Fremantle's Scott Thornton is tackled by North Melbourne's Brady Rawlings (L) and Lindsay Thomas during the AFL Indigenous Round 09 match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Fremantle Dockers at the Docklands Stadium. Slattery Images
What should North Melbourne supporters make of their side’s upset win against ladder leaders St Kilda last week? And Fremantle fans of the Dockers’ 54-point belting of the eight-placed Bombers, who just one week earlier became the first side to beat the Saints this year?
Too little, too late? Nothing more than a consolation win that can’t make up for a disappointing season?
Such reactions are understandable from supporters who sat through loss after bitter loss all year. But they don’t take into account the immeasurable benefit young sides, like North and Fremantle, can get from beating a top side.
Both sides have had tough seasons and for a variety of reasons wins have been few and far between. When you go through a season like that, players can forget what it’s like to win, and what they need to do to win.
Make no mistake, rediscovering that winning feeling – in any game – is essential to establishing a winning culture at a club.
Winning creates belief, it’s habit forming and the quicker a side gets into the habit, the quicker its program and players will develop.
You only had to look at the way the North players celebrated after the siren on Sunday to see how much they got out of that win.
The way Drew Petrie imposed himself on the contest in the last quarter of that match was truly inspirational and it would not have been lost on his younger teammates.
They saw him throw himself over the pack to take that contested mark with five minutes to go. They saw him go back and kick the goal that put them in front.
They saw him bust his gut to get to a contest on the Saints’ forward 50 line and make the game-saving spoil.
It’s an example they – especially the young key position players – will take into the pre-season and one that will set the standard for them next year.
The Roos were also able to play Lachie Hansen on Saints champ Nick Riewoldt and, while he was beaten, he will learn a lot from the experience.
Levi Greenwood will take a lot from keeping Nick Dal Santo to nine touches, while Nathan Grima comes out of the game having done a solid job on Justin Koschitzke and, better still, standing up when his side needed him and spoiling Nick Riewoldt’s last shot for goal on the line. If there’s a better way of boosting a young player’s confidence I’d like to know what it is.
For other North youngsters like Leigh Adams, Liam Anthony, Todd Goldstein and Cruize Garlett it’s probably the best win they’ve been involved with. The feeling after the game is something they’ll want to experience again.
The Dockers will have taken almost as much from their win over Essendon. OK, the Bombers were without several injured regulars – Patrick Ryder, Matthew Lloyd, Alwyn Davey and Courtenay Dempsey – but they’re still dangerous.
Nick Suban will take more than his NAB AFL Rising Star nomination from the way he was able to break the game open with his run and carry.
And just as Petrie set the example for North’s kids, Aaron Sandilands, Matthew Pavlich and Paul Hasleby did the same for Fremantle’s youngsters.
The Dockers will be heartened by the 18-disposal game of Marcus Drum, a top-10 draft pick from 2005 who has played 21 games in four years and just four this season. This win may give him the confidence to kick on.
Hayden Ballantyne’s four goals will give him confidence he can cut it at AFL level and, Greg Broughton, Stephen Hill, Matthew de Boer and Clancee Pearce – as much they’ve shown in losing sides all season – will get a boost from the win.
No doubt, both North and the Dockers will be looking to continue that winning feeling this weekend. If they can, they will gain far more than just the premiership points.
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