The six-point plan to fix North Melbourne

North Melbourne’s seniors and VFL sides both not only lost by over triple digits but conceded 156 points in both games, strangely scoring more points in the VFL game (52-48).

So why is this club preaching patience? David Noble was embarrassed and his own footy grave was laid out in front of him so what is the real answer?

North are fun to make fun of, sure, but is there really an answer?

Well, as much as a fully fledged, long-term plan can’t fit into one article, a six-point plan for the next 12 months can.

And to quote Paul Roos, here it is. 

The rest of the 2022 season 

1. Aaron Hall plays permanent midfield
SuperCoach and Fantasy coaches will hate this but even as someone who does weekly videos about it on YouTube, I don’t care.

Hall cannot defend one on one and his delivery to half forward is better served to be delivering from a centre clearance to Nick Larkey and the second ruckman.

Hall isn’t even using the ball well longer than 40 metres in 2022 so kicking to forwards nearing two metres leaves a better room for error than kicking it to Jack Mahony for example.

Tarryn Thomas is out long term so have Hall there and all you need is to look at the Saints. Their midfield is flying with the inclusion of Jade Gresham and Jack Sinclair at the centre bounce.

Pace and class. Give it to Hall.

2. Todd Goldstein is now the third ruck
We can sit and ponder on why North didn’t accept a trade from Geelong for Goldstein in the last two years but if the ‘we weren’t sure if Tristan Xerri would be like this’ excuse is valid, fine.

Now that Xerri is the number one ruck and Callum Coleman-Jones is the prized recruit in the off-season, they need to build the rapport as quickly as possible, regardless of form.

Goldstein should go down as one of North’s top five players in the 21st century but a band-aid where they need surgery in the tall department isn’t healthy.

(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Don’t forget too, in the 2021 mid-season draft, they took Jackson Edwards as well, who they like.

With Coleman-Jones and Xerri fully fit, they need to play and if Goldstein plays VFL, so be it.

Don’t like it, tough, you didn’t move him when you should’ve and the future begins whenever you’re ready.

3. Play the out-of-contracts as much as you can
Let’s answer a question that no one has asked in 2022: who is out of contract for North Melbourne in 2022?

Fear no longer, here is the list: Aaron Hall, Atu Bosenavulagi, Ben Cunnington, Bailey Scott, Cameron Zurhaar, Curtis Taylor, Flynn Perez, Jed Anderson, Josh Walker, Kayne Turner, Kyron Hayden, Lachie Young, Matt McGuinness, Patrick Walker, Todd Goldstein, Tom Lynch, and Tristan Xerri.

With an average of seven list changes per year, it’s ludicrous to say to sack the lot.

With Ben Cunnington back at training, if his health forces him into retirement, we as fans owe him a thanks for the quality of footballer and bloke he is.

Xerri deserves a three-year extension and Aaron Hall probably goes around again but everyone else on that list is literally on footy probation.

The players we don’t know enough about and aren’t hitting B-grade yet have to be on the block, including Bosenavulagi, Scott, Taylor, Turner, Hayden and Young, who have senior experience but wouldn’t make the best 18 for any top-four side.

So why would they make North’s next top-four side? Keep playing them to find out if they’re worthy of three-plus years and if they’re not, see you later.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Off-season plan 

4. No free agents 
Pretty easy rule to follow here: no one over 26 years old should be coming into that footy club.

Keep letting this young core grow together (Jy Simpkin, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Thomas, Nick Larkey, Ben McKay and the like) and getting B-grade veterans in the door does exactly zero for their development if it’s killing their chances to grow.

Stop it.

5. Do not draft midfielders 
North have made some really strange draft non-decisions in the last few years. Ben McKay and Nick Larkey have shown they’ve got really good AFL potential, but any chance they could get help?

Now, Xerri, Jacob Edwards and Coleman-Jones seem to be the help for Larkey but poor Ben McKay has got none.

Josh Walker and Aidan Corr are stop gaps in a defence that with Robbie Tarrant in the last two years were 18th for rebounding 50, creating turnovers in the back half and conceding scores from defensive stoppages.

Now that Tarrant is a Tiger, that hasn’t helped.

In the last two drafts, North took a majority of midfielders, which considering they still had Davies-Uniacke, Simpkin, Cunnington and co is boggling.

In 2020, they took Will Phillips at three, who they love in terms of leadership and he’s a beautiful kick but Logan McDonald, Denver Grainger-Barras and Zach Reid went in the next seven picks after him, and positionally they should’ve been a higher priority.

North also took Tom Powell, Charlie Lazzaro, Phoenix Spicer and Eddie Ford in the 2020 draft – a draft with not a lot of key position players – so surely that would be fixed the next year, right?

Jason Horne-Francis is already a big tick at pick one, no stress about that, and Josh Goater is a highly rated half back flanker with class and pace.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

So with the third pick (35) and with key backs Rhett Bazzo and Charlie Dean still on the board, North had a chance to get a key back alongside McKay, and took small forward Paul Curtis.

Again, this is in no way an attack on the players taken, but the positional inadequacy is on one plate: list management.

So, they can’t fix the past, let’s focus on this draft. Pick 1 is likely. Do not draft a midfielder. Take the best key position player and if it is a forward, Larkey has his partner and two rucks are a go.

If it’s a key back, Ben McKay has his partner and at least keeping Walker and Corr makes sense so the new defender can develop.

Do not take a midfielder with the first two picks.

6. Decide on your next captain
I’ve talked about Aaron Hall not being a defender but Jack Ziebell definitely isn’t either.

Now, you can’t just turf out every veteran at once as we know but the Roos have got some decisions to make going forward and the next skipper needs to be a long-term Roo for life who can perform and drive standards.

Hello Jy Simpkin!

The best and fairest winner is above average for disposals, effective disposals, contested and uncontested possessions, ground ball gets, clearances and centre clearances.

Not only that but he has the ability to be a No.1 mid for a team, can hit the scoreboard, and as a recently turned 24 year old, he can be a long-term skipper and a face of the footy club for a long time.

Accepting your mistakes is one thing but making sure you don’t make future ones is more important. This is not a good footy team and it’ll take a long time.

But the quicker you start, the quicker you’ll get there.