Some cold hard facts

[johnson252525]

Kids are an excuse if we play ok but lose. Last night we were a disgrace.

Our game planof kicking backwards made us look even worse.

The selection committee also need a hard look at themselves dropping Harding and MCMAhon who should be in our best 22.

Anyway the reality is that game is over. This week against WCE we will know where we stand.

1 game does not make a season. Let's hope last night was an one off.

ES

rawlings played a great game

 

[Zvim]

Meh, the game was a stinker, there were no real positives other than to see some of our bright young hopefuls try their guts all night without much in the way of support.

Hopefully Cunnington, Greenwood and Lower are not far from returning.

I do hope they show them the video of late 2009 and the pre-season of 2010 with the running in numbers, the pushing forward, the tackling, the pressure. It has just not been there for the most part fo these first two rounds and that needs to be addressed. We can't surrender the corridor to sides that flood otherwise we wont score and we can't bomb blindly into the forwardline otherwise they will just rebound.

Modern footy is about holding possession, we just give the ball away far too easily and far too often, we are not good enough at present that we can give away goal after goal due to poor decision making and poor execution.

Saints were just red hot, we weren't and they kicked deadly accurately, realistically the dogs should have flogged Richmond by more, but they had a more realistic conversion rate. Our side isn't as bad as was shown, we weren't the far behind in contested possessions, we won the hitouts and centre clearances, but we played like a team of individuals and not a collection of individuals playing as a team and that needs to change quick smart or else we wont beat anyone.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Don't be too harsh on yourself guys. We beat West Coast by 100 points in 2004...

And I doubt you'll be the only team on the end of a fair beating. We're on a mission, or rather Riewoldt is.

As pointed out in the OP, you're a young team with some very decent youngsters. Just gonna take time...

All the best for the remainder of 2010!

 

[Zvim]

Don't be too harsh on yourself guys. We beat West Coast by 100 points in 2004...

And I doubt you'll be the only team on the end of a fair beating. We're on a mission, or rather Riewoldt is.

As pointed out in the OP, you're a young team with some very decent youngsters. Just gonna take time...

All the best for the remainder of 2010!

I had this conversation with my brother-in-law that 60+ point losses are the 5-6 goal losses of 10-15 years ago, the way the game is played now and the speed it is played if you are not on you can get bent over pretty quickly. Saints inflicted a lot of the damage in patches where were just unable to get and retain the ball and hit targets.

It is quite easy for young and inexperienced teams to fall into those pitfalls but it is disappointing that we let you guys grab us by the short n' curlies to that extent. I had a gut feel without Greenwood and Lower we would struggle, last time we played Lenny missed and Greenwood shut down Dal Santo and that gave Swallow the freedom to just collect the ball at will. We really have no hope competing against a full strength midfield with several of our required players unavailable.

I'd be surprised if we played this bad again, I do expect us to be up and down this year but hopefully we get a few more of our mids back next week and we can start to focus on playing more team oriented football.

 

[KangaBot]

The selection committee also need a hard look at themselves dropping Harding and MCMAhon who should be in our best 22.
ES

I agree entirely. I question the inclusion of Corey Jones at all. For all the "older" players, the questions that (I think) need to be asked at the selection table are

1) Will this player play in our next premiership? (I doubt strongly that CJ will be here for the next one)
2) Will this player lead and develop the junior players on the ground during their first 100 games? (I don't see this from CJ)
3) WIll this player play an enforcer role and protect the lighter bodies while they develop physically? (Clear no on CJ's behalf)

Rawlings ticks the box on 2) and warrants a place, and Drew and Boomer pick themselves on the examples they set alone.

 

[Hurlstein]

Hey Fellas,
Not much to say about last night's performance other than it wasn't that much worse than the drivel we supplied today!
Just a couple of things I took out of the game:
- You've got yourselves some guns in Ziebell and Bastinac. It would be nice to have some future elites in our midfield!
- Corey Jones... How is he still on your list????
- Ben Warren: I thought he led and presented really nicely (we could have used some of that today) but I was wondering if his kicking has always been an issue as this is the first time I have really noticed him? Just a couple of times he didn't have the confidence to have a kick, opting to give it off, and then there was that shot from inside 50 which seemed to lack any penetration. Was it just an off night?

Sorry that turned out pretty long, just a couple of things I noticed... good luck for the rest of the year!!

 

[NICK_ROOBOY83]

That is a ridiculous statement and you know it.

I disagree that our boys were not putting in any effort.

I will doubtless get shot down for this but I believe that they were trying as hard as their relatively younger bodies would allow them. We were not far from the bench and at each rotation the boys coming off were absolutely spent.

We are putting far too much s*** on our boys and not giving enough credit to the Saints. They were superb last night.

Whatever we think about how the umpires look after Reiwoldt, his performance last night was sensational. He is a one of the greats of the game and he is in his prime right now. The only player in our side who comes near him is Drew and he was sitting in the stand nursing a broken foot.

Goddard is a beauty and unlike some of his mates, performed well in the GF last year, which is the real test of a footballer.

We should not forget that this Saints side could so easily have won the flag last year. They will be driven by the nightmare of getting so near yet falling at the last hurdle.

The whole point of my op was to highlight the enormous gap in experience between the two sides, which counts for so much in football. This group conains a number of young talented players. It will gain experience over the next two to three years and it will be our turn to watch them demolish a St. Kilda outfit that by then or maybe a bit further on has lost its stars and is back in the pack. Mark my words.

It's not a ridiculous statement, If we are going to make excuses for what was put out there last night we may as well as give up now and just except mediocrity. The thing is, as most on here would agree, that isn't our style, thats not what we are about.

Now if your happy to except what was dished out there last night Horace, thats your right, but i wont except it, nor will most members and supporters on here.

I got bagged by a Richmond supporter after last nights game, it doesn't get more embarrassing then that.

 

[Blight von Torp]

Cold hard fact:

From last night's game, it seems Wazza has a touch of the Azzas when it comes to penetration of the kicking variety. It's a problem when you're a forward but can't make the distance from 50.

 

[breeno]

Cold hard fact:

From last night's game, it seems Wazza has a touch of the Azzas when it comes to penetration of the kicking variety. It's a problem when you're a forward but can't make the distance from 50.

He nailed one from outside 50 vs. Port. I'm more worried about his lack of confidence.

 

[we57st]

That is a ridiculous statement and you know it.

I disagree that our boys were not putting in any effort.

I will doubtless get shot down for this but I believe that they were trying as hard as their relatively younger bodies would allow them. We were not far from the bench and at each rotation the boys coming off were absolutely spent.

We are putting far too much s*** on our boys and not giving enough credit to the Saints. They were superb last night.

Whatever we think about how the umpires look after Reiwoldt, his performance last night was sensational. He is a one of the greats of the game and he is in his prime right now. The only player in our side who comes near him is Drew and he was sitting in the stand nursing a broken foot.

Goddard is a beauty and unlike some of his mates, performed well in the GF last year, which is the real test of a footballer.

We should not forget that this Saints side could so easily have won the flag last year. They will be driven by the nightmare of getting so near yet falling at the last hurdle.

The whole point of my op was to highlight the enormous gap in experience between the two sides, which counts for so much in football. This group conains a number of young talented players. It will gain experience over the next two to three years and it will be our turn to watch them demolish a St. Kilda outfit that by then or maybe a bit further on has lost its stars and is back in the pack. Mark my words.

Horace this is a great post. It's easy to see red after a 100-pt loss - believe me, I have seen more than my fair share as a St Kilda supporter - but these things are bound happen to a young side still finding its feet that is up against a team that went 20-2 last season.

As Horace made the point - North's team is FULL of kids. Kids who haven't played much with each other; whose bodies are not match-hardened the way the Saints are. In the centre you had kids like Bastinac, Ziebell, Anthony etc up against the likes of Hayes, Montagna and Dal Santo.

I don't believe for a second that North players "weren't trying" and no one kicks a ball to the opposition, or stuffs up, on purpose.

I went to every Saints game in the early 2000s when we only won a handful of games to finish bottom. In those horror years, I saw young kids called Goddard, Dal Santo, Riewoldt, Ball - play their first handful of games and boy did they have some shockers.

Try to keep things in perspective and don't lose heart.

But does anyone know why Harding and McMahon were dropped????

 

[Blight von Torp]

^^
that's true. Maybe he was sore last night, because he fell short from about 40, and handed off to urqs when the man on the mark was on the 50 or just inside. There may have been one more. The commentators picked up on it.

 

[Horace]

It's not a ridiculous statement, If we are going to make excuses for what was put out there last night we may as well as give up now and just except mediocrity. The thing is, as most on here would agree, that isn't our style, thats not what we are about.

Now if your happy to except what was dished out there last night Horace, thats your right, but i wont except it, nor will most members and supporters on here.

I got bagged by a Richmond supporter after last nights game, it doesn't get more embarrassing then that.

Nick your words were "The Auskick kids would have put in more". That is a ridiculous statement and you do know it. It is an insult to a group of basically young kids who went out and tried as hard as they could against a vastly more experienced team of hardened footballers.

Just two (non-Nab Cup) games ago, that Saints outfit went down by a whisker in one of the toughest Grand Finals in recent times against a great Geelong team.

So you think it is okay to bag our boys because some Richmond supporter "embarrassed you?!?!? What sort of a s******** excuse is that for getting stuck into our boys?!?!?

Who on earth cares about what some random Richmond supporter says? Toughen up for goodness sake.

Have a read of what we57st has said. She speaks from a well founded experience of having followed the Saints through one of the hardest times in recent memory.

 

[we57st]

You know what made me keep turning up to games, week after week, even when we were getting horribly smashed? I tried to always find something positive about a game. Even if it was just ONE PASSAGE OF PLAY, one mark, one kick that hit a target, one goal, a kid that looked promising - it was something to cling to and give me hope for the next week.

It might sound a bit sad and desperate, but it kept me from bagging my own players, it kept me supporting the Club and it kept me sane.

I know North has a far more successful history overall than the Saints, and maybe some of you will say that you you have higher standards as a result, or that what you're experiencing now is desperately unfamiliar - but take it from me, it doesn't last forever.

 

[NICK_ROOBOY83]

Nick your words were "The Auskick kids would have put in more". That is a ridiculous statement and you do know it. It is an insult to a group of basically young kids who went out and tried as hard as they could against a vastly more experienced team of hardened footballers.

Just two (non-Nab Cup) games ago, that Saints outfit went down by a whisker in one of the toughest Grand Finals in recent times against a great Geelong team.

So you think it is okay to bag our boys because some Richmond supporter "embarrassed you?!?!? What sort of a s******** excuse is that for getting stuck into our boys?!?!?

Who on earth cares about what some random Richmond supporter says? Toughen up for goodness sake.

Have a read of what we57st has said. She speaks from a well founded experience of having followed the Saints through one of the hardest times in recent memory.

I'm not bagging our boys because i was bagged by a Richmond fan, that was just an example of how low it got, I'm just not willing to except shit that was presented to us like last night, that was extremely hard to watch and very embarrassing.

It's not like i expected us to win or anything like that, but i did expect to see more of an effort put in then what was.

 

[Twinkletoes]

It's not like i expected us to win or anything like that, but i did expect to see more of an effort put in then what was.

Fair enough Nick, now let's move on. Horace's OP makes it crystal clear what our kids were up against last night. It panned out as most neutrals would've expected, with them winning, but the way it unfolded has many tearing their hair out with anger and frustration. We have to stick fat, suck up the footy lesson served to us last night, and come back smarter, bigger, angrier, more disciplined, and one game more experienced. For a bloke like Bastinac, that one game doubled his AFL games experience.

 

[NiceCunnington]

Fair point on Warren. I'd like to see him take those shots. He drilled a set shot from outside 50 in the wet last week vs Port.

 

[tazaa]

Were a young side. We cant get our bodies match hardened, our skills right and master the game plan over night. It takes time.

 

[blackshadow]

Were a young side. We cant get our bodies match hardened, our skills right and master the game plan over night. It takes time.

Agreed on all points.

I'm gutted by the result on Saturday night.

The NAB Cup game against Geelong shows that this team can playsensational football and beat quality opposition when they follow the game plan.

They're young, they're inexperienced and they're having to unlearn one style of play and learn a new style - but they can and will do it.

It won't happen overnight - there will be times we get spanked (I hope nothing like the Saturday night reaming though) and there will be times we come out and win. We're in for a bumpy ride this season.

I'm looking forward to seeing some resolve next week against the Weagles and I have a quiet confidence we'll come away with the four points.

I can understand the frustration and disappointment - but it's far too early to go pushing the panic button.

 

[NMFC Est 1869]

You should have left Pandoras box closed Horace, lol, NORTH DO NOT ACCEPT NOR OFFER EXCUSES FOR 100 POINT LOSSES, WE ARE NOT RICHMOND! End of discussion.

 

[The Other Dean]

Thanks for the capitals.

Excuses, qualifications....call them what you will. Some of them are valid, and articulating the more pertinent ones certainly doesn't make us Richmond.

 

[sutcliffe's hotel]

Try to keep things in perspective and don't lose heart.

Hearts to hearts and hands to hands - spot on we57st.

Loved your post.

Beneath the mighty blue and white we stand.

 

[sutcliffe's hotel]

You should have left Pandoras box closed Horace, lol, NORTH DO NOT ACCEPT NOR OFFER EXCUSES FOR 100 POINT LOSSES, WE ARE NOT RICHMOND! End of discussion.

Acceptance and excuses are your words.

What Horace offered was perspective.

 

[NMFC Est 1869]

Acceptance and excuses are your words.

What Horace offered was perspective.

"Poor old North Melbourne all those young players" makes me wanna puke, no excuse for lack of effort

 

[sutcliffe's hotel]

"Poor old North Melbourne all those young players" makes me wanna puke, no excuse for lack of effort

I'll type it slower, p-e-r-s-p-e-c-t-i-v-e. I encourage you to look it up.

But go ahead and vomit anyway, purging is good for the gut.

 

[The Other Dean]

"Poor old North Melbourne all those young players"

I reckon it's a combination of that, and the club-dividing coaches row.