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It has been a pretty diabolical season overall for North Melbourne – there’s no sugar-coating to be done there.
The loss to West Coast in Round 20 sort of sums it up, really. Playing a team equally as dismal, the defeated team was always going to cop criticism.
Let’s not confuse results with progress, though. Small steps in the right direction are happening at the Kangaroos as they seek a brighter future.
Obviously, the criticism existed before the game against the Eagles and justifiably so, but as is the case in our reactionary world, this loss has ramped up statements made in AFL media to a ridiculous level.
Clearly, the icicle representing football shame has been passed from West Coast to North Melbourne after a single result. All the issues regarding priority picks, or Ben McKay’s impending free agency compensation, see every man and his dog having a say. They don’t deserve any help, is the argument; they got themselves into this position through bad management.
It’s quite amazing that while the heat was on the Eagles, North lost all those games in a row and there was an acknowledgement that they didn’t quite have the talent to compete. But as soon as even a whiff of a priority pick is in discussion, North Melbourne suddenly has a heap of young stars and shouldn’t get any handouts for more. For as bad a season as it has been, along with the coaching disruptions that they have endured, the last few weeks in particular have seen the club heading incrementally, in the right direction.
Luke McDonald and Alastair Clarkson celebrate victory. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Early in the season, having written this critical piece, it really seemed like the opening stanza of 2023 was pointless for North. There was no proper style of play, they were one of the older playing groups on the park, and their veterans had been mediocre.
Since then, Alastair Clarkson hasn’t been in charge much, though his return to the fold occurs this week. Interim coach Brett Ratten had a difficult task to try maintain the ethos that will be hammered into the group for the long term, and it remains to be seen how long it’ll take overall.
While performances have mostly stayed shabby, he last six weeks has certainly seen a shift in attitude, where those criticisms have slowly been addressed.
The simplest one has been the demographic of the playing group. From having an average age of 26 and 107 games of experience early on, the last month has brought it down to roughly averages of 24.5 and 85 respectively.
The Roos have moved on from guaranteeing games to Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington, Aaron Hall and Daniel Howe. Hugh Greenwood is a positively helpful depth player, which seems to be understood, while Todd Goldstein has taken a backseat with Tristan Xerri’s return. Luke McDonald’s title as leader may have helped him avoid the fate of other veterans.
Liam Shiels is perhaps the only senior figure that has had a genuinely consistent, positive impact on the team after he un-retired. His tackling pressure has been typically sensational, and his adaptability has been important in filling a number of key role to open up doors for kids.
It’s the simplest thing a team can do – get younger and get more experience into those who may be able to take you forward.
Not that it has necessarily been perfect – there have been a few fringe players inexplicably returning to the senior fold without standout performances in the reserves, such as Kayne Turner last week. But as we said, small steps.
Over the last month, too, the style of play the Roos want to play has been much clearer: it’s about pressure, pressure and more pressure.
North Melbourne is averaging 77 tackles per game in their last four matches , up from 53 through the first 15 of the season. They’ve been the best pressure team in the competition in that short period of time.
When a team is this bad, it’s about simplifying the approach. The process is always more important than the results at this stage of a rebuild, and there have been patches in the last month as a neutral observer where the performances have been more impressive than at any other stage of the season.
As for the young talent: it’s definitely there, and my opinion on that has never changed. This isn’t going to be an argument for or against the priority pick, and when it comes to free agent compensation, people simply must understand that if McKay were to leave, the pick they receive is a separate matter altogether.
The truth is, the Roos have been excellent drafters for a few years, and now that they’ve shifted their approach and are starting to give out more opportunities to said hgih draft picks, the development ball has started to roll – before anyone jumps in, Jason Horne-Francis was the right choice and they got a very solid return for him when he left for Port Adelaide.
Seeing a centre bounce group of Luke Davies-Uniacke, George Wardlaw and Will Phillips is wonderful. The occasional Harry Sheezel clearance, a Cam Zurhaar burst from a stoppage, a Tom Powell sighting, all held together by co-captain Jy Simpkin’s steady hand, is what good drafting gets you.
George Wardlaw. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Nick Larkey has 50 goals. On this team. Not bad for a 73rd pick.
The father-sons have also been getting a chance, with Jackson Archer showing decent signs in defence and Cooper Harvey looking a raw if likely type. Paul Curtis has to find consistency but looks unstoppable at times, Eddie Ford is also around the mark, while Charlie Comben could be a real handful if and when he can string games together. Josh Goater is talented as well.
But first, can we circle back to Sheezel for a second? Whichever third of the ground he settles in, he’ll be a star. He’s got such poise, class and vision, especially for a first-year player – that’s what nailing the draft is all about.
Brayden George hasn’t debuted yet, either: he was a personal favourite at draft time and could even be better than Sheezel or Wardlaw in the long run.
More than just listing these players, and a couple of others who would have been worth a mention, is that finally, they’ve started getting senior games.
Already there have been a couple of big retirements at the club, with Ziebell and Hall hanging up the boots, and there may be one or two more by season’s end, all of which contribute to the greater good of this football club.
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There is truly no more pointless exercise than rewarding mediocrity from experienced players in a rebuilding group; now that’s out of the way, what’s happening at North Melbourne is far more palatable.
Of course, there are plenty of issues and there’s no quick fix to be had at Arden Street. There’s never an acceptable way to look at the 17 losses in a row, nor really the last four years for this team.
But while everyone is taking their turn to have a dig at the Kangaroos, the easiest thing any footy person could possibly do after losing to the Eagles, there simply has to be a reminder that it’s a process-based game right now for them, with results a secondary consideration.
They have young talent that is starting to get a bit of experience, and at least two, if not three, elite prospects to come in the upcoming draft.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Not only are younger players getting games, but they’re actually getting proper opportunities. Veterans aren’t playing the key loose defender roles, or the prime midfield minutes. They’re not occupying a wing to themselves or taking all the ruck minutes anymore. It’s the young guys getting these chances, and while they aren’t winning, they’re hungry.
They’ve been told to tackle, so they’re tackling. When it’s time to attack at all costs, they’ll do that – just look at how Wardlaw plays. There will be mistakes along the way, but the recent draftees have all been good characters first. That will change a club over time.
So yes, it’s been an awful season for North Melbourne, on the back of other awful seasons; but this time, it’s truly the first chapter of a long journey.
Whether or not they get there in the long run is contingent on plenty of things going right, but at the very base of it, the last month has shown a clear plan and a shift to the young brigade.
North Melbourne’s last month has been positive – and the club has started taking steps in the right direction. All while the losses have kept mounting.