The Positive outways the negative...

[benno87]

We lost... Our finals campaign over... But is that a good thing?
Well if you think on one level, no, but im thinking on another level here, in the fact that Dean Laidley can and should now STOP focusing on the 2003 Finals, even if we did make it, making up the numbers, we dont have the team to create a Premiership presence. But lets get some young blood out on the pitcvh in the last 3 weeks, maybe a couple of debuts in Urch or McIntosh, but definatly get Colbert back in, I believe he is ready. Maybe a Watson, Smith or Jeremy Clayton [BOG in VFL this week]

I think Clayton, Shane that is... Burton both need to step aside for the next 3 weeks, and Harding may need to get some confidence in the VFL, and get Hale in for the ruck.

This can be turned into a confidence where as the finals is ot f reach, so the mindset is on developing, which is alot more important long term!

 

[tashibatts]

Not much more to say then, agree.

We would only have been making up the numbers if we made the finals. We have some youngsters to play- youngsters we should play.. kids with futures.

We should stop playing Robbins, SClayton,Porter or Burton().. none of them are in our next premiership team..

Go With The Future.

Go Roos

 

[KangaFett]

Harding is treading a fine line.....very sad to see!

Porter ... rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

His okay around the ground but in the middle......

 

[Darky]

The jumpers were great.

 

[Moti]

Bullsh*t!!!

Sure guys like Motlop and Petrie have been good, but at the start of the year, this is what I personally expected of them.

It has been our middle group, guys like Grant, Harvey and Simpson that have been relatively poor, and no one can say that they have largely effective these past 2 months.

We were good enough to play finals, and make a decent charge.

But they have let themselves down, and us.

Laidley's inability to promote youngsters has cost us the ability to find a couple of handy players across the middle, and in the end, where have we been beaten the most?

Our senior core, in the most part, have poor disposal skills, that is reality.

Having Laidley realise this and throw away the Pagan player reliance list, that would be positive.

 

[kanga]

in j.clayton , d.hale , out . s.clayton , m.burton.

 

[woosha]

I dont really believe north was ready to play finals this year as we do not have a forward line that can kick a big score if we made the finals it would have been exactly the same as 2002 we do not kick big enough totals. Its all about scoreboard pressure and we have not exerted that since 1999.

Lets get ready for a rough and bumpy ride down the old ladder.

But we,ll be there won,t we supporters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lidge]

Yeah we lost but we had a dip (except for no 39) unlike our games against Collingwood, Brisbane, St Kilda, Melbourne & Carlton. Am ****ed off we lost 'cos our year is over - but am happy we made it a contest and hats off to Freo - they did play well.

I thought today's game was of a high standard with intensity to match, akin to a final - just spewing we didn't get the points and keep our year alive.

Until half time I was calling for Petrie to have a spell in the magoos but am glad he copped a smack in the head. For the first time all year he played with some passion, intensity and got physical. heck he was good after that clash - just hope he can sustain that level of play. The boy has some potential and I look forward to the day when he strings together 4 quarters and rips a game apart! Hopefully the Petrie-philes on this board can also concede captaincy aspirations are a long long way off the mark.

For me - no point playing a fringe player if they are not up to it (eg Smith). I'd hate to see the club giving charity spots on the list (although many will claim S Clayton is just that, but you wouldn't give away a baggy green if you were a cricket selector would you?). Happy to see the likes of McIntosh or Hale getting a go - but no thanks to wasting a spot for a player if already earmarked for delisting or trade.

But no point beating ourselves up over that loss (we've had worse during the year which were far more costly) and my pre season target for the club was a break even - 11 wins. Still may achieve that number and miss out but a fair result in a rebuilding year

 

[Moti]

We haven't been rebuilding though.

You don't play the team we have and say that is rebuilding. It is just a cop out.

 

[NeoBlaze]

Originally posted by Moti
Bullsh*t!!!

Sure guys like Motlop and Petrie have been good, but at the start of the year, this is what I personally expected of them.

It has been our middle group, guys like Grant, Harvey and Simpson that have been relatively poor, and no one can say that they have largely effective these past 2 months.

We were good enough to play finals, and make a decent charge.

But they have let themselves down, and us.

Laidley's inability to promote youngsters has cost us the ability to find a couple of handy players across the middle, and in the end, where have we been beaten the most?

Our senior core, in the most part, have poor disposal skills, that is reality.

Having Laidley realise this and throw away the Pagan player reliance list, that would be positive.

i think that's extremely harsh, it's not up to our middle group to win us games every week, it's up everyone to contribute and have a real dip. The fact is we're young, our young bit players are still inconsistent, and for some reason laidley still plays nothing players like clayton. All our midfield are heavily tagged, Stevo has been hurting real bad this year and has been playing very poorly compared to what we are used to seeing, but we still have a long way to go.

 

[Z_K]

Originally posted by Lidge


Until half time I was calling for Petrie to have a spell in the magoos but am glad he copped a smack in the head. For the first time all year he played with some passion,

WTF?

Are you farking serious?

The seconds? First time all year with some passion?

I can't go on. Speechless.

 

[Moti]

Only Harvey is ever really tagged, no one else.

They don't tag Simpson because he doesn't have a great say on matches.

If we can't win it in the middle, then what's the point??

We are not overly young, and it has been the younger guys playing the better footy over the past month and a half.

 

[Darky]

Originally posted by Moti


We are not overly young, and it has been the younger guys playing the better footy over the past month and a half.

I disagree with this. Wh have been complete shoyte since the West Coast game.

Wells and Motlop have been great, but who else?

Watt has conceded plenty at FB, Harding has been nowhere, Rawlings has racked up uncontested TURNOVERS while letting his man get 20+ every week, Petrie has gone missing for large parts of games, Harris hasn't had many chances, Jones has been decent, Digby inconsistent, Baird has been crap.. while Simpson, Stevens, Harvey, Grant etc get their 20-25 a week, and use them maybe no better BUT NO WORSE than the young blokes, how can you say the young blokes have been better?

 

[great]

I liked the jumpers as well.

 

[moomba]

Originally posted by Moti
We haven't been rebuilding though.

You don't play the team we have and say that is rebuilding. It is just a cop out.

With all due respect I disagree totally. Half our lineup in recent weeks/months has been 22 and under. Watt, Rawlings, Baird, Wells, Motlop, Jones, Petrie, Harris, Watson, Hale, J.Clayton, Firrito have all played more AFL than they ever have before. Our side is unrecognisable from the one that finished the 2002 season.

We will see the benefits of this seaosn for years to come IMO, we are well on the way to totally reshaping our side from the 90's, and we will do it without losing our competitiveness. I expect this rebuilding will continue next year (and possibly the remaining games of this season) with more responsibility being placed on the younger players and the older players being phased out.

I reckon time will show that North have led the way (again) in showing how to rebuild a team.

Moomba

 

[Moti]

Yeah, probably right, the whole team has been pretty poor.

Motlop and Wells have been the only 2 consistently hitting targets.

Harris is a must in this side, as his kicking has improved drastically this year and we all know his disposal by hand is good.

I do feel however that our senior players have played further below their best than the younger guys.

Or have we overrated our senior players??

Probably have.

 

[moomba]

Originally posted by Lidge
Until half time I was calling for Petrie to have a spell in the magoos but am glad he copped a smack in the head. For the first time all year he played with some passion, intensity and got physical. heck he was good after that clash - just hope he can sustain that level of play. The boy has some potential and I look forward to the day when he strings together 4 quarters and rips a game apart! Hopefully the Petrie-philes on this board can also concede captaincy aspirations are a long long way off the mark.

I reckon he has led our side in the aggression, passion, intensity and consistency stakes this year, and that has been a huge load for a 21 year (or whatever) to carry. To me he has looked tired over the past month and I think the season has started to catch up on him. A rest would be good for him, but I doubt he will accept the benefits of it, and to my mind if he is fit to play he has earned the right to do so in the 1's.

Moomba

 

[Z_K]

Originally posted by Darky


Watt has conceded plenty at FB, Harding has been nowhere, Rawlings has racked up uncontested TURNOVERS while letting his man get 20+ every week, Petrie has gone missing for large parts of games, Harris hasn't had many chances, Jones has been decent, Digby inconsistent, Baird has been crap.. while Simpson, Stevens, Harvey, Grant etc get their 20-25 a week, and use them maybe no better BUT NO WORSE than the young blokes, how can you say the young blokes have been better?

Interesting.

Simpson has been largely rubbish since the break IMHO. Sure he can get the footy, but is rarely heavily tagged if at all, for he can get it 20 times and have only a small influence. Harvey has been good, with spots of nothing. Grant just ok. These blokes are great footballers with great experience, and they they haven;t done enough this year IMO. They have been good no doubt, but I expect better, more consistent contributions.

Motlop has been consistently our best player for a while now IMO. Numbers wise he is probably not a patch on a few others, but, he makes a difference to a game. Wells the same.

Petrie has played 5, at the most, poor games. 20yo, blokes who play CHF for a full year can have off games, but he doesn't often. Leads us in contested marks, 2nd in goals and up there in tackles. Will go a fair way in the B+F due to our voting system.


I don't know how to take the year. We have found out alot about some guys, and not enough some others.

 

[Moti]

Take Laidley's comments about rebuilding. He has said that until we are out of the finals race, he will select to win.

That is not rebuilding.

When you have a guy like Harris that has made a big impact in the centre during more than 1 game, then after the break leave him in a forward pocket, while playing older players.

That is not rebuilding.

When the pressure is on, in a tight contest, he takes off the young guys and puts on the older guys.

That is not rebuilding.

The list is changing, we see that, but at the end of the day, when we look back at the year, only the extremely talented guys (Wells, Motlop) and the young guys filling large holes (Watt, Petrie, Baird) have been given goo enough exposure.

That is not rebuilding.

 

[Shinboners]

Originally posted by NorthBhoy
Simpson has been largely rubbish since the break IMHO. Sure he can get the footy, but is rarely heavily tagged if at all, for he can get it 20 times and have only a small influence. Harvey has been good, with spots of nothing. Grant just ok. These blokes are great footballers with great experience, and they they haven;t done enough this year IMO. They have been good no doubt, but I expect better, more consistent contributions.

So, do we stick with them or trade one out of Simpson, Harvey, and Grant for (hopefully) a top 5 pick?

All contribute (and over the whole season, they're amongst our best 5 players), but none are game breakers in the mold of midfielders like Voss and McLeod. Do we take the risk, take a loss on experience and pick up a kid who could become a midfield game breaker (a 3 to 5 year project IMHO)?

 

[Dingster]

Originally posted by moomba
To me he has looked tired over the past month and I think the season has started to catch up on him.

Same could be said for Watt and Laidley alluded to this last week. Still trying, but they will be better players next year.

 

[Z_K]

Originally posted by Moti


That is not rebuilding.

I think we have started to an extent. It needed to happen, but it needs to happen on a greater scale next year, and I think it will.

Watt has been given a great shot at it, and that is great. He has been beaten badly on occasions, but he is a far better and more confident player for the experience. Whether or not it turns him into a great footballer is another thread, but we are much closer to finding out.

I am disapointed this year has not seen the same confidence shown is some others however. Daniel Harris is only a better footballer through natural progression rather than a great confidence shown in his ability IMO.

We have secretly put together a great bunch of young footballers. If we draft well this year, we have the tools to win a flag down the track. Of that I have no doubt, but those kids need to play in good sides, and with great players, providing those players are not taking up the spot in the side on name only, and holding back some of the kids will win us Grand Finals.

Stevens and Archer will be vital in flags they won't play in. If anyone thinks we will chalenge next year they are way off IMO.

The goal is building the next great side. I would hate to just hover around the finals. I also think the club as a whole will thrive with some great newish players and some super new talent.

 

[Shinboners]

Originally posted by NorthBhoy
I think we have started to an extent. It needed to happen, but it needs to happen on a greater scale next year, and I think it will.

We have secretly put together a great bunch of young footballers. If we draft well this year, we have the tools to win a flag down the track. Of that I have no doubt, but those kids need to play in good sides, and with great players, providing those players are not taking up the spot in the side on name only, and holding back some of the kids will win us Grand Finals.

The goal is building the next great side. I would hate to just hover around the finals. I also think the club as a whole will thrive with some great newish players and some super new talent.

We're probably better off with a gradual build up of the team.

I have the feeling that if the cards fell our way and that if we were to make, for instance, a Preliminary Final too soon, then we'd fall into the same trap as the likes of Melbourne, Richmond, and Hawthorn have in the past - one final piece to the puzzle when in fact, the team as a whole is not of Premiership quality.

People forget that the '96 side took about six years to assemble and develop. It's the same with the recent Brisbane premiership sides

 

[Z_K]

Originally posted by Shinboners
So, do we stick with them or trade one out of Simpson, Harvey, and Grant for (hopefully) a top 5 pick?

I wouldn't.

I think they have the characteristics to lead our footy club, and I don't think anyone doubt they have the ability. We will need these blokes. They will be our veterans, our leaders and the blokes that we will turn to when we are in the sh1t.

I am a big beilever in not just trading on footy ability alone. These blokes (along with Archer and Stevo) are our footy club.

I just wanted to see more of it more often this year.

 

[Moti]

The great thing we have is that our core midfielders are all in their mid 20's (barring Stevo) and that a good selection of our youngsters are all heading towards their 4th year of AFL, not just their 2nd.

Hale and Watson will be in their 3rd and guys like McIntosh and Wells have distinctive advantages that means they can be good contributors despite age concerns.

We should aim for finals next year, and doing well. There is no reason why we can't. If Harris take the big step as I predict, and guys like Watson, Wells and Motlop provide the class around the ground, with marking targets like Hale, McIntosh and Petrie, we are far from being an also ran.

It is whether or not the mix is right that will see us being successful or not.

(And Watt taking a big leap forward)