- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
North Melbourne legend Malcolm Blight believes the Kangaroos’ list is ready for Alastair Clarkson to rocket the AFL club into premiership contention.
Blight’s bold call comes after North on Tuesday sacked coach David Noble following less than two seasons in the job.
The Kangaroos will now attempt to lure Clarkson to Arden St after the four-time Hawthorn premiership coach sat out this season following his exit from the Hawks at the end of 2021.
North won just five out of 38 games during Noble’s tenure, punctuated by a 14-match losing streak.
After finishing ninth in 2018, North have finished 12th, 17th, 18th and are on track for back-to-back wooden spoons as they search for their fourth head coach during that period.
But Blight, who starred in North’s 1975 and 1977 premierships, believes there are genuine reasons for optimism despite the gloomy outlook for the embattled club.
The Australian Football Hall of Fame legend has labelled the likes of Jy Simpkin, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Nick Larkey as players who the Kangaroos can rebuild around.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“This is the sixth year of a rebuild. Something’s wrong,” Blight told Sportsday SA.
“But if I was picking a team now and I had a choice of which teams I would coach, you know which team I would coach? North Melbourne.
“If I’m Alastair Clarkson, (former St Kilda and Fremantle coach) Ross Lyon, (ex-Adelaide coach) Don Pyke or anyone out there, I would be taking this team on now.
“I reckon you’ve got seven really, really good young players coming into their prime and they’ll get a first-rounder again (in the draft) and they may even get (a priority pick).
“If Alastair Clarkson is looking for a team he can coach a premiership to, and that’s what he wants to do again, to say the Hawthorn experience wasn’t a fluke, that’s in his own words.
“They’re already there, they’re in year five and six, they’re coming.”
North president Sonja Hood refused to comment on Tuesday when asked if the club had already sounded out Clarkson.
The former Hawks supremo has already met with GWS about taking their taking their vacant head coaching role next season. “I am not even going to speculate on it,” Hood said.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Hawthorn great Luke Hodge believes North have to offer his former coach something special to land Clarkson.
“If they want to go and land a big bloke like Clarko, they need to make some moves off-field to show that there is support there for him, that if he does have a bad 12 months of developing, as he did in his second year at Hawthorn, he doesn’t have to worry about his job,” Hodge told SEN.
“At the moment, do I see him going to North?
“Doubtful, but if they can be strong and make some calls off-field, then anything (can happen).”
The COVID-hit Brisbane Lions will regain up to eight players, although ruckman Oscar McInerney has been ruled out of Saturday’s crucial AFL clash with GWS.
Lions football Danny Daly expects all five players – Harris Andrews, Noah Answerth, Keidean Coleman, Daniel McStay and Callum Ah Chee – who missed Sunday’s loss against Essendon with COVID-19 to return this weekend.
The under-pressure Lions, who have lost four of their last seven games to be in jeopardy of finishing outside the top four, could also recall Dayne Zorko, Daniel Rich and Jarrod Berry from hamstring injuries.
“They all missed last week so they’ll all have fitness tests (on Thursday) at our main session,” Daly told SEN.
“At this stage, they’ve got through everything they need to do so hopefully they get through the session and should be OK to play.
“We hopefully get a fair few soldiers back this week against the Giants in Canberra.”
But the loss of McInerney is a big one after he was arguably the Lions’ best player in their first home-and-away loss at the Gabba since round one, 2021.
Brisbane were forced to make nine changes to face the Bombers, who they ultimately fell short against by 10 points
“No doubt there will be other clubs who will have to go through this between now and the end of the year,” Daly said,
“From what we’re hearing, all the holiday makers up here (in Queensland) will be going back to Melbourne and Sydney.
“I don’t think we will be the only club who has to deal with this.”
The Lions are clinging onto fourth spot on percentage and will face GWS for the second time in eight weeks.
At the Gabba in round 11, Brisbane trailed by 30 points early in the contest before roaring home to fell the Giants.
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has told Bailey Smith to let his football do the talking as the star midfielder seeks to repay his teammates in his AFL return against St Kilda.
Smith has missed the Bulldogs’ last four matches through suspension over separate headbutting and illicit drug use incidents.
The Dogs have slid out of the top eight in that time, with losses in their last two outings against Brisbane and Sydney.
Friday night’s clash with the Saints at Marvel Stadium is not far off being a virtual elimination final, with both sides desperate to keep their realistic top-eight hopes alive.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Smith’s immediate return after serving successive two-match bans will add much-needed grunt to their engine room.
“He’s in a good head space, he’s looking forward to getting back out and playing a game with his teammates,” Beveridge said.
“I think he’s managed it (the time out) extremely well and it will be great to have him back in the team.”
Beveridge was among the first to offer his support to Smith after images and videos of the player with an illicit substance emerged in June.
Smith was serving a two-match headbutting suspension at the time and copped another two-match ban from the AFL for “conduct unbecoming”.
The images and videos were taken in late 2021, after the grand final loss to Melbourne, with Smith later admitting he “spiralled out of control” amid struggles with his mental health.
“I said to him I was probably more concerned about the headbutt than what happened at the end of last year,” Beveridge said.
“He moved on from all that from last year. He was obviously frustrated with himself in regards to that.
“But we all know that he’s put all the right things in place and we manage and support him with his wellbeing as well as anyone can.
“Bailey’s the type of competitor that turns up early to games and winds himself up and absolutely wants to be the best player out there for his club and his teammates.
“It sort of almost flies in the face of trying to take the edge off and create some calmness in your life.
“He’s just a fierce competitor, so my conversation with him was more around discipline and making sure that he plays his best footy within the rules and (making sure) that we don’t lose him again.”
As well as Smith, the Bulldogs could be boosted by the return of Josh Bruce for his first senior match of the season.
The key forward took another step in his recovery from a long-term knee injury by kicking 4.5 in the VFL last week.
A short five-day break between matches may count against Bruce at selection.
Beveridge expects fellow goal-kicker Aaron Naughton to overcome a sore knee, while Anthony Scott (concussion) will miss at least one match.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.