North Melbourne pre-game discussion (with teams)

[Bleed Red Blood]

Just pathetic. Is Ben Mathews himself on the selection panel? This smacks of the way he played the game - Backwards, slow and without imagination.

[Melbourne_Blood]

Better coach than me? You sure know how to hurt a guy! "Sniping from the sidelines" Are you suggesting we go on the field and snipe,where else can you snipe from? I am assuming by sniping you mean "criticising" and criticism you don't agree with.Balanced commentary? On RWO? I am obviously missing something! I thought this was a forum to present your opinions and have people like you denounce them. Thats what makes it so much fun so keep it up!

Thats exactly what it's about ! Bring back Kirkys Socks that guy was good value!

[Legs Akimbo]

I wouldn't be calling Hanners or Rohan humble types.

In a different way? Both are natural leaders. From what I have heard (hearsay admittedly) Vez, Johnston...Davis are cut from the same cloth.

Maybe a bit ahead of themselves but undeniably talented?

[hammo]

That article is concerning at a number of levels. Sounds like the players' moral is not good at the moment. But I guess when the coach picks players on 'seniority' not form, mocks the team from the boundary line and adopts a generally negative and cynical attitude, that is what happens.

The sooner this season is over the better as far as I am concerned.

Agree. I didn't post a comment at the time because I was gobsmacked. Senior players are making schoolboy errors (poor kick ins, failure to spoil, ordinary skills) and the tape isn't even reviewed? I would understand a hiding to Geelong not being dwelled upon, but surely a loss to Richmond deserves some close analysis and to what went wrong.

[Lucky Knickers]

Vesz strikes me as a player who takes his footy very very seriously. He's trimmed down significantly this season and his aerobic capacity has improved. He's doing a lot of good things but what he hasn't shown is emphatic consistent and dominating ressies performances. I think we all found his selection as our first rounder unusual, not in the usual mould, but the club are investing in him and he in them.
Johnston had one story about the fact that he wasn't training as hard as he could and suddenly he's Davo. It's great to see that he has knuckled down and made it on as an emergency and is starting to get named in the best.
Davo was a super talented lazy larikin who played footy because it was fun. So long as he could show up on the weekend and play, he didn't ever really go in for the full heart, body, mind experience that seems to be the lot of the modern day footballer.
I miss him but comparing these young kids to him is unfair.

[rojo]

I have just found out that LJ isn't getting a game tomorrow. I suppose I will have to be content with the fact that TDL is still there. I really hope the forward line works with Goodes and ROK (if that actually happens) in the key positions. But what really irks me is that we are still in the same situation as last year in that the key forwards are guys who are 30 years old and that's without our 'saviour' Bradshaw included. I know White hasn't lived up to expectations this year but it still frustrates me no end that we are in this situation.

Having said that I hope Adam G can find his best form, that TDL finds his feet and plays a great game and that the forward structure, whatever that is, works. Now that would make for a great game!.

[Legs Akimbo]

...what he hasn't shown is emphatic consistent and dominating ressies performances. .

Had Jetta, Rohan, Playfair, Moore, Bevan et al?

[Primmy]

I am happy with Merry getting a gig, he is a beauty and I trust his decision making, and I am also happy with Bev and TedBear being included. That means we have TDL and Merry as new and untried to any extent in the seniors, and Bev and TedBear to backup. If we dropped those two it would be interesting. Experience sometimes is more important at certain times than flair. Vez will get a go soon, but not before he is ready, and he is working to that end. So is LJ. I wouldn't be playing Jesse as he was getting worse and worse not to mention anxious, not better. He needs to find his mojo again. They obviously would prefer to play finals again, rather than just blooding kids for the sake of it. All in good time. Gaz is injured. Jett has no problem playing with ressies as he knows he has to "rest". The guys understand exactly where they are at. And it is just possible they know more than we do.....but thats probably wild speculation.

[wearebloods]

I am happy with Merry getting a gig, he is a beauty and I trust his decision making, and I am also happy with Bev and TedBear being included. That means we have TDL and Merry as new and untried to any extent in the seniors, and Bev and TedBear to backup. If we dropped those two it would be interesting.

Absolutely stoked to have Meredith in the Seniors, I hope the kids can do enough to remain in the team for the rest of the season...would do wonders for their self-confidence.

Jett has no problem playing with ressies as he knows he has to "rest". The guys understand exactly where they are at. And it is just possible they know more than we do.....but thats probably wild speculation.

I really feel for Jetta (except when he gives me high blood pressure ) he'll back better then ever (ironic to say this about a player in his 1st year)...when the time is right.

[Kirkari]

If they're treated like Vesz I can.

It's not the promotion, it's the mystifying demotion that's the problem. Here's an idea, don't treat them like Vesz.

[RogueSwan]

...but surely a loss to Richmond deserves some close analysis and to what went wrong.

I think the whole team knows what went wrong. For three quarters they played good footy and then for the last quarter they took their foot of the pedal thinking they were playing the same Tiggers team they did in rnd 3. The effort just wasn't there for the last half hour.

[Lucky Knickers]

Had Jetta, Rohan, Playfair, Moore, Bevan et al?

I'd take Rohan out of that group as his NAB Cup form was enough to show he wasn't going to be out of place and Jetta showed good pace. Having two first year players in Jetta and Rohan in the seniors when we were fully fit is a different proposition to what we face now.
From memory, Moore showed consistently good form, along with Hanners, Smith and Meredith. I didn't watch the ressies when Bevo debuted as I was overseas but I understand he scored a rising star nomination and went alright.
Selection this week was a lucky dip and for Vesz to push these others out is tough right now. Clearly he's building to something , which it great, as he's been named 4-5 times and got a call up.
I understand the choice of Ted and Bevo and I don't feel that the failure to bring LJ or Vesz is going to have any where near the emotional or career impact people think.

[Kirkari]

I think the whole team knows what went wrong. For three quarters they played good footy and then for the last quarter they took their foot of the pedal thinking they were playing the same Tiggers team they did in rnd 3. The effort just wasn't there for the last half hour.

A coach whose philosophy is that he doesn't need to coach because the team must know what they need to do should just stay home.

If Roos was really trying to build the players' confidence, why wouldn't he review the 3 good quarters and focus on what worked, ignoring what didn't (assuming you want to avoid dwelling on the negatives)? Just not reviewing it on the basis that he doesn't want the boys to feel bad about themselves is BS - and completely cowardly. They would need to have more mental toughness than that, surely, and I have every confidence that they do. If our coach doesn't believe in them enough to treat them like professionals then god help us!!

That said, I don't actually believe that they didn't review the game. McVeigh's article certainly seems to say they did. He (Roos) is either lying, or maybe just referring to himself personally, and one of the other coaches reviewed the game with the team. Very odd, IMO.

[Jewels]

A coach whose philosophy is that he doesn't need to coach because the team must know what they need to do should just stay home.

If Roos was really trying to build the players' confidence, why wouldn't he review the 3 good quarters and focus on what worked, ignoring what didn't (assuming you want to avoid dwelling on the negatives)? Just not reviewing it on the basis that he doesn't want the boys to feel bad about themselves is BS - and completely cowardly. They would need to have more mental toughness than that, surely, and I have every confidence that they do. If our coach doesn't believe in them enough to treat them like professionals then god help us!!

That said, I don't actually believe that they didn't review the game. McVeigh's article certainly seems to say they did. He (Roos) is either lying, or maybe just referring to himself personally, and one of the other coaches reviewed the game with the team. Very odd, IMO.

Re-read the article, I think you'll find that's exactly what he did.

[Nico]

I think the whole team knows what went wrong. For three quarters they played good footy and then for the last quarter they took their foot of the pedal thinking they were playing the same Tiggers team they did in rnd 3. The effort just wasn't there for the last half hour.

Incorrect. They played 2 quarters and 26 minutes. Richmond kicked 3 goals in 4 minutes. Even when we were 33 points up we were far from convincing. Horrible turnovers led to those 3 goals. Now Roos says he has told the players to take risks. Hoo bloody ray, it's only taken him 4 years to say that.