By Michael C -
December 18th 2009 @ 2:16am
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Putting pride back into North Melbourne jumper
Josh Gibson of North Melbourne and Jack Riewoldt of Richmond(L) react after a draw in the AFL Round 16 match between the Richmond Tigers and the North Melbourne Kangaroos at the MCG. Slattery Images
As a North Melbourne supporter, we’ve seen the best of times, we’ve seen the worst of times. Just ten years ago, we won our fourth premiership, the second in four seasons. Alas, not as North Melbourne, but as the ‘Kangaroos’.
Yes, back in 1999, we had everything before us, and we had nothing before us.
In 1998, we started a daliance with Canberra, playing a ‘home’ game at Manuka Oval.
In 1999, we became the ‘Kangaroos’ and played a number of home games at the SCG. A poor experiment. By 2001, we were back to Canberra and Manuka Oval.
For a little while, North-Kangaroos might have built something.
The VFL side was the Murray Kangaroos, and there could have been a nice Albury/Wagga/Canberra ‘triangle’ established with the ‘Roos as the ’sponsor’.
In the end, Canberra fell away, the ‘Ressies’ alinged with Port Melbourne, and the ‘Roos volunteered to take games to the Gold Coast.
A lot of dipping the toe in but a lack of willingness to jump in bodily. So the once was proud North Melbourne was relegated to a travelling side show act.
When, towards the end of 2007, the Roos were finally given an ultimatum to pack up and head North, the club finally found some courage. And so North Melbourne was rediscovered.
Now, two years on, we’ve seen new community focused facilities opened, with a strong multi-cultural focus on the local community. And North Melbourne have rookie listed Sudanese refugee, Majak Daw.
Suddenly, my club, North Melbourne, is standing for something again.
The pride in the club and jumper returns as pictures of Majak Daw find their way to the BBC website and to news sites in the US.
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(16)
Redb said | December 18th 2009 @ 7:14am | Report comment
MC,
The Feds have taken their eye of Hopenhagen to congratulate your club:
http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/parlsec/media/media-releases/2009/lf09059.htm
Redb
Michael C said | December 18th 2009 @ 8:30am | Report comment
I saw that on the North website,…..I wonder if Simon Crean made sure it came to someones attention?
LK said | December 18th 2009 @ 7:51am | Report comment
Hmm, I wish your team all the best, but I am a little confused by the tone of the article. You seem to be implying that North can get pride back in the jumper and erase previous misadventures by having pictures of Daw on foreign websites. Not really how I would try to get pride back, but maybe that is me.
On a side note, wasn’t Daw training with the Bulldogs? How come they didn’t pick him up?
Redb said | December 18th 2009 @ 8:33am | Report comment
He trained with both North and the Bulldogs. North had the earlier pick and has been the front runner all along.
Michael C said | December 18th 2009 @ 8:43am | Report comment
Good question.
Firstly, re the article, I had to heavily cut my own ideas anyway – - for North Melbourne, there’s a whole lot more detail including the pseudo private ownership structure, the return to a members based club in the true sense, getting really passionate people like James Brayshaw on board to lead the way and provide a ‘profile’ and to go from a pretty low point near the end of 2007 where …… I will admit, I thought we probably should just go North to Carrara……because, I just wasn’t sure that there was the fight left to make a real stand in Melbourne.
I’m delightedly proven wrong…thus far. (also, I much, much prefer the notion of the organically grown GC17 process…..I reckon that’s a hugely interesting ‘growth’ of a club to see occur and will be good for football in the long run).
So, it comes to this year, we have the new facilities opened. And an interesting story not long ago about a ‘white knight’ long time supporter but non significant financial contributor, who wishes to remain anon, but, put in $1 million towards the new facilities on the proviso that the ‘multi-cultural/community’ side of things was fair dinkum and followed through with. Because, words are easy and cheap. Seeing North Melbourne really taking this challenge and responsibility is a great thing, and …….being very careful to not imply that Majak Daw is a token jesture…….the symbolism is very strong.
The pictures of Majak Daw are now, just a little symbolic reminder of where the club has been and where it’s now headed.
That this is a good news story, and as I pulled into home late on Wednesday evening and heard a couple of guys on SEN wrap up their regular show for the year with super positive comments about Daw and North Melbourne – - pride swelled. For us North people……it’s so much more than Majak Daw……but, at the moment, his photo doing the rounds and the feel good element to the story is symbolic of a whole new positive aura around the club………..a 5 letter word……Pride.
Daw, himself, isn’t the reason.
re the Bulldogs, Daw trained the first few days of the week at North and then went to the Doggies after that. He was an obvioius fit for either North (Werribee is one of our feeder clubs) or the Doggies (Williamstown is their feeder club). North had an earlier selection in the rookie draft.
Forgetmenot said | December 18th 2009 @ 10:06am | Report comment
The Majak Daw story has served to show us that football clubs at the national level can no longer rely simply on the support in their own backyard. All AFL clubs must extend their reach beyond their own state, and look nationally, and indeed across the world for support.
As football grows around the world, each club will want to have its own small pocket of supporters.
Michael C said | December 18th 2009 @ 11:58am | Report comment
keep mindful though, in this instance, Majak Daw is now an Australian citizen, has been schooling and playing out around Werribee and the WEstern ‘burbs, and because of the North new found focus on multi-culturalism, Majak Daw is a key figure for the Sudanese and Somali populations of the inner West including the commission towers on Racecourse Rd and down in Kensington.
North suddenly has many thousands of new, if not supporters, at very least, curious followers, so to speak, from those AFrican and refugee communities, let alone, has the attention of many around the country.
Redb said | December 18th 2009 @ 10:26am | Report comment
Majak Daw is one, but North are also hosting 19yo South African Bayanda Sobetwa.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/87975/default.aspx
Art Sapphire said | December 18th 2009 @ 12:12pm | Report comment
Good luck to Majak, the kid’s got a level head on his shoulders and is articulate to boot.
From ABC – AM Program
SIMON LAUDER: Majak Daw and his family fled civil war in Sudan when he was just nine. After three years in Egypt they arrived in Australia in 2003. It was a proud moment for 16-year-old Theresa Daw yesterday when the Kangaroos used the ninth pick on the AFL rookie draw on her big brother.
THERESA DAW: It makes me proud to be actually African.
SIMON LAUDER: She says her brother’s success will be good for Australia’s African community.
THERESA DAW: It will like encourage them to want to become more like him, to give them more confidence that they can actually do it because he did.
SIMON LAUDER: His debut could still be years away, but Majak Daw is mindful of what he’s already achieved
MAJAK DAW: First Sudanese and African born to make AFL, I’m just hoping to try hard to be the first African to actually play AFL.
SIMON LAUDER: How does it make you feel? Is it significant to you?
MAJAK DAW: It’s a big achievement. When I first started a lot of my Sudanese friends, the boys, they weren’t a fan of me playing footy, they tend to hang around the Sudanese people, just one area.
I kept on telling them you need to get out and explore and know these people ’cause you’re going to be living here all your life, you’re not going to be with the Sudanese people the whole time.
SIMON LAUDER: And he’s hoping his success in the AFL will break down some barriers for others.
MAJAK DAW: When I first started back in under 16s, some of the boys were saying racist comments but I just got on with my footy. Racism I suppose is, comes from jealousy. They know that you’re doing better and it’s their way of trying to make you not succeed.
As you know the Sudanese people haven’t had it easy since they came to Australia, coming to a new country is not easy and not knowing the laws that govern the country. Me making it into AFL will make them, will give them more opportunities and give them confidence to sort of go out there and do their own things to better themselves.
SIMON LAUDER: So you’re the first, obviously you’d be hoping you won’t be the last?
MAJAK DAW: Yeah, there’s some Sudanese kids down at Wyndham Vale, my local club, who have taken up footy and some of them look pretty promising and with the right guidance they could become good players and have more Sudanese in AFL.
Redb said | December 18th 2009 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
It really is a great story. That Majak is able to speak so well really puts him in the position to help communicate and promote the game and his countryman.
A very impressive young man.
Redb
Redb said | December 18th 2009 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
Majak Daw and North Melbourne even get a mention from the United Nations mission in Sudan:
http://test.mirayafm.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=421:about-us&catid=99:about-us&Itemid=320
BigAl said | December 18th 2009 @ 4:11pm | Report comment
Well Michael, I’m afraid that I think North Melbourne ( and its supporters) are like a big Zeppellin – trying to stay inflated and up by simply holding there breath ! – it can’t be done for too much longer.
They really should have taken the Gold Coast option – and it was only James Brayshaw trying to turn himself into a Rock Star by blocking the move that stopped it
I see he’s already canvassing the option of ’selling’ a few home games! – something that he was dead against when he was initially standing for office.
And it does nobody anygood when your coach quits half way through the season.
Any idea what was behind that? – I thought Dean Laidley had been doing a pretty good job with limited resources – I smell the hand of Brayshaw in all that.
. . . sorry
Michael said | December 18th 2009 @ 5:24pm | Report comment
BigAl, you have no idea. With new facilities, a demanding new coach, and a new era at north, we are here to stay. We offered to sell ONE HOME GAME to perth, where we have a fair few members, it would give us a better return than at the dome or mcg, that is what is killing us, dodgy stadium deals. We are not the only team selling home games because of it. Carlton, Dogs, and hawks have done the same.
Laidley is too negative a coach in personality and gameplan, and his demeanour and comments rubbed people up the wrong way. He did his best, made a fair few finals, but imo wasn’t the best face for the club, and made some poor trading choices for recycled players, which put us back a few years. The exciting thing is we’re starting again with a talented list and new era of professionalism in 2010. Go North!
BigAl said | December 18th 2009 @ 11:51pm | Report comment
I wish you and North all the best, but frankly . . . ” yer dreamin’ ” !
bever fever said | December 20th 2009 @ 10:55am | Report comment
Well North has been killed/written off many times over the years, but still keeps on getting back up, i imagine this to be the case for many years to come.
The clubs been going since 1869.
Michael C said | December 20th 2009 @ 8:25pm | Report comment
I’m quietly optimistic about the next 4 years – - – our list is actually pretty well placed now,
Gibson was not that huge a loss – he’d been squeezed out of the undersized key back role by Grima and Thompson (I like both these lads), along with Hansen,
The midfield, farewell Simmo…..but, he couldn’t kick to save himself – - – a midfield of Ziebell, Anthony, Cunnington, Bastinac (plus Swallow, Harvey, Wells etc)……starting to look a bit alright, (although I prefer Wells across half back)
and up forward, we know we need Campbell and Thomas on the paddock together, Petrie can stay forward now (that we’ve given up on Hale as a key forward!!), need Edwards as hit up half forward, and Josh Smith has to consolidate in 2010.
and McIntosh, Goldstein and Hale in the ruck department,
We’ve got a pretty good balance across the board and a group that can go forward together. I think we’ve better placed for 2012/2013/2014 than almost any other list. But, anything can happen.