood they bring out the worst in our team. I'll concede that much.

Not sure if you have television in Tasmania yet, I'm surprised you have the internet, but in Melbourne I think you'll find the majority of games played in Sydney are on free-to-air, luckily for me I have pay television, perhaps a new concept for you, but it enables me to watch near on any game I like... unfortunately that includes Sydney games... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

North.

Will finish top 4 yet most people will pick them to miss the 8 all together. Not me though, I'll chuck a $50 down for them to get the double chance.

There was a poster who came onto our board this season to thank us.

Said he puts 100 bucks on us making the eight around this time every year when the chuds that are the odds makers are offering something ridiculous.

Apart from 2006, we've saluted for him very well.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

Even though I am tipping them to miss the 8 this year, North are always underrated.

Gotta love this post.

For the record, North are better poised this season that before either 2007/08.

The evidence:

None of our retirements was key. Sinclair barely played last year and his role has been more than ably filled by Super Gav Urquhart, who will continue to improve. Thommo didn't play much either. Shagga Grant is the only real loss and even then, he wasn't at his peak last year by any stretch.

In Jesse Smith, we gain a very good player with the potential to be a top line gun. Now this is potential yes, but the bloke has already BOGd in a final, and played a full season at the top level. He stays fit, and he'll be a massive plus. Ziebell is all about potential, but looks to have the body and the mindset to slot straight in.

In McIntosh, Petrie, Hale and Goldstein we have an excellent tall division. Hale seems to have nailed own a key forward role, and Petrie plays as a true utility, though I'd prefer to see him playing down back. In hansen we have a very talented 3 pick who has two solid years of development. Showed some very good signs last year and will improve again.

The defence remains a worry, but Hawthorn showed you can win a flag with holes. If petrie and stay back and hansen improve, it'll allow Gibson and Firrito to play on the types they are more suited to, maybe Spud to the middle.

In Campbell and Thomas we have pace and defensive pressure that will also combine for 60-80 goals. Most teams would kill for that.

The midfield remains the question: Harvey, Harris, Wells, Simmo, Rawlings isn't enough. But if we can play Jesse Smith through there, and maybe even get Ziebell some time, that improves considerably.

I'm quite confident about next year. For mine the key query is the coach. Laidley's an excellent tactician, but he seems to operate one game to another. You will win lots of games by simply preparing a team from week to week to take on that days oopposition, but you won't win a flag.

And I have serious concerns about his man management.

But hopefully I'll be proven wrong on both counts, as there must certainly be the fire in the belly from both Dean and the players after the shambles of our last couple of games.

 

[MightyHawks]

We are the most under rated team.

From October 1st 2007 - Grand Final Day 2008 we were 2008 flag favourites for only 1.5 quarters...

Since the siren went in the Grand Final we haven't been 2009 flag favourites and won't be for most of 2009 either...

We got the chocolates though...

 

[DarwinRoo]

Gotta love this post.

For the record, North are better poised this season that before either 2007/08.

The evidence:

None of our retirements was key. Sinclair barely played last year and his role has been more than ably filled by Super Gav Urquhart, who will continue to improve. Thommo didn't play much either. Shagga Grant is the only real loss and even then, he wasn't at his peak last year by any stretch.

In Jesse Smith, we gain a very good player with the potential to be a top line gun. Now this is potential yes, but the bloke has already BOGd in a final, and played a full season at the top level. He stays fit, and he'll be a massive plus. Ziebell is all about potential, but looks to have the body and the mindset to slot straight in.

In McIntosh, Petrie, Hale and Goldstein we have an excellent tall division. Hale seems to have nailed own a key forward role, and Petrie plays as a true utility, though I'd prefer to see him playing down back. In hansen we have a very talented 3 pick who has two solid years of development. Showed some very good signs last year and will improve again.

The defence remains a worry, but Hawthorn showed you can win a flag with holes. If petrie and stay back and hansen improve, it'll allow Gibson and Firrito to play on the types they are more suited to, maybe Spud to the middle.

In Campbell and Thomas we have pace and defensive pressure that will also combine for 60-80 goals. Most teams would kill for that.

The midfield remains the question: Harvey, Harris, Wells, Simmo, Rawlings isn't enough. But if we can play Jesse Smith through there, and maybe even get Ziebell some time, that improves considerably.

I'm quite confident about next year. For mine the key query is the coach. Laidley's an excellent tactician, but he seems to operate one game to another. You will win lots of games by simply preparing a team from week to week to take on that days oopposition, but you won't win a flag.

And I have serious concerns about his man management.

But hopefully I'll be proven wrong on both counts, as there must certainly be the fire in the belly from both Dean and the players after the shambles of our last couple of games.

Great post SLF.

We have our differences about the man management issue but I think that has been argued over ad nauseam on the North board.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

No, North Melbourne are in the "absolutely desperate to make finals, even if we do nothing cos our support will lag, we'll lose sponsors and we'll be shipped off to West Sydney" basket.

We, Essendon, are building a team that will be a premiership threat, North has built their team that consistently makes the finals, Laidley learnt that from Mick Malthouse during his days at Collingwood.

A new BF milestone - the first mention of us now as candidates for West Sydney. Only a year after avoiding the GC too.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

Great post SLF.

We have our differences about the man management issue but I think that has been argued over ad nauseam on the North board.

Yep, and we'll keep those arguments for our board. Out here among the yahoos, we're both North and that's what counts!

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

Sorry when is the last time the Roos beat the Dons?

Er ... you beat us last year.

Prior to that, your last win was pre 9/11 mate.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

It was a question. A simple 2007 would have been sufficient.

David Hale is shit with no potential, Lazycock at least has potential. He's much maligned but his stats stack up to most back-up ruckmen in the competition.

With McIntosh out for nearly half the season it was clear Hale and Petrie played more than back-up ruckmen. Back-up ruckmen are Seaby, Taylor, Cloke etc.

Hille shits on Petrie. Petrie has had one season when those outside of North Melbourne actually took notice of him, Petrie will be a one season wonder. As for AA selection, if you base a players ability on the AFL's AA selection then you are desperate.

Petrie!!! Hahahaha he's no footballer! Athlete, hence one season wonder.

Dons will finish higher than North in 2009.

The funny thing its apparent you actually believe this stuff.

Hille is a good footballer (albeit a bad driver). Laycock's a dud. Petrie, Hale, Hamish and Goldstein would ALL be walk up starts at your mob.

 

[Zvim]

Rating is mostly media hype and it is a lot easier to generate hype when you have some flashy dominant players. We just haven't had the same depth in terms of classy players, largely because we haven't finished low enough for long enough.

Similarly, the other teams underrated are much in the same boat, haven't seen a lot of top 5 picks by Crows, Swans or North. All three teams have over the coarse of the last 5 odd years also been largely defensively oriented teams and it is a lot harder to get excited by choking teams, irrespective how effective it is.

In terms of betting odds, it has nothing to do with expectation. It is largely a popularity contest before the season begins and the clubs with big supporter bases will generate a lot more bets, even if they are inferior.

 

[Football God]

This is hilarious. I must have missed the finals predicitions last year by all and sundry.

the guy was saying they are overrated, the reason for that would be that they have all these high profile stars and the best they can do is finish 11th.


north- has been quite underrated for sometime now.

 

[tigertiger]

How high can Carlton go in '08?



March 2005 :



May 2004 :



Jan 2003 :



Would you like me to find more?

Great Post JeffDunne

SurreyBlue you are so owned

 

[The Donners]

The funny thing its apparent you actually believe this stuff.

Hille is a good footballer (albeit a bad driver). Laycock's a dud. Petrie, Hale, Hamish and Goldstein would ALL be walk up starts at your mob.

We'll see.

North Melbourne are going backwards. Back line and Forward line is weak, Harvey is your only midfielder better than ours, Simpson is finished, Pratt is a poor man's Watson and Harris pfft!!! Roos have made the finals on the back of desperation, a quality trait, but they just don't have the cattle to challenge for a premiership!

 

[The Donners]

A new BF milestone - the first mention of us now as candidates for West Sydney. Only a year after avoiding the GC too.

Are you expecting non-Roos supporters to sign up for the rest of the Kangaroos existence... pity memberships. A record membership in '08 by almost 10,000, wonder where they came from? Imagine losing those, some $1.6m would be wiped from your bottom line. Good luck with that!

 

[Bloods Rule!]

Close yes, exciting no.

Most watched, get your head out of your arse, 2 non-Victorian teams being the most watched grand finals!

Ding - wrong. And apparently the most viewers for this year's Grand Final only turned the TV on for the presentations . . .


"2.58m goal for Seven’s AFL
By David Knox on September 28, 2008

Channel Seven’s broadcast of the AFL Grand Final was the biggest television audience of the year -outside of its own Olympics coverage.

A whopping 2.58m viewers watched the Geelong v Hawthorn match, up on 2007’s 2.57m viewers.

The biggest audience tuned in for the end of the game, when the Presentations were shown.

In Melbourne alone 1.28m viewers watched the event, followed by Sydney (382,000), Adelaide (335,000), Perth (327,000), and Brisbane (256,000).

The previous biggest non-Olympic audience this year was the Australian Open final (2.35m) whichw as outside of ratings. The third State of Origin match hit 2.14m.

The 2005 Grand Final won by the Sydney Swans remains the biggest AFL audience with 3.39m while Beijing’s Opening Ceremony remains the year’s best with 3.31m viewers."

 

[SM]

Wow, I call that, um, owned?

 

[vonn]

omg thats what i was lookin for!
also theirs another article about the swans having the highest supporter/membership base followed by collingwood..
has probably changed now but ive got the article in my inbox

 

[ok.crows]

this will be the year the underrated teams drop.

...

Adelaide I'm picking for an abberation year, not the begginging of a pattern, just a year where things don't go to plan, they've got talent in the midfield, but they have been on the decline, and they'll finally fall out of the 8.

Well, it is possible ... but if this was actually going to happen to Adelaide, then this year (2008 season) was the year it should have happened. At the end of 2007 the Crows lost a good many experienced, serviceable players ... the likes of Hudson, Welsh, Torney and Mattner as examples, and Biglands did a knee in the preseason ... and Adelaide had to replace them all in the side. Hart and Perrie had gone, and McGregor was no longer up to it. In 2008 the Crows did just that, they introduced a fair number of fewer-than-ten games experience players into the regular starting 22.

Maric, Vince, McKay, Tippet, Griffin, Symes, Moran were introduced, and Douglas and Porplyzia (both of whom had quite low games experience) all found regular places in the side.

That was nigh-on half the side turned over, representing a huge loss of experience.

Adelaide finished 5th, just missing the top 4 by a narrow percentage. Understandably, they suffered a serious "wobble" in the second half of the season, but they recovered marginally towards the end.

This year the Crows have effectively lost just one regular (Bassett) and one fringe player (Massie) from the side. Far, far easier to deal with.

Strongly contending for those two places next year will be the likes of Taylor Walker and Patrick Dangerfield ... this does not seem like any sort of a drop off in the playing squad to me.

Finally, all of those players who were in the fewer-than-ten-games-experience category at the start of 2008 will be in the twenty-to-thirty-games-experience-at-the-start-of-the-season category in 2009. Some of them will get to the 50 games mark by the end of the 2009 season.

If Adelaide were actually going to have an abberation year, and finally fall out of the eight due to transition between the older players and the younger ones, then 2008 should have been that year.

2009 will more likely be the year of the revival, the start of the dramatic upswing, if anything, for Adelaide.

 

[mark73]

Sorry when is the last time the Roos beat the Dons?

How about 7 of the last 8 times? I'm not surprised you guys are extracting every inch of mileage out of that solitary win though. It'd been a long time between drinks.

Who cares where we're rated

Obviously you do. That's why you went on to name your whole list and tell us how good it is. Notice you rarely see North fans do that apart from their own board, unless having to point things out to dullards? It's because even though we need to fix up our ends to the season, we know we're rated, we know the "other AFL teams" rate us. Are we supposed to give a shit that a few opposition fans and a few experts don't?

 

[Pykie]

We'll see.

North Melbourne are going backwards. Back line and Forward line is weak, Harvey is your only midfielder better than ours, Simpson is finished, Pratt is a poor man's Watson and Harris pfft!!! Roos have made the finals on the back of desperation, a quality trait, but they just don't have the cattle to challenge for a premiership!

Oh Dear............


Lets start for some comparisons:


Matthew Lloyd was your highest goal scorer this year, at 62, hes 30 years of age, then there was;

19 from Hille, whose 27;

18 from Lucas whose 31.


On our side of the coin, we would of had 7 players that could slot in between Lloyd and Hille. Our highest goal scorer is 24 years of age in Hale, Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell our other two highest goal scorers, kicking 32 each, are 20 years of age and 21 years of age respectively.

Yet our forward line is going backwards, and weak? hmmmm.


Our backline: Watt is the oldest when hes in there at 28, hes a fringe player anyway. Our key players in the backline are all 24 years of age in Firrito, Gibson, Pratt with young guys like Urquhart, Jesse Smith and Lachlan Hansen on the half back line.

Pratt is a poor man's Watson and Harris pfft!!!

Pratt is a small defender, Watson is an inside midfielder that can't kick over a jam tin, I cant see the comparison?

Pratt made the All-Australian squad as a small defender......


Harris ranks 6th in the league behind Garry Ablett for contested possessions, Watson is at 20th.

Watson is your best midfielder.

Brent Harvey, Adam Simpson, Daniel Wells, Brady Rawlings and Daniel Harris are all arguably better.

Because I think we have a better team with far more improvement ahead of us than North Melbourne:

Essendon

FB: Hurley Fletcher McVeigh
HB: Myers Ryder McPhee
C: Reimers Watson Dempsey
HF: Lloyd Gumbleton Monfries
F: Davey Neagle Lucas
Foll: Hille Prismall Houli
Inter: Jetta Stanton Lovett
Laycock

North Melbourne

FB: McMahon Gibson Thompson
HB: Urquhart Firrito Power
C: Wells Simpson Harding
HF: Hansen Petrie Edwards
F: Thomas Hale Campbell
Foll: McIntosh Pratt Harvey
Inter: Jones Rawlings Watt
Lower

Can you pick a more 'off' team from a North Melbourne perspective?

You have Pratt starting on the ball? He's never played there in his life, Harding on the wing? Why would you name Prismall on the ball, when hes just had a knee reconstruction?

Norths line-up is more likely to be this than your other post:

B: Pratt Gibson Firrito
HB: Urquhart Petrie JW Smith
C: Wells Harris Ziebell
HF: Edwards Hansen Jones
FF: Campbell Hale Thomas
R: MacIntosh Simpson Harvey

Int: Rawlings, Thompson, Harding, McMahon



The fact you think Pratt is a center square midfielder, shows how very little you know of the NMFC.

 

[The Donners]

Ding - wrong. And apparently the most viewers for this year's Grand Final only turned the TV on for the presentations . . .


"2.58m goal for Seven’s AFL
By David Knox on September 28, 2008

Channel Seven’s broadcast of the AFL Grand Final was the biggest television audience of the year -outside of its own Olympics coverage.

A whopping 2.58m viewers watched the Geelong v Hawthorn match, up on 2007’s 2.57m viewers.

The biggest audience tuned in for the end of the game, when the Presentations were shown.

In Melbourne alone 1.28m viewers watched the event, followed by Sydney (382,000), Adelaide (335,000), Perth (327,000), and Brisbane (256,000).

The previous biggest non-Olympic audience this year was the Australian Open final (2.35m) whichw as outside of ratings. The third State of Origin match hit 2.14m.

The 2005 Grand Final won by the Sydney Swans remains the biggest AFL audience with 3.39m while Beijing’s Opening Ceremony remains the year’s best with 3.31m viewers."

Wow, I call that, um, owned?

omg thats what i was lookin for!
also theirs another article about the swans having the highest supporter/membership base followed by collingwood..
has probably changed now but ive got the article in my inbox

Are you w***ers even aware of how ratings/viewers work and how they calculate the numbers? There is no definitive number of viewers, your statistics are shonky at best.

Memberships on the other other hand actually have a tangible number.

 

[mark73]

Oh Dear............


Lets start for some comparisons:


Matthew Lloyd was your highest goal scorer this year, at 62, hes 30 years of age, then there was;

19 from Hille, whose 27;

18 from Lucas whose 31.


On our side of the coin, we would of had 7 players that could slot in between Lloyd and Hille. Our highest goal scorer is 24 years of age in Hale, Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell our other two highest goal scorers, kicking 32 each, are 20 years of age and 21 years of age respectively.

Yet our forward line is going backwards, and weak? hmmmm.


Our backline: Watt is the oldest when hes in there at 28, hes a fringe player anyway. Our key players in the backline are all 24 years of age in Firrito, Gibson, Pratt with young guys like Urquhart, Jesse Smith and Lachlan Hansen on the half back line.



Pratt is a small defender, Watson is an inside midfielder that can't kick over a jam tin, I cant see the comparison?

Pratt made the All-Australian squad as a small defender......


Harris ranks 6th in the league behind Garry Ablett for contested possessions, Watson is at 20th.

Watson is your best midfielder.

Brent Harvey, Adam Simpson, Daniel Wells, Brady Rawlings and Daniel Harris are all arguably better.





Can you pick a more 'off' team from a North Melbourne perspective?

You have Pratt starting on the ball? He's never played there in his life, Harding on the wing? Why would you name Prismall on the ball, when hes just had a knee reconstruction?

Norths line-up is more likely to be this than your other post:

B: Pratt Gibson Firrito
HB: Urquhart Petrie JW Smith
C: Wells Harris Ziebell
HF: Edwards Hansen Jones
FF: Campbell Hale Thomas
R: MacIntosh Simpson Harvey

Int: Rawlings, Thompson, Harding, McMahon



The fact you think Pratt is a center square midfielder, shows how very little you know of the NMFC.

I'm being hypocritical to my previous post but I would've said;

B-Pratt, Grima, Gibson
HB-Harding, Petrie, Urquhart
C-Wells, Firrito, JWSmith
HF-Hansen, Jo Smith, Campbell
F-Jones, Hale, Thomas
R-McIntosh, Rawlings, Harvey
INT-Harris, Edwards, Simpson, Ziebell, Power, McMahon, Ross, Swallow, Goldstein, Lower & Riggio as possibilities.

 

[The Donners]

Oh Dear............


Lets start for some comparisons:


Matthew Lloyd was your highest goal scorer this year, at 62, hes 30 years of age, then there was;

19 from Hille, whose 27;

18 from Lucas whose 31.


On our side of the coin, we would of had 7 players that could slot in between Lloyd and Hille. Our highest goal scorer is 24 years of age in Hale,

He kicked 37 goals, big deal.

Lindsay Thomas and Matt Campbell our other two highest goal scorers, kicking 32 each, are 20 years of age and 21 years of age respectively.

Yet our forward line is going backwards, and weak? hmmmm.

Yes, yes it is. You do not have a legitimate target, take out 8 goals Hale kicked against the Cats and its a pretty poor return. Lloyd also played further up the ground in the second half of the year and the reason the likes of Gumbleton and Neagle didn't kick more is because they were injured. North Melbourne were missing only McIntosh from your starting 22 for any significant period.

Our backline: Watt is the oldest when hes in there at 28, hes a fringe player anyway. Our key players in the backline are all 24 years of age in Firrito, Gibson, Pratt with young guys like Urquhart, Jesse Smith and Lachlan Hansen on the half back line.

Gibson is a hack.

Firrito is a solid player, I like the look of Urquhart, Hansen has played his best football pushing forward and Smith is a long way off but shows plenty of potential.

Pratt is a small defender, Watson is an inside midfielder that can't kick over a jam tin, I cant see the comparison?

Pratt made the All-Australian squad as a small defender......

Wow, AA, unbelievable...

Harris ranks 6th in the league behind Garry Ablett for contested possessions, Watson is at 20th.

How about centre clearances?

Watson is your best midfielder.

Brent Harvey, Adam Simpson, Daniel Wells, Brady Rawlings and Daniel Harris are all arguably better.

Wells is enigmatic, Harris is slower than Watson, Rawlings it purely a tagger, Simpson is finished. I did say Harvey was better than any of our midfielders did I not?

Can you pick a more 'off' team from a North Melbourne perspective?

You have Pratt starting on the ball? He's never played there in his life, Harding on the wing? Why would you name Prismall on the ball, when hes just had a knee reconstruction?

Prismall will be in by round 7.

Norths line-up is more likely to be this than your other post:

B: Pratt Gibson Firrito
HB: Urquhart Petrie JW Smith
C: Wells Harris Ziebell
HF: Edwards Hansen Jones
FF: Campbell Hale Thomas
R: MacIntosh Simpson Harvey

Int: Rawlings, Thompson, Harding, McMahon

The fact you think Pratt is a center square midfielder, shows how very little you know of the NMFC.

No no, I was just trying to put your best players on the ground at the one time. You really didn't change much in terms of personnel. Sorry mate but that list you have is atrocious. You need decent KPs. We need one elite midfielder.

 

[mark73]

Sorry mate but that list you have is atrociou

It was good enough to be hovering around the top 4 most season.

You need decent KPs. We need one elite midfielder.

No, what you really need is to stop talking shit about things you know nothing about.

And of all people from an Essendon supporter!! You're lucky we even reply to you about on field performance.