SA Footy

INS

SLATTERY
GRIMA
MCGHIE
LAWRY
GOODREM
CALLINAN
WILLIAMS

OUTS

S COCHRANE
MCCABE
SCOULLAR
COMMANE
BUTLER
KELLETT
CAMPLIN
MUSTER
BAWDEN
MCLEAN
TAYLOR
BROOKS
NORSWORTHY
DEW

Eventually the losses of experienced great players will catch up with them
Lost depth last 3 years
CALLINAN is he the recruit of the year ?
GRIMA a good gain ?
MCCABE +SCOULLAR big losses

MALS MINOR ROUND FINISH :3RD

The return of Pfitzner will also be a big bonus.
Definitely an improved side on 2006 with those recruits!

More confident this year than last year. Didnt expect to make the grand final last year until we actually got there.

Eagles look like they have lost more than they gained and could be satisfied they finally beat us in a grand final.

North look like they will be the same but flashy football doesnt win finals. Centrals found that out in the eighties and early nineties.

Port is just blowing their bag again

South have slipped and the rest are making up the numbers

wal65 wrote:North look like they will be the same but flashy football doesnt win finals.

Cheers for clearing that up, could have sworn North had won 3 finals in the last 3 years after a long exodus of finals footy.
Must have been dreaming!

Wedgie

how many of those finals have been Prelim's or GF's

I tend to agree with wal65, for North to go all the way they need to to make changes to their game plan, in particular their defensive action, yes Jarman loves to play an attacking style of footy, yes you need to kick goals to win, but come finals you need to have a strong defensive action and create defensive pressure, close down space and create turn overs

so many clubs have slipped up in finals through the lack of ability to create and sustain defensive pressure, the Cats in the AFL in the 90's were a classic example, so many times during the season they would kick 20+ in a game, with some fantastic attacking footy, but failed to win the BIG finals

Most side can run hard one way towards goal but Great sides are measured by how hard they work when they don't have the footy, how much pressure they can create and how long can the side sustain the defensive effort

Look at the great Premiership sides of the past, all had the ability to absorb pressure and to put the opponent under intense defensive pressure, if North can add this to their game, they will be tough to beat

A critical ingredient, is having fit players who can work both was all day, most importantly, having players with mature bodies so they can make and hold tackes consistently, maybe in the past North have had the runners but may of been a bit light on physically across the board

Centrals will go close to winning the flag again this year.

sydney-dog wrote:but come finals you need to have a strong defensive action and create defensive pressure, close down space and create turn overs

.............

Most side can run hard one way towards goal but Great sides are measured by how hard they work when they don't have the footy, how much pressure they can create and how long can the side sustain the defensive effort

..................... if North can add this to their game, they will be tough to beat

Norths defence should be a lot stronger this year with the inclusion of Hart, who is also the defensive coach, his playing ability, and passing his experience onto others should have a huge impact on Norths defence for 2007.

Time will tell, but I think other sides will find it a lot harder to score goals against North this year.

Ian

My point in regards to defensive action, was not specific to the back 6, I was refering tp all over the ground, every player having the capability to hunt his opponent, apply physical pressure, hold his tackles.

North in recent seasons have built there game plan on players capable of running and attacking side when they have the footy, some of these young players who now have 2-3 years expoerience should now have mature bodies, Jarman needs to introduce a stronger defensive action to north's game, omce again, this starts from the forward line not just the back 6

On the Dogs

S COCHRANE, MCCABE and SCOULLAR will be big losses, but I am confident the club has recruited well SLATTERY, WILLIAMS and CALLINAN add to the midfield mix, Callinan will be the SANFL recruit of the year, while Grima is considered to be unluckly not to be on an AFL list

Definitely expect a Hungry dogs outfit this year to be lead by Stiney and less than a top 3 minor round finish would be unacceptable

Dont forget Aufderheide will add alot more flexibility in the back line and free up players, especially the likes of Graham and Wilson,along with a forward line which doesnt consist of aching bodies(which we had for majority of last year.)Big loss obviously Scoullar, but he will be covered.

I think the side is stronger than last year, i know that doesnt guarantee success, but we will do alright.

S/DOG thats a great summation on NA and the defensive stratergy
I agreed 100%

I will use your summation in the cases of CD + NA

First of all sides need to emerge
They are taught skills and offensive footy
Then they co-ordinate a finals plan of accountabilty and being better defensively

CD were a skills team a decade ago and then became the superpower
Do we remember the free flowing 'pretty' CD teams of the 90s
They then took that next step and wow !

NA are doing the same, the next step now ?

Being a Geelong and Centrals supporters (I was certified as insane many years ago), we had some brilliant teams and some of the best players to play football. We both played fast, attacking footy. Blighty said once that if a team kicked 20 goals against Geelong, then Geelong will kick 25. But every finals series, there would be Port (SANFL), Hawthorn and West Coast waiting for them. They had the finals experience and was able to apply pressure all over the ground to bring those teams undone. Every time Centrals made the finals, they would disappear in straight sets (remember the doggie-wobbles). Alan Stewart said when he coached Centrals that to beat Port in finals, you have to play like them.

I do agree also that Ben Hart could be the icing on the cake for North if his hammys stand up. You would probably look at top 3 teams at the moment and think:
Centrals - finals experience, still have enough proven players that know what to do when the time comes, able to put pressure on all over the ground and make teams pay for their mistakes
Eagles - have the experience and now the success. are they now satisfied with what they did last year after some many years as the bridesmaid
North - young, quick, skillful team BUT.............

Maybe North will take the next step this year but Centrals, Eagles and North are still the teams to beat this year regardless of what anyone else says or thinks
[/quote]

sydney-dog wrote:Wedgie

how many of those finals have been Prelim's or GF's

wal65 who I was addressing didn't mention Prelim's or GF's he just said flashy football doesn't win finals, I gave him 3 egs of when it had hence proving him wrong.
If you agree with wal then you are wrong too.

If you're talking about winning premierships it might be a different matter but premierships or preliminary finals has nothing to do with the discussion at hand. It was merely finals that were mentioned. I was merely addressing his comment and proved it incorrect.

I think injuries play a bigger part on winning or losing finals football than as to what style you play. Im pretty sure teams like Sturt and North may have won premierships in the past playing very attractive flashy football too.

Clutching at straws, Wedgie!!!!

I'm talking finals in general so as far as this discussion is concerned, your way off.

When was the last GF that was a shootout? Most are a tight hard contests or one-sided blowouts. North rely on fast, open attacking football to win games. When the opposition plays it tight and hard finals football, they struggle. Maybe this year they might get it right and will handle what Centrals and Eagles will throw at them. At the moment, we are only predicting what could happen.

BTW want some examples of tough, hard finals football winning finals try 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 grand finals. Port have won 36 premierships playing the same football. I think that beats your 3 semi final wins in 3 years.

wal65 wrote:Clutching at straws, Wedgie!!!!

I'm talking finals in general so as far as this discussion is concerned, your way off.

Clutching at straws?
I just disproved that flashy football has won finals, you simply said flashy football doesn't win finals and it was proven wrong.
If you're trying to say something like "hard basic no nonsence football usually wins finals and has a better record than flash footy" I'd agree with you.

I don't need egs of when hard non flashy football has won premierships as I never said it doesn't, Im just refuting your claim that flashy footbally never wins finals games and have proven it. Feel free to look at North's last two flags, kicked a total of something like 44 goals. And being at Central's 20 goal win over the Eagles I can tell you that was very flash! 73 Grand Final too also springs to mind.

For Wedgie's benefit,

flashy football rarely wins premierships.

Wal - next time please right succinctly what you mean, it might save some arguements

BTW - the year we won the premiership by 20 goals. That wasn't an example of flashy football, but mental disintegration (ask Steve Waugh what this means).

Can't see any improvement fellas....

We finished 2nd in 2006....

No-one can replace a player like Schoular...

Perhaps the most under-rated ruck in SANFL....?

My Crystal Ball Predicts a 5th or 6th finish in 2007.....

Perhaps my idea of "flashy football" is different than yours. Since Jars has been coach at North, he has wanted his teams to play fast, open styled footy. It's exciting to watch. Lots of goals scored. A lot less scrimmages. The umpires hardly blow their whistle and everyone walks away from saying how much the enjoyed the game.

At finals time, Centrals and the Eagles turn up the defensive pressure and force mistakes. They make every opportunity you give them count. North's "run and gun" styled game hasn't worked. North were a better team than Centrals last year and should have made the GF.

It's no different than back in the 70's and 80's when Port, Glenelg, Sturt and Norwood were the powerhouses. If you made the finals, you knew it was going to be hard. They had the experience and knew what to do when it mattered (Port more than the others). Centrals went 22 years without winning a final because they kept trying to play the same style of game they did in the minor round. North are doing the same thing. It will work against South and West but not against the better teams.

If you're trying to say something like "hard basic no nonsence football usually wins finals and has a better record than flash footy" I'd agree with you.

Exactly what I'm saying but you've put it differently. Flashy football doesn't win finals or put another way, big finals matches. I'll have to watch what I write in case one word offends anyone. Maybe I should get some lawyers to check the wording before I post.

I don't need egs of when hard non flashy football has won premierships as I never said it doesn't, Im just refuting your claim that flashy footbally never wins finals games and have proven it.

Why did you throw in your comment about 3 finals wins in 3 years. If you had 3 finals wins in one of those years, you would have been premiers and we wouldn't be having this discussion. BTW where in previous posts did I say "never". Now, you've include a word thats offended me.

Feel free to look at North's last two flags, kicked a total of something like 44 goals. And being at Central's 20 goal win over the Eagles I can tell you that was very flash! 73 Grand Final too also springs to mind.

Dont need to look at them, I was there. 1987 was an example of a team desperate to win no matter what and was going to thump Glenelg for beating them in the previous 2 GFs. Just like the Eagles last year. 1991 will be remembered for what happened on the field other than football. While I throughly enjoyed 2004, you wouldn't want to show that game on a highlight reel to someone who knows nothing about SANFL (much like 1989). In each GF, the opposition were smashed by a team playing tough finals football and they cracked under the pressure. 1973 is the only GF I can remember that both teams played fast, open (flashy) football and had a shootout. Thats one game in 35 years. There are a few other good GFs that will be remembered as close, hard contests.

In the end, you've made a mountain out of a mole hill. I believe North DO play flashy football (better than being called soft or a bunch of handbaggers). Its good to watch but is it good enough to win the flag. Only time will tell. I'm only making a prediction, and if I'm proven wrong, I'll be the first to jump on one of your posts to congratulate you

Mal

Totally agreed, couple other decisions also happened at the club

1. We got rid of those soft white jumpers which made the players feel like umpires

2. Through our recruitment we started to target a different type of player, players like Hulm, Gowan Brothers, Hopwood, and Bello, players that were fierce at the contest and would fight in the trenches

Best recruits of the millenuim were the GOWANS boys.
They were recruited from SK + real tough in the clinches[finals suited them]
Interesting how they would have gone in the AFL if they stayed.
Perhaps knowing they would ultimately be playing on T/DOOM
might have been the reason they left

NA got HOWARD to fill that tough nut.

chad