Play Nice North Melbourne - 2018 and beyond

[SickQwon]

They took some critical steps to kick start their rebuild by delisting some mature-age players and getting some experience into some young players. However, they were completely inactive during the trade period and didn't try to strengthen their draft positions or go hard at any young players seeking trades (Schache, Kennedy, Smith ect.)

It's almost like they thought that just getting Martin or Kelly was going to save them. I full rebuild needs to be initiated if they want to build to success.

 

[Sprout]

I honestly don't think their list is that bad. Some of their youngsters look promising.

Granted my perception may be warped by our inability to beat them

 

[Snake_Baker]

I think North rather than the hapless Gold Coast may be the AFL's biggest worry going forward.

Agree.

I suspect we will be granted a round 1 compensation pick in next years draft.

Looking forward to the support of the football loving community.

 

[Heaps of fun]

So unrelenting trolling about relocation seems the go on the mainboard. Pretty sad.

 

[fusion]

So unrelenting trolling about relocation seems the go on the mainboard. Pretty sad.

Should have taken the money and relocated to the Gold Coast... I look at the Suns with envy each year and wish we had become the powerhouse they are.

Seriously, relocation solves nothing for a struggling club. May as well just fold and let the AFL start a new club wherever they want.

It's our turn to bottom out and rebuild. Yes, our list is below average and we will be even worse after the next wave of retirements. Swallow, Thomas, Thompson, Waite will go. Jed Anderson and Majak Daw won't make it in my opinion. And two best 22 players in Sam Wright and Ben Jacobs missed about 1.5y of footy and no guarantee to restablish themselves. Goldstein is a worry too.

So it's a blessing that we didn't waste millions on Martin or Kelly, as we need 2-3 years of stockpiling good draft picks and only after then should we look at free agents. Pick #4 is the best pick we've had since Carey left. Next year we're going to get another good pick and academy players and father sons.

It's this hope that supporters need, rather than seeing Lindsay Thomas in and out of the team.

 

[ManOfClay]

#4 is the best pick we've had since Carey left. Next year we're going to get another.

Lachlan Hansen was taken at pick 3 post Carey.

 

[Lolbert]

Should have taken the money and relocated to the Gold Coast... I look at the Suns with envy each year and wish we had become the powerhouse they are.

Seriously, relocation solves nothing for a struggling club. May as well just fold and let the AFL start a new club wherever they want.

It's our turn to bottom out and rebuild. Yes, our list is below average and we will be even worse after the next wave of retirements. Swallow, Thomas, Thompson, Waite will go. Jed Anderson and Majak Daw won't make it in my opinion. And two best 22 players in Sam Wright and Ben Jacobs missed about 1.5y of footy and no guarantee to restablish themselves. Goldstein is a worry too.

So it's a blessing that we didn't waste millions on Martin or Kelly, as we need 2-3 years of stockpiling good draft picks and only after then should we look at free agents. Pick #4 is the best pick we've had since Carey left. Next year we're going to get another good pick and academy players and father sons.

It's this hope that supporters need, rather than seeing Lindsay Thomas in and out of the team.

I agree. People seem to forget that unless you're one of the powerhouses who can top up with free agency and trade requests every year, bottoming out and rebuilding is all part of the process and there isn't anything wrong with that.

 

[Hawker55]

I agree. People seem to forget that unless you're one of the powerhouses who can top up with free agency and trade requests every year, bottoming out and rebuilding is all part of the process and there isn't anything wrong with that.

This is very true, but the issue for North is whether Scott is the man for a rebuild? Getting the right coach to oversee it can be the difference between an extended bottoming out or a constant improvement over three or four seasons.

Time will tell, but my gut feeling is that Scott won’t be coaching at North after this contract expires.

 

[captain cotch 9]

Clearly they lack some shin boner spirit.
Once they get some more boner spirit they will rise again

 

[Costanza_]

One poor season (where there were still 3 clubs worse than them) = basket case?

Welcome to Bigfooty. Teams are either unbeatable, multiple-premiership certainties or basket-cases on the verge of relocation.

 

[demondavey]

North have had more members than saints melbournr and bulldogs in the last 5 years, another myth made up by the afl media.

Interesting. Not sure of the actual statistics but does North actually have more supporters than those 3 clubs? I am also sceptical about the Tasmania claims. Will they lose Melbourne supporters if they relocate? Will they gain that 20-30k extra supporter base as well as keeping their Melbourne supporters?

In terms of playing finals this is their record over the last decade;

2007 - 4th
2008 - 7th
2009 - 13th
2010 - 9th
2011 - 9th
2012 - 8th
2013 - 10th
2014 - 6th
2015 - 8th
2016 - 8th
2017 - 15th

So finals in 6 of those years, 2 finishes of 9th, preliminary finals in 07, 14, 15. That's not a bad record. It's definitely a better record than some other Victorian based clubs - Melbourne, Carlton and Essendon namely.

Whilst I think they went really hard at a flag chance with a senior list, they can still use 2018 to push experience into their youth and also clear out the dead wood. They've got some pretty decent core players in Brown, Tarrant, Wood, Preuss, Dumont, Atley, Higgins, Ziebell, Cunnington and McDonald.

They'll get a top 5 pick this year, probably another top 5 pick next year, and with some decent trading next year I can't see why they can't be back in the mid for pushing towards the 8 in 2019. The major issue will be continuing to extract the best from their ageing players, but with any sort of decent development in place their kids will start to mature next year.

 

[Bokonon_]

Absurd overreaction. Team has a bad year and they're up to fold or relocate?
They actually have a long history of overachieving as a relatively small club with limited resources. No indication that anything is wrong other than the natural cycle of clubs.
I think Kelly and Martin were a throw at the stumps given they had the trade currency and the cap space. Even if you include Heeney it was very selective who they targeted.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

They’ve got a really poor list and a bog average coach. Not a great position to be in.

 

[demondavey]

Welcome to Bigfooty. Teams are either unbeatable, multiple-premiership certainties or basket-cases on the verge of relocation.

Yep pretty much. Apparently GWS were going to win the next 5, North were off to the GC, and the GC and Brisbane would merge.

 

[demondavey]

They’ve got a really poor list and a bog average coach. Not a great position to be in.

Disagree. They'll probably be on the same trajectory as Carlton. Everyone just gave Carlton the kudos because SOS continued to poach GWS players and they get the exposure as a 'big 4'. I don't really see St Kilda or Fremantle as having any better ability to climb into the 8 over North to be honest.

 

[NoobPie]

I think north should progressively move to tassie. Play tassie games in green and white stripes (or even green and maroon/yellow...entice them to move their base there with control of over and priority access to the Tasmanian academy with a maintained presence at Arden street

I suspect they'll have less support in Tasmania than a start up team but this will be the best outcome in the long term.

 

[LB#16]

Never understood this claims.
According to most North have never had elite players yet still consistently made finals. Now we have one bad season, where we have less than 25 players to pick in the final 8 rounds due to injuries and we're a basket case? I'm sorry but how long have Melbourne, carlton and brisbane been basket cases for then?

FYI Carlton went for Kelly and so did saints as well as martin AND fyfe. These two clubs were 'ahead' of North to land them according to the media, so why does North get the criticism?

Brisbane are an interstate club where the market is still being worked out, Carlton have a large backing and I imagine Melbourne have a lot of wealthy backers being the upper class club. As soon as North are not doing so well on the field, they're in trouble as they're not as stable off field.

 

[MosquitoBrigade]

The AFL just need to script them a fairytale flag like Richmond and the Bulldogs.

Problem solved.

Cool story bro....put them in our shoes this year with the same 'fairy tale' and the cattle/coach they have and do you think they win a flag?

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Brisbane are an interstate club where the market is still being worked out, Carlton have a large backing and I imagine Melbourne have a lot of wealthy backers being the upper class club. As soon as North are not doing so well on the field, they're in trouble as they're not as stable off field.

Not as stable?

40k members in a shit year, debt almost eliminated without help from pokies (a lot less AFL funding than the Saints and Dogs too) and a VFL as well as a women's team entering the comp.

It's funny to me that the first posters to sink the boots in and talk relocation are always essendon supporters, also quite sad in a way.

 

[Yianni]

Ah 'these threads'

It's good to be back...

 

[LB#16]

Not as stable?

40k members in a shit year, debt almost eliminated without help from pokies (a lot less AFL funding than the Saints and Dogs too) and a VFL as well as a women's team entering the comp.

It's funny to me that the first posters to sink the boots in and talk relocation are always essendon supporters, also quite sad in a way.

I'm not sinking in the boots, I'm stating the obvious. Keep being in denial all you want but North continue to be the least stable Victorian club. 40k members but how many Tasmanians in that figure? Should give them a clue where the support is.

 

[Damon_3388]

As long as North Melbourne remain financially sound, they will not merge or relocate, and the league will not "step in". Just being poor on-field never causes those things to happen.

There's also billion-dollar developments in and around Arden Street upcoming over the next decade, that are largely based around NMFC's continued presence, which I don't think will be easily changed either.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

Not as stable?

40k members in a shit year, debt almost eliminated without help from pokies (a lot less AFL funding than the Saints and Dogs too) and a VFL as well as a women's team entering the comp.

It's funny to me that the first posters to sink the boots in and talk relocation are always essendon supporters, also quite sad in a way.

I don't understand the pre-occupation with relocation. Why does everyone think it's the answer to a struggling club? Did it help Fitzroy?

If you're looking at financial viability the real answer is for struggling clubs to find revenue that isn't so dependent on members and sponsorship. Easier said than done, and most clubs are filling this gap with pokies, but it's awesome that North have said no to that.

Onfield - they need a proper rebuild coach, and someone at the club with a bit of charisma that can shift the publicity they get to something more in their favour.

 

[STFU Donnie]

I was a North supporter before the Crows were created so they are my second team.

North loaded up with mature players for a flag tilt that fell short. I'm now worried that they have fallen so far and to me appear in free fall with no likely move up the ladder in the foreseeable future.

Had big offers knocked back by Heeney, Martin & Kelly, did nothing in the trade period, should get a good player at pick 4, pick 23 is starting to get into the wobbly zone and just standard picks next year with more retirements likely. Got a high academy prospect next year in Thomas plus a few F/S although unlikely the highly rated KPF Blakey would nominate North in front of staying home at the Swans.

North do not look an attractive place for FA and that's unlikely to change with bottom of the ladder looking likely in the next few years.

I think North rather than the hapless Gold Coast may be the AFL's biggest worry going forward.

I've never understood this sentiment. I am a Hawks supporter. I have always been a Hawks supporter. I will always be a Hawks supporter. I couldn't have given two ... when the Crows were formed.

 

[radiojake]

I've never understood this sentiment. I am a Hawks supporter. I have always been a Hawks supporter. I will always be a Hawks supporter. I couldn't have given two ... when the Crows were formed.

so what would you say to the Hawthorn supporters circa 1925?

Did they switch VFL teams?