One of Essington’s trademarks was that it only won when it was the underdog or the game was a dead rubber (just to show what it could have done if it tried the whole year)
Essington could not handle any form of expectation. I’ll mark this game down as a point on the learning curve out of that mental abyss. It’s next week’s game against FC that is the real test for me. Going in as favourites against an old enemy that has often been a bogey team. This will really show me where they’re at.
Another 3 min and i think North may have won.
Felt like they were the better side
Score assists. Not necessary GAs. But I also don’t think Zerk had sole responsibility for Larkey so that might not be true. Seems they rotated a bit.
But it did seem to me that he was our weakest link tonight.
Missed the 2nd half, and about to watch. However a win, is a win, is a win. Bank em anyway you can get. From the 1st half I watched though, Merrett should be in all Australian reckoning. Surprised he was not in the mock mid season all Australian side on the AFL website. He is clearly a level above the rest of the team. Making him captain was absolutely the right call.
Larkey could’ve and should’ve had 5 goals.
I agree though, BZT is not the main problem… that is (and continues to be) the undersized midfield and our poor ball use upfield. When our midfield gets smashed at clearances, and we turn it over as often as we did today, a backman (who is already undersized as it is) has absolutely no hope in hell.
Credit to Norf. They were very good tonight and served it right up to us. They should have beaten Sydney a few weeks ago, and their inaccuracy in the second quarter was the only reason they didn’t have Collingwood a bit nervous going into half-time last week.
They’ve got some awesome midfield talent, and will get better adding LDU and Simpkin back into the mix. They would have hammered Carlton on tonight’s performance.
Getting the win was pleasing. However, and as good as Norf were, we were ■■■■■■■ horrible. Tonight showed that we still have so much more work to do.
I think that’s being very harsh on backmen in general.
A mid loses a marking contest or misses a target 70 metres out? No big deal.
For Zerk, it’s a hanging offence.
He’s doing okay. Better than okay.
And waaaaay better than the next best option.
Once they planned for our forward handball manoeuvre from centre bounces we had no answer.
As I said leading into the Richmond game, why don’t teams tag Merrett when parish is out?
It’s a bleedingly obvious move.
Had Richmond done it and nort from the start today, we’d have lost both matches.
You nullify Merrett and then our midfield is bang average at best.
Yes. His Captain.
Tell me about it. A full back myself from a much shittier competition.
But don’t worry, I go just as hard as the players that cause the transition issues.
Like I said, I like Zerk but I just thought he had a poor game. But that’s okay, I’m not ready to hang him, just yet.
Take the win and the 4 points.
Maybe the lads took the win before the first bounce. Brad has to make sure it doesn’t happen again if so. Then take into account the trip back from WA. Normally tip against the returning team.
Scary what McKay and Curnow will do to us after watching larkey and CCJ dominate today
Maybe if they played at the same ground and conditions. Fact is we’ll be at the G (a much slower deck) against an opposition that doesn’t move the ball quickly and hasn’t kicked a score for most of the year.
Like they did against Sydney….
All depends on the supply.
Two match winner games
Walla and Massimo
That would sting like hell for north fans lols
He’s from Bridgewater in Hobart.
The best thing about this game is that we never gave up. North were well on top of us from the 20 minute mark of the first quarter until 10 minutes into the third quarter, and by then they had their tails up and were going very hard. The standard of football, particularly on our side, was terrible, but we kept fighting and eventually got the win. If I had to pick one thing that Brad Scott has brought to the club, it’s the spirit to do that, and it’s the most important thing that any sporting team needs.
I hope to God we don’t come out against FC with the same mindset of thinking the game was in the bag as soon as we scored the first three goals, because they are due to put in a good one and you can bet your house it will be next week.
Again, they kicked four goals out of fourteen.
If we restrict McKay and Curnow to four goals; then I’ll be well pleased.
Edit: lol. Especially if The kicks four.
Exactly what I was thinking. These are the exact players we have no answer for.
Pretty impressed by Norf - the shimmies, the handballs whilst spun in tackles, the bursts, the forward line grabs.
I reckon we showed a lot of grit to get the job done in the end. That second quarter didn’t need to happen though, they should’ve been 4-5 goals and a couple of rotations in arrears by half time.