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The AFL would be excused for padding the walls of Brad Scott’s coaches’ box, because the performance of his team late in games this year is enough to institutionalise any coach.
While Adelaide played some phenomenal football, led by Patrick Dangerfield in the final quarter, the Kangaroos are developing a bad habit.
Leading by 30 points with ten minutes to go in the final quarter against the Crows, North Melbourne self-imploded to lose by one solitary point.
It was not the first time this season Scott’s men cracked late in a game. Sadly, it was the fourth time this season they have lost by less than a goal.
While sitting 13th on the ladder with a 3-6 record, they could easily be 7-2.
In Round 2, North Melbourne led by 41 points against Geelong in the second quarter to lose by four points.
In Round 5, North Melbourne led by 12 points against Hawthorn in the fourth quarter to lose by three points.
In Round 8, North Melbourne led by 15 points against West Coast in the fourth quarter to lose by two points.
With the losing margins taunting Scott, it must be infuriating his boys cannot close out their games. All of their close games have come against finals teams, so North Melbourne is clearly capable of playing finals football.
They’re just not doing it for four quarters.
They are doing everything that has been asked of them for 95% of game but the psychological effect on players is mounting if their belief to win is waning.
If Scott was looking for reasons behind his team’s capitulation last night, Twitter would have been a no-go zone. #ThingsThatFinishBetterThanNorth was trending.
The Crows led for just 16 seconds of the game and fortunately for them, they were leading at the only time that mattered.
Vision of Scott in the coaches’ box showed him fuming and slamming the desk, which probably requires replacing after every North Melbourne game.
In stark contrast, the sight of the Adelaide box was inspiring, as the coaches rose in unity when Jared Petrenko soccered a loose ball to put the Crows in front.
Every week, it takes a phenomenal performance by North Melbourne’s opposition to come from behind and steal victory. It directs the praise towards their opposition, labelling North Melbourne as unlucky.
For it to happen to a team four times in nine weeks though, it tugs at the hearts of loyal supporters, who are filthy at their men. So much so, more than bad luck is costing the Kangaroos these games.
Why are these brain fades occurring?
The buck usually stops with the coach, but there is no doubt Scott has taught his defence the importance of spare numbers late in a game.
Last night’s loss falls on the players and, most importantly, their on-field leaders.
With 66 seconds on the clock last night, the ball was thrown in on the wing. They just needed to lock the ball up but there were shockingly few Kangaroos around the ball.
There were only four Kangaroos players around the ball when it was thrown in and Bernie Vince got the clearance for Adelaide.
At that point, any Kangaroo player should be in one of two spots on the ground – either around the ball or in their defensive 50. Adelaide pumped the ball long but a free kick was awarded to Petrie with 43 seconds left on the clock.
Petrie did his best to waste time but only had one-on-one contests in front of him. He looked around and there was zero movement.
This stunk of a weakness in North Melbourne’s fitness levels. They had been run off their feet to the point not a single player could shake his man to give Petrie an option.
The ball eventually kicked up the line to a pack and spilled from a contest. Adelaide’s find of the night, Sam Kerridge – who had kicked six goals in the second half – was able to get the ball on the wing and pump it inside 50.
As the ball entered Adelaide’s forward 50, there were only four North Melbourne defenders in their defensive 50 arc. Four!
Scott’s hair should have been torn out when the ball spilled out the back and Petrenko was able to run onto the loose ball.
It was a situation where there should have been loose players on the goal-line and Petrenko should not have had the running room he found.
North Melbourne’s defence was abysmally organised. It is up to the players to have the game-presence to know how important it was to flood their defence. It is something their coach would have hammered into them after the same mistakes cost them previously.
While analysing 66 seconds of a game is not representative of the game, those 66 seconds were where North Melbourne players had to ask themselves, how badly did they want to win?
They didn’t want it enough.
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