Autopsy The started-before-half-time All Time Insipid #norfball performance v. the team down the highway who shall not be named

[DarkPhoenix]

And credit to to tazaa for spotting this weeks ago - Xerri's stats mask a very ineffective ruckman and by extension onball unit. There is no finesse or method to what he's doing and if you're going to brute force your way to success as an AFL ruck these days you'd want to be 205+ and be able to punch it 30 metres like Corey McKernan.. except Corey could stand on opponent's heads when he did it.

What we have as a result it a ruckman who is virtually turning all our centre square work into a scrum, removing our ability to use our own talents or create fast breaks. Not ideal.

Fair call,
His one trick seems to be to grab the ball out of the ruck rather than trying to tap it, then try and use his body weight to drive it forward. (which he invariably uses at the completely wrong time).
Clean taps to the onballers feel few and far between.

 

[LB2Snake]

As always you eloquently state my thoughts before I do.

For some reason today didn't upset me. We were mostly umpired fairly. The players looked to be having a real crack and there were some reasonable passages of play. The players appeared to be trying "something" to gain the ascendency.

It's just that we were inferior in EVERY useful measure to the cats. Stick your statistics, I know what I saw.

Balls they'd collect one touch, we fumble.

Their forwards mark cleanly, ours hold for .99 of the required time before slipping.

We win possession, they skip the tackle - we kick it back to them.

They win possession, we hold the tackle- they still get it out and head off to the races.

They'd overcome us with numbers running forward yet find their targets. We'd go forward and somehow they're already there too, clogging us up.

Most meaningful passages ended with us turning it over uncontested or watching out forwards spoil each other. Geelong might as well have knocked off for a cuppa half the time, we did their work for them.

The demoralising part was that we DID show effort and DID show a plan but were still very soundly dispatched without 3 of their best players and a gaggle of players whose own parents probably haven't even heard of them.

And credit to to tazaa for spotting this weeks ago - Xerri's stats mask a very ineffective ruckman and by extension onball unit. There is no finesse or method to what he's doing and if you're going to brute force your way to success as an AFL ruck these days you'd want to be 205+ and be able to punch it 30 metres like Corey McKernan.. except Corey could stand on opponent's heads when he did it.

What we have as a result it a ruckman who is virtually turning all our centre square work into a scrum, removing our ability to use our own talents or create fast breaks. Not ideal.

There really does seem to be no cohesion between X and the mids.

 

[gustaaf]

I really wasn’t originally fussed about losing the first round draft pick with that win against Gold Coast last year.

I bought into the rhetoric that a win would be better for the club than finishing bottom again.

And that would carry over to 2024 and give us some belief.

But watching West Coast belt Richmond tonight and Reid dominate proves that was simply another monumental f*ck up by our club.

It doesn’t seem to matter who our coach or administration are but we continually seem to make poor decisions that will likely screw us over for another 5 or 10 years.

We are broken and I honestly don’t see how we move out of this.

Today was boys against men, even though Geelong had plenty of kids out there as well, their kids were all just bigger, stronger, fitter and had better skills.

Totally agree that North has made many decisions that have not been in the best interest of the club. A football club is in the business of winning football matches and championships. Nothing should distract from that. This North BF Board has a significant number of vocal woke members, so this opinion will go down like a lead balloon with them.

North has recently made what in my opinion was a poor decision to sack TT because it is seen to be politically correct, despite knowing that it would be counter productive to giving the club the opportunity to improve. It fits the saying "go woke, go broke". Getting rid of TT who was possibly our most talented player for being a shitperson was a terrible football decision. Losing TT was a major setback for North in its rebuild and represents the loss of a highly talented more mature 6th year multi functional player who could have had a major positive impact on our midfield where he potentially could have played as the bigger bodied midfielder we are desperately missing. Not having TT in the first five games has contributed significantly to the blowout losses we've had to endure. This is a hypothetical because he was suspended anyway. I'm not condoning the sending of nasty text messages, but he didn't actually break any laws, unlike AFL protected players who take illicit drugs including some that are on the WADA banned list. North previously somewhat painted itself into a corner by declaring he was on his last chance when it didn't have to communicate that to the masses.

How many other clubs would have taken that decision? I doubt very many because they know that this industry values talent and skills over good character. Those clubs are also a lot more successful than North has been for the best part of a decade. I recall when (I think) Alan Didak got himself into constant trouble in his private life. When it was put to Eddie McGuire that he perhaps should be sacked by Collingwood for his latest major f*** up, Eddie was very quick to make clear that wasn't going to happen because Collingwood wasn't going to get rid of a talented player only to have him picked up by a rival club to make them stronger. He even intimated that a lesser quality player may well have been sacked. Other clubs are more pragmatic than North and won't virtue signal at their own expense.

Some supporters will say that TT was leaving the club at the end of the season anyway, but we simply don't know that. Even if he did request a trade we would have got something in return, which is no longer the case. I think getting rid of TT is so significant that we won't win a flag on the back of all the high end talent we have already and will continue to assemble over the next few years, whereas I thought we were a chance if TT had remained a North player. I consider his sacking the equivalent of an own goal and it signals that North's woke mindset is counter productive to becoming a successful club again. Other clubs are more inclined to accept having a shitperson in their team if he contributes to on field success. TT is a distinct possibility of going to Geelong to significantly bolster their list and increase their chances of remaining a powerhouse for even longer. Whoever picks TT up has a different set of priorities than North because they know success on the field is the only thing that matters to their football club and supporters base. There are plenty of quality players who are also shitpeople on other lists that will never get sacked for their actions.

Edit was to state that his impact on North in the first 5 games was a hypothetical because he was already suspended.

 

[Waynesworld]

Fair call,
His one trick seems to be to grab the ball out of the ruck rather than trying to tap it, then try and use his body weight to drive it forward. (which he invariably uses at the completely wrong time).
Clean taps to the onballers feel few and far between.

Or he is tackled and penalised for holding the ball.

I simply don’t understand the theory to think that he is going to get away with taking the ball from a bounce/throw up in the middle of a congested pack????

 

[Amicalola]

Totally agree that North has made many decisions that have not been in the best interest of the club. A football club is in the business of winning football matches and championships. Nothing should distract from that. This North BF Board has a significant number of vocal woke members, so this opinion will go down like a lead balloon with them.

North has recently made what in my opinion was a poor decision to sack TT because it is seen to be politically correct, despite knowing that it would be counter productive to giving the club the opportunity to improve. It fits the saying "go woke, go broke". Getting rid of TT who was possibly our most talented player for being a shitperson was a terrible football decision. Losing TT was a major setback for North in its rebuild and represents the loss of a highly talented more mature 6th year multi functional player who could have had a major positive impact on our midfield where he potentially could have played as the bigger bodied midfielder we are desperately missing. Not having TT in the first five games has contributed significantly to the blowout losses we've had to endure. I'm not condoning the sending of nasty text messages, but he didn't actually break any laws, unlike AFL protected players who take illicit drugs including some that are on the WADA banned list. North previously somewhat painted itself into a corner by declaring he was on his last chance when it didn't have to communicate that to the masses.

How many other clubs would have taken that decision? I doubt very many because they know that this industry values talent and skills over good character. Those clubs are also a lot more successful than North has been for the best part of a decade. I recall when (I think) Alan Didak got himself into constant trouble in his private life. When it was put to Eddie McGuire that he perhaps should be sacked by Collingwood for his latest major f*** up, Eddie was very quick to make clear that wasn't going to happen because Collingwood wasn't going to get rid of a talented player only to have him picked up by a rival club to make them stronger. He even intimated that a lesser quality player may well have been sacked. Other clubs are more pragmatic than North and won't virtue signal at their own expense.

Some supporters will say that TT was leaving the club at the end of the season anyway, but we simply don't know that. Even if he did request a trade we would have got something in return, which is no longer the case. I think getting rid of TT is so significant that we won't win a flag on the back of all the high end talent we have already and will continue to assemble over the next few years, whereas I thought we were a chance if TT had remained a North player. I consider his sacking the equivalent of an own goal and it signals that North's woke mindset is counter productive to becoming a successful club again. Other clubs are more inclined to accept having a shitperson in their team if he contributes to on field success. TT is a distinct possibility of going to Geelong to significantly bolster their list and increase their chances of remaining a powerhouse for even longer. Whoever picks TT up has a different set of priorities than North because they know success on the field is the only thing that matters to their football club and supporters base. There are plenty of quality players who are also shitpeople on other lists that will never get sacked for their actions.

I hope this is wrong because it represents an attitude I despise. But tbh I don't really know...

 

[LB2Snake]

Totally agree that North has made many decisions that have not been in the best interest of the club. A football club is in the business of winning football matches and championships. Nothing should distract from that. This North BF Board has a significant number of vocal woke members, so this opinion will go down like a lead balloon with them.

North has recently made what in my opinion was a poor decision to sack TT because it is seen to be politically correct, despite knowing that it would be counter productive to giving the club the opportunity to improve. It fits the saying "go woke, go broke". Getting rid of TT who was possibly our most talented player for being a shitperson was a terrible football decision. Losing TT was a major setback for North in its rebuild and represents the loss of a highly talented more mature 6th year multi functional player who could have had a major positive impact on our midfield where he potentially could have played as the bigger bodied midfielder we are desperately missing. Not having TT in the first five games has contributed significantly to the blowout losses we've had to endure. I'm not condoning the sending of nasty text messages, but he didn't actually break any laws, unlike AFL protected players who take illicit drugs including some that are on the WADA banned list. North previously somewhat painted itself into a corner by declaring he was on his last chance when it didn't have to communicate that to the masses.

How many other clubs would have taken that decision? I doubt very many because they know that this industry values talent and skills over good character. Those clubs are also a lot more successful than North has been for the best part of a decade. I recall when (I think) Alan Didak got himself into constant trouble in his private life. When it was put to Eddie McGuire that he perhaps should be sacked by Collingwood for his latest major f*** up, Eddie was very quick to make clear that wasn't going to happen because Collingwood wasn't going to get rid of a talented player only to have him picked up by a rival club to make them stronger. He even intimated that a lesser quality player may well have been sacked. Other clubs are more pragmatic than North and won't virtue signal at their own expense.

Some supporters will say that TT was leaving the club at the end of the season anyway, but we simply don't know that. Even if he did request a trade we would have got something in return, which is no longer the case. I think getting rid of TT is so significant that we won't win a flag on the back of all the high end talent we have already and will continue to assemble over the next few years, whereas I thought we were a chance if TT had remained a North player. I consider his sacking the equivalent of an own goal and it signals that North's woke mindset is counter productive to becoming a successful club again. Other clubs are more inclined to accept having a shitperson in their team if he contributes to on field success. TT is a distinct possibility of going to Geelong to significantly bolster their list and increase their chances of remaining a powerhouse for even longer. Whoever picks TT up has a different set of priorities than North because they know success on the field is the only thing that matters to their football club and supporters base. There are plenty of quality players who are also shitpeople on other lists that will never get sacked for their actions.

It’s an interesting take. I think it’s unfortunate we don’t know exactly what TT did. It was all very secretive and we never got to understand what had happened. Still don’t.
He will end up somewhere and it’ll be a redemption story for sure, North’s culture will be in question again I’m sure.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Totally agree that North has made many decisions that have not been in the best interest of the club. A football club is in the business of winning football matches and championships. Nothing should distract from that. This North BF Board has a significant number of vocal woke members, so this opinion will go down like a lead balloon with them.

North has recently made what in my opinion was a poor decision to sack TT because it is seen to be politically correct, despite knowing that it would be counter productive to giving the club the opportunity to improve. It fits the saying "go woke, go broke". Getting rid of TT who was possibly our most talented player for being a shitperson was a terrible football decision. Losing TT was a major setback for North in its rebuild and represents the loss of a highly talented more mature 6th year multi functional player who could have had a major positive impact on our midfield where he potentially could have played as the bigger bodied midfielder we are desperately missing. Not having TT in the first five games has contributed significantly to the blowout losses we've had to endure. I'm not condoning the sending of nasty text messages, but he didn't actually break any laws, unlike AFL protected players who take illicit drugs including some that are on the WADA banned list. North previously somewhat painted itself into a corner by declaring he was on his last chance when it didn't have to communicate that to the masses.

How many other clubs would have taken that decision? I doubt very many because they know that this industry values talent and skills over good character. Those clubs are also a lot more successful than North has been for the best part of a decade. I recall when (I think) Alan Didak got himself into constant trouble in his private life. When it was put to Eddie McGuire that he perhaps should be sacked by Collingwood for his latest major f*** up, Eddie was very quick to make clear that wasn't going to happen because Collingwood wasn't going to get rid of a talented player only to have him picked up by a rival club to make them stronger. He even intimated that a lesser quality player may well have been sacked. Other clubs are more pragmatic than North and won't virtue signal at their own expense.

Some supporters will say that TT was leaving the club at the end of the season anyway, but we simply don't know that. Even if he did request a trade we would have got something in return, which is no longer the case. I think getting rid of TT is so significant that we won't win a flag on the back of all the high end talent we have already and will continue to assemble over the next few years, whereas I thought we were a chance if TT had remained a North player. I consider his sacking the equivalent of an own goal and it signals that North's woke mindset is counter productive to becoming a successful club again. Other clubs are more inclined to accept having a shitperson in their team if he contributes to on field success. TT is a distinct possibility of going to Geelong to significantly bolster their list and increase their chances of remaining a powerhouse for even longer. Whoever picks TT up has a different set of priorities than North because they know success on the field is the only thing that matters to their football club and supporters base. There are plenty of quality players who are also shitpeople on other lists that will never get sacked for their actions.

I’m assuming what he did and the impact on many people at the club of trying to manage him was more significant than we will ever know - it was a big call to cut him loose with no compensation instead of suspending him and keeping him on the books as a damaged but potentially tradable asset, and would not have been taken lightly.

 

[pizzasteve88]

Totally agree that North has made many decisions that have not been in the best interest of the club. A football club is in the business of winning football matches and championships. Nothing should distract from that. This North BF Board has a significant number of vocal woke members, so this opinion will go down like a lead balloon with them.

North has recently made what in my opinion was a poor decision to sack TT because it is seen to be politically correct, despite knowing that it would be counter productive to giving the club the opportunity to improve. It fits the saying "go woke, go broke". Getting rid of TT who was possibly our most talented player for being a shitperson was a terrible football decision. Losing TT was a major setback for North in its rebuild and represents the loss of a highly talented more mature 6th year multi functional player who could have had a major positive impact on our midfield where he potentially could have played as the bigger bodied midfielder we are desperately missing. Not having TT in the first five games has contributed significantly to the blowout losses we've had to endure. I'm not condoning the sending of nasty text messages, but he didn't actually break any laws, unlike AFL protected players who take illicit drugs including some that are on the WADA banned list. North previously somewhat painted itself into a corner by declaring he was on his last chance when it didn't have to communicate that to the masses.

How many other clubs would have taken that decision? I doubt very many because they know that this industry values talent and skills over good character. Those clubs are also a lot more successful than North has been for the best part of a decade. I recall when (I think) Alan Didak got himself into constant trouble in his private life. When it was put to Eddie McGuire that he perhaps should be sacked by Collingwood for his latest major f*** up, Eddie was very quick to make clear that wasn't going to happen because Collingwood wasn't going to get rid of a talented player only to have him picked up by a rival club to make them stronger. He even intimated that a lesser quality player may well have been sacked. Other clubs are more pragmatic than North and won't virtue signal at their own expense.

Some supporters will say that TT was leaving the club at the end of the season anyway, but we simply don't know that. Even if he did request a trade we would have got something in return, which is no longer the case. I think getting rid of TT is so significant that we won't win a flag on the back of all the high end talent we have already and will continue to assemble over the next few years, whereas I thought we were a chance if TT had remained a North player. I consider his sacking the equivalent of an own goal and it signals that North's woke mindset is counter productive to becoming a successful club again. Other clubs are more inclined to accept having a shitperson in their team if he contributes to on field success. TT is a distinct possibility of going to Geelong to significantly bolster their list and increase their chances of remaining a powerhouse for even longer. Whoever picks TT up has a different set of priorities than North because they know success on the field is the only thing that matters to their football club and supporters base. There are plenty of quality players who are also shitpeople on other lists that will never get sacked for their actions.

I agree with you to a point. But I guess a club as a whole needs to have a set of standards they adhere too. If a player continues to break it, what choice do you have. How many chances are given? Our on-field standards bar is pretty low at the moment understandably but if he has been told repeatedly to stay away from certain lifestyle choices, what choice did the club have.

 

[Supreme_Chancellor]

What a s*** day of footy this was!

• Got up at 6:00 and caught a train to Southern Cross
• Caught the Geelong train which ended at Wyndham Vale (bloody replacement buses)
• Sat near the North Cheer Squad surrounded by the most annoying Geelong flogs on the planet, including a delusional Nana and a pre-schooler that I wanted to to eject into outer space like Mini Me in Austin Powers, plus Homer Simpson behind me with his high pitched whistling after every goal, giving me temporary hearing damage
• $11 for a cup of beer (yeah no thanks you tax payer money stealing grubs)
• A sh**house performance by the boys bar a few names that have been mentioned on here
• The rude replacement bus staff having a go at my mate and I for "Pushing in" despite the fact half the people ahead of us had pushed in.

Never again at that waste of oxygen of a town.

 

[RightWingRoo]

The hard part is when and how does this get better?
If Clarko can't get us going no one will. We'll just keep cycling through and breaking more coaches and players.

 

[Uncle_Leo]

Just to confirm

It was Shaws fault
It was Nobles fault
Now it’s Clarkos fault

It isn’t the coach. Anyone over 24 years of age in this team (except for Larkey) is the problem and will continue to be so

 

[bennymate]

What a s*** day of footy this was!

• Got up at 6:00 and caught a train to Southern Cross
• Caught the Geelong train which ended at Wyndham Vale (bloody replacement buses)
• Sat near the North Cheer Squad surrounded by the most annoying Geelong flogs on the planet, including a delusional Nana and a pre-schooler that I wanted to to eject into outer space like Mini Me in Austin Powers, plus Homer Simpson behind me with his high pitched whistling after every goal, giving me temporary hearing damage
• $11 for a cup of beer (yeah no thanks you tax payer money stealing grubs)
• A sh**house performance by the boys bar a few names that have been mentioned on here
• The rude replacement bus staff having a go at my mate and I for "Pushing in" despite the fact half the people ahead of us had pushed in.

Never again at that waste of oxygen of a town.

Jesus what an effort, I feel for you.

 

[DrZaius]

Totally agree that North has made many decisions that have not been in the best interest of the club. A football club is in the business of winning football matches and championships. Nothing should distract from that. This North BF Board has a significant number of vocal woke members, so this opinion will go down like a lead balloon with them.

North has recently made what in my opinion was a poor decision to sack TT because it is seen to be politically correct, despite knowing that it would be counter productive to giving the club the opportunity to improve. It fits the saying "go woke, go broke". Getting rid of TT who was possibly our most talented player for being a shitperson was a terrible football decision. Losing TT was a major setback for North in its rebuild and represents the loss of a highly talented more mature 6th year multi functional player who could have had a major positive impact on our midfield where he potentially could have played as the bigger bodied midfielder we are desperately missing. Not having TT in the first five games has contributed significantly to the blowout losses we've had to endure. I'm not condoning the sending of nasty text messages, but he didn't actually break any laws, unlike AFL protected players who take illicit drugs including some that are on the WADA banned list. North previously somewhat painted itself into a corner by declaring he was on his last chance when it didn't have to communicate that to the masses.

How many other clubs would have taken that decision? I doubt very many because they know that this industry values talent and skills over good character. Those clubs are also a lot more successful than North has been for the best part of a decade. I recall when (I think) Alan Didak got himself into constant trouble in his private life. When it was put to Eddie McGuire that he perhaps should be sacked by Collingwood for his latest major f*** up, Eddie was very quick to make clear that wasn't going to happen because Collingwood wasn't going to get rid of a talented player only to have him picked up by a rival club to make them stronger. He even intimated that a lesser quality player may well have been sacked. Other clubs are more pragmatic than North and won't virtue signal at their own expense.

Some supporters will say that TT was leaving the club at the end of the season anyway, but we simply don't know that. Even if he did request a trade we would have got something in return, which is no longer the case. I think getting rid of TT is so significant that we won't win a flag on the back of all the high end talent we have already and will continue to assemble over the next few years, whereas I thought we were a chance if TT had remained a North player. I consider his sacking the equivalent of an own goal and it signals that North's woke mindset is counter productive to becoming a successful club again. Other clubs are more inclined to accept having a shitperson in their team if he contributes to on field success. TT is a distinct possibility of going to Geelong to significantly bolster their list and increase their chances of remaining a powerhouse for even longer. Whoever picks TT up has a different set of priorities than North because they know success on the field is the only thing that matters to their football club and supporters base. There are plenty of quality players who are also shitpeople on other lists that will never get sacked for their actions.

Yeah nah the situation with TT was untenable and you are oversimplifying it.

 

[Only Forwards]

Just to confirm

It was Shaws fault
It was Nobles fault
Now it’s Clarkos fault

It isn’t the coach. Anyone over 24 years of age in this team (except for Larkey) is the problem and will continue to be so

Harsh on Griff and Kallan Dawson.

But very correct and it presents us with 2 options

We either bring in players in that age bracket and to get quality we will need to over pay. the reality is that very very few remotely good players want to come and play with this side.

Or we do it the hard way and grow our own through time.

We are doing it the hard way and jesus isn't people flipping out after every loss tiring. They can't speed up time and need to take a step back and a broader view of what we are doing.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

We were “outmuscled” but the big scary Geelong midfield unit that consisted of:

Tanner Bruhn, Max Holmes, Jack Bowes

12

Jack Bowes

Age

26

Ht

189cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.3

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.6

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.5

4star

MG

318.1

4star

D

18.0

4star

K

11.8

5star

HB

6.3

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

1.1

2star

MG

318.1

4star

D

11.6

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

, Brandon Parfitt and Tom Atkins

30

Tom Atkins

Age

29

Ht

180cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.5

3star

K

5.0

2star

HB

6.5

4star

M

1.4

2star

T

4.3

5star

MG

123.5

2star

D

6.5

1star

K

3.0

1star

HB

3.5

2star

M

0.8

1star

T

1.5

2star

MG

100.0

2star

D

11.6

3star

K

5.0

2star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.0

3star

T

4.8

5star

MG

130.0

3star

.

Considering we are are building from the midfield out…today’s shellacking suggests we still have to turnover 3/4 of the list before we’ll be competitive again.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

We were “outmuscled” but the big scary Geelong midfield unit that consisted of:

Tanner Bruhn, Max Holmes, Jack Bowes, Brandon Parfitt and Tom Atkins.

Considering we are are building from the midfield out…today’s shellacking suggests we still have to turnover 3/4 of the list before we’ll be competitive again.

Surprised (not surprised) that no-one there called this out. I’ll buy the general point, but our midfield today had no age/development excuses for being pushed around by their opponents.

 

[roosmad]

We are just irrelevant plain and simple…

Get ****ed north…so upset….

Honestly I can not see a win coming at all…..will be 0/12 very soon….

 

[muttley45]

I daresay we would be leading the league, by a considerable margin, for opposition score donated by turnovers.

Skills, particularly under any sort of pressure, ranging from zero, to inferred, to red hot, are embarrassing, and more often than not it is the senior players and leaders leading the way.

Ball security appears to be a term totally alien, but should be near the top of the list of non negotiable team rules.

Tackling, even when one is layed, but allowing an effective posession is counter productive to effective defense.

 

[Blightys Barrel]

when ignorant campaigners want to talk about “norfs handouts” remind them that they resulted in tucker, fisher and Stephen’s…awesome handouts.

They should all be hand backs

 

[Blightys Barrel]

Both of them.

If our Captains want to show true shinboner leadership this week, it would be to drop both themselves to the Magoos. It would be the most powerful statement they could make to the group and show they actually care about the club. A young list like ours more than ever needs senior leaders who can also play half decent football and inspire their team mates. They could also take the midfield Coach (Patch Adam’s) with them so he can hone his midfield coaching skills as well. We should promote Blind Freddy to replace him, as I’m sure he would do a better job.

 

[ohmygewd]

Totally agree that North has made many decisions that have not been in the best interest of the club. A football club is in the business of winning football matches and championships. Nothing should distract from that. This North BF Board has a significant number of vocal woke members, so this opinion will go down like a lead balloon with them.

North has recently made what in my opinion was a poor decision to sack TT because it is seen to be politically correct, despite knowing that it would be counter productive to giving the club the opportunity to improve. It fits the saying "go woke, go broke". Getting rid of TT who was possibly our most talented player for being a shitperson was a terrible football decision. Losing TT was a major setback for North in its rebuild and represents the loss of a highly talented more mature 6th year multi functional player who could have had a major positive impact on our midfield where he potentially could have played as the bigger bodied midfielder we are desperately missing. Not having TT in the first five games has contributed significantly to the blowout losses we've had to endure. This is a hypothetical because he was suspended anyway. I'm not condoning the sending of nasty text messages, but he didn't actually break any laws, unlike AFL protected players who take illicit drugs including some that are on the WADA banned list. North previously somewhat painted itself into a corner by declaring he was on his last chance when it didn't have to communicate that to the masses.

How many other clubs would have taken that decision? I doubt very many because they know that this industry values talent and skills over good character. Those clubs are also a lot more successful than North has been for the best part of a decade. I recall when (I think) Alan Didak got himself into constant trouble in his private life. When it was put to Eddie McGuire that he perhaps should be sacked by Collingwood for his latest major f*** up, Eddie was very quick to make clear that wasn't going to happen because Collingwood wasn't going to get rid of a talented player only to have him picked up by a rival club to make them stronger. He even intimated that a lesser quality player may well have been sacked. Other clubs are more pragmatic than North and won't virtue signal at their own expense.

Some supporters will say that TT was leaving the club at the end of the season anyway, but we simply don't know that. Even if he did request a trade we would have got something in return, which is no longer the case. I think getting rid of TT is so significant that we won't win a flag on the back of all the high end talent we have already and will continue to assemble over the next few years, whereas I thought we were a chance if TT had remained a North player. I consider his sacking the equivalent of an own goal and it signals that North's woke mindset is counter productive to becoming a successful club again. Other clubs are more inclined to accept having a shitperson in their team if he contributes to on field success. TT is a distinct possibility of going to Geelong to significantly bolster their list and increase their chances of remaining a powerhouse for even longer. Whoever picks TT up has a different set of priorities than North because they know success on the field is the only thing that matters to their football club and supporters base. There are plenty of quality players who are also shitpeople on other lists that will never get sacked for their actions.

Edit was to state that his impact on North in the first 5 games was a hypothetical because he was already suspended.

How many chances do you want to give this bloke? He spent more than 12mths being in the spotlight, effectively suspended for the majority of 2023 and to top it off, the AFL were investigating another incident at the start of the year !!
We have a female president and CEO and a AFLW team and you want a player with allegations of another DV on the list? The latest incident was inexcusable and the club had every right to cut him before we had our own version of Jarryd Hyne or Ben Barber.
We either have some sort of club standard or just because you're a head but super talented, it's OK we'll turn a blind eye - those days are gone with the likes of Didak and his antics of 2007 which he did nothing wrong except associating himself with a bikie and strip club...it wasn't an ongoing police matter and charges like Tarryn.

I hope TT one day will wake up, look in the mirror and realise he has thrown his talent away and get the help he needs. And when that day happens, l can only romantise he reaches out to Sonja for a private meeting about returning to the club but that might be a burnt bridge.

 

[Blightys Barrel]

I've calmed down a bit after that horror show. You keep on fronting up with that little bit of false hope that you'll see an improved performance, but within 10 minutes you know you were just kidding yourself AGAIN! It is deflating to see your club actually regress from already extreme lows. We were outmuscled, out-enthused, outthought, out-skilled, outrun, outworked, out-marked and outtackled. In summary we were were completely outperformed in all aspects of the game by a club that is supposedly in decline.

The midfield I held such high hopes for at the start of the season is the biggest disappointment for me. LDU looks like he has checked out of the club and is planning his next career move. We are losing the clearances and midfield battle in a major way for what is supposed to be a quite talented bunch of players. Sheez needs to move into the midfield permanently and Mckercher needs to be moved on to a wing when he returns. Even X was disappointing today after being one of our positives in previous games. We just can't stem the tide with the exception of a few 5 minutes burst and are conceding large scores at a point in time when scores above 100 are not par for the course. The lack of resistance in midfield is a huge problem for our undermanned defence. We are constantly out-bodied at the contest. It is embarrassing. Is it a lack of strength or a lack of commitment, or both?

Our disposal by foot is absolutely atrocious. How can a group of professional footballers be so incompetent in the most elementary skill element of this sport? We are still far too often just hacking the ball away, usually straight to an opposition player. With the exception of Sheez we did manage to kick the ball with unerring accuracy directly to Geelong's best intercept markers when we went long or kicked into the F50. Has it occurred to any of the players that perhaps we should avoid kicking in that direction?

In looking for some positives, there were a few small wins:

1. Sheez showed what impact he can have on the scoreboard with his penetrating kicks into the F50. From now on he must play in midfield where he can have a greater influence on the game than he does playing on the HBF.
2. Ford and Curtis have enough quality to have scoreboard impact with decent quality supply of the pill. Unfortunately the radar was a bit off for Curtis, but that isn't his usual standard of kicking.
3. Biggie showed some promise and could help bolster our defensive stocks.
4. Chom demonstrated his marking prowess and has huge potential as an intercepting key defender. He'll be better than McKay.
5. Drury didn't disappoint, but has Kayne Turner vibes about him. Great mentality but unlikely to have much impact on the game. For now he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Looking further ahead, we must never again trade for rejects from other clubs. They never fail to disappoint and we should stop wasting our time and money on them. If Sydney wants to get rid of a #5 draft kick you can take it to the bank that he is no good. Will we ever learn? Just take what draft capital we have to the draft. It looks like another #1 draft pick on the way this year because on the evidence of the last couple of games West Coast will win more games (in Perth) than we are capable of, even with improvement by us in the 2nd half of the season. Only go after quality RFAs if any of them are willing to come to our bottom dwelling club, which is unlikely.

Lastly, I hope the selectors show a ruthless streak. Too many players are receiving their $4k match payments under false pretences. There shouldn't be any less than 3 unforced changes to the team that takes on Hawthorn. Bolster the midfield with our best players. If Hardeman is available for selection, give him a run on the HBF to release either Sheez or Mckercher. When are we going to see Brayden George? There are at least half a dozen players that should fear getting axed based on what they've shown so far this season. I'm not advocating for all of them to go in one hit, but some have to experience the VFL to find better form.

That's my rant for the day. Enjoy your Sunday evening everyone.

Nice summary, except if we move Sheezel from down back it’s asking for Scott, LMac, Corr and Fisher to handle the kicking and movement of the ball out of defense. They are the Clanger Quartet atm. It would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, as Sheezel would rarely see that ball get over CHB line.

 

[WesternRoo]

Reserve right to amend this based on the second half, but;

Out: Corr, McDonald, Stephens, Lazzaro
In: Pink, Phillips, Hardeman, Zurhaar

Pink ? Cmon man …

 

[The Talent Scout]

Why you want a reset? We need to stick to a plan

YES, as painful as it is we MUST stick to the plan, reset is not an option, does it require more pain and hurt, the answer is yes but there is no going back now. Geelong were way to good for us but the end margin shouldn't have been that much, our confidence is so low at the moment that unfortunately what looks like lots of problems is really only a few, but that it transcends into this array of never ending issues that seem so big at the moment that everything looks hopeless.

There are many positives as well as negatives up to this point in time as lots of posters have pointed out already, from having played some good teams and having the fixture we were dealt with, its not all doom and gloom BUT next week is our most important game of the year for reasons I'll outline. 1/ We finally play a team around our level {at the moment} and though I feel some of the criticism no matter the end result, has been a tad harsh, this game there can be no excuses.

2/CONFIDENCE, I have said this a few times but the greatest stat that isn't recorded in sports is this word. In sport, when you have this even if your not a great team you can do amazing things and sometimes make supporters look a bit silly, thinking "where has this been" or "why can't we do this every week", the problem is its hard to find and sometimes harder to hang onto.

3/ WINNING, it goes without saying that there is nothing like winning and even more so for a young rebuilding team like us, example, West Coast, yes Richmond had some very good players out but in the end I don't think it would have mattered, West Coast were hungry you could see it, you could even feel it, the energy was there big time and they didn't just win, they destroyed the tigers. On their board early on, even some of their supporters were saying the same things some of us are saying or even thinking we could go 0-23 for the whole year, where is a win going to come from? Now have a look on their board, as plain as it sounds, all it sometimes takes is a win, and what that does for not only the players and supporters and the club, can be better than a gold rush! Lets get that W!

 

[apollo_creed]

And credit to to tazaa for spotting this weeks ago - Xerri's stats mask a very ineffective ruckman and by extension onball unit. There is no finesse or method to what he's doing and if you're going to brute force your way to success as an AFL ruck these days you'd want to be 205+ and be able to punch it 30 metres like Corey McKernan.. except Corey could stand on opponent's heads when he did it.

What we have as a result it a ruckman who is virtually turning all our centre square work into a scrum, removing our ability to use our own talents or create fast breaks. Not ideal.

Ignoring the lack or ruck nous/tap work - if you’re limited as a tap ruckman you’d want to offer something else. Corey’s ruckwork was ok - there were better tap ruckman but he was athletic, one of the best contested marks in the comp, had a beautiful long kick and was a dangerous forward option/goal kicker. All Xerri has/brings is the first choice ruckman, competing in ruck attributes. If he’s struggling there then he offers nothing else.

Unlike last season we seem incapable of winning it easily out of the centre and stoppages. Everything is very messy in close. It definitely isn’t clicking with the midfielders. They had no such problems with Goldstein.

Hopefully Goad is ready sooner rather than later.