North Melbourne

[bennymacca]

The dogs hawthorn and GWS have been hit harder. Yet you don't hear them complaining, they just get on and win.

That's kind of my point. North fans have pretty quickly reached for excuses, instead of turning the heat on their substandard performances.

[Spargo]

The dogs hawthorn and GWS have been hit harder. Yet you don't hear them complaining, they just get on and win.

That's kind of my point. North fans have pretty quickly reached for excuses, instead of turning the heat on their substandard performances.

Lol - if that's what you think, good on you.
You've done nothing but try & twist things around & put your own spin on it, most unlike you today.

[bennymacca]

North are 10th for most games lost through injury and 13th if you take into account player quality (by one measure anyway)

Spin that any way you like.

[Rik E Boy]

North are 10th for most games lost through injury and 13th if you take into account player quality (by one measure anyway)

Spin that any way you like.

What those stats don't indicate is the value of certain types of players to certain teams because that is more difficult to quantify. For example, North are an older group who do not have a lot of line breakers so the loss of Wells and Higgins in particular have turned an area of slight weakness into something that is a real problem.

Those stats are raw data, it's information...but it is knowledge that Spargo is speaking of here. Blind Freddy can see they aren't half the side without Wells and Higgins. It's like the Crows losing Laird. Only one player statistically but he's like a General back there and IMO Geelong exploited his absence when we beat you at the Oval.

regards

REB

[bennymacca]

I agree with that REB.

I'm just making the point that it isn't purely injuries that have caused them to lose this many. More that they just made the most of an excellent draw to start the season but we're always a 4-8 type team. If they were fit they may be 4th or something but they wouldn't be top

[mighty_tiger_79]

And the Crows are a top 8 side?

[Rik E Boy]

I agree with that REB.

I'm just making the point that it isn't purely injuries that have caused them to lose this many. More that they just made the most of an excellent draw to start the season but we're always a 4-8 type team. If they were fit they may be 4th or something but they wouldn't be top

To me injuries are a reason, not an excuse. You mentioned Hawthorn. They lost Roughead for the year. A massive loss. But Sicily has stepped right in and Gunston has stepped up. A bigger problem for Hawthorn would be the loss of Smith and Hill. They aren't Hawthorn's best players but I reckon they would be the two the Hawks would find most difficult to replace. The structure, the system would be altered just as North's has been.

Something else that is not factored in by the table you presented is the current fitness levels of their key player Todd Goldstein. Goldstein has been battling for many weeks and he can't get off the ground and hasn't been able to do so for some weeks. Not all players = 1. Games are taken into consideration but as the season goes on players are less likely to equal 1 as more and more players carry injuries. So you could then argue that the later on it is in the season the less valuable an analytical tool that table becomes. My estimate for Goldstein at the moment would be about .80.

regards,

REB

[bennymacca]

Yeah good point about goldy. He looks to be struggling. But they can't really afford to rest him.

Thought daw had played pretty well in his few games this year, surely it is time for him to come in for Petrie and take more of the ruck duties to try and ease the load a bit from goldy

[bennymacca]

Yeah good point about goldy. He looks to be struggling. But they can't really afford to rest him.

Thought daw had played pretty well in his few games this year, surely it is time for him to come in for Petrie and take more of the ruck duties to try and ease the load a bit from goldy

[Rik E Boy]

Like Geelong, North have gone all in. But I'm surprised Daw hasn't been given a bit more of a chance to develop. Blicavs is not setting the world on fire this season but he improved a lot by being given regular games and he was pretty raw when he first started.

regards,

REB

[bennymacca]

Could play a very similar role to Jenkins imo. Certainly has the athleticism to catch tall defenders out. No idea what his tank is like

[Booney]

Spargos list :

Higgins - Fair call, in the best 22. Played round 1-7.
Jacobs - Run with, developing and in the best 22. Played rounds 2-8
Garner - 11 disposal and 13 in the first two weeks before injury - Played rounds 1-3
Wright - played 8 games this year- rounds 1-6, 10-11
McDonald - Played rounds 1-13
Wells - Missed 4 games, 8-9, 14-16
Waite - Missed 13,14 and 16
Anderson - New, only played in rounds 16 and 17, can't count him in your best 22.
Wood - Played 4,7,8 and 11-16

Higgins, Jacobs, Wright have all missed solid chunks. Wells and Waite have missed 4 and 3.

So Thompson (15) Firrito (15) Tarrant (16) Petrie ( 16 ) Harvey ( 16 ) Goldstein (15) Cunnington (15) Ziebell (16) Swallow (15) Thomas (15) Dal Santo (15) Atley ( 16 ) MacMillan ( 16 ) Gibson ( 16 ).

So you've had 7 of your best 22 play all the games and another 7 play all but one with Waite, Wells and McDonald all playing 12 or more.

Tough run.

[Rik E Boy]

Could play a very similar role to Jenkins imo. Certainly has the athleticism to catch tall defenders out. No idea what his tank is like

Like a 50cc Motorbike.

regards,

REB

[Zelezny Chucks]

I'll dumb it down a bit more for you benny.
Take 7-8 of the crows best 22 out, - no make it only 5-6, then see how you go.

If it's the bottom 5-6 it would have almost no effect.

Maybe depth is your issue as well as a lack of pace?

I'll trust stats from respected sources over your opinion

But Higgins, Wells, Waite & Wood aren't in our bottom 5-6.
Once again, thanks for proving my point.

But the stats Spargo, the stats!

[Booney]

The stats show your spine has hardly been impacted upon and your mids have had a good run.

As REB duly notes it's who not how many but not being able to replace the outside run has hurt. Has it hurt enough to create the slide you've gone down?

[Booney]

Either way this would be eating Brayshaw alive and that makes me happy. Rather happy, actually.

[Zelezny Chucks]

The stats show your spine has hardly been impacted upon and your mids have had a good run.

As REB duly notes it's who not how many but not being able to replace the outside run has hurt. Has it hurt enough to create the slide you've gone down?

Our production has been down up forward and we are missing goals that should be kicked at this level. The backline has held up well and I think if we had more scoreboard pressure we wouldn't look as bereft of options as we do but that is the situation they are in.

Anderson back will help with forward pressure, Higgins for all his perceived faults provides us with a lot of outside run and smarts so him back will hopefully make us less one dimensional going forward. I still think Jacobs is our biggest out at the moment. His ability to shut down a player while getting the ball himself is underrated but it frees up Ziebell, Cunnington to go and get the ball without getting as badly hurt going the other way.

Until we get the injured players back I would be sending Petrie out to Werribee and giving Daw a run, Also giving Dumont some extended time in the side, hopefully at the expense of Firrito, would make sense to me.

[Spargo]

Either way this would be eating Brayshaw alive and that makes me happy. Rather happy, actually.

Not dissimilar to Uk fan with port crowds, is your infatuation with Brayshaw.
Like a jilted lover

[Booney]

Either way this would be eating Brayshaw alive and that makes me happy. Rather happy, actually.

Not dissimilar to Uk fan with port crowds, is your infatuation with Brayshaw.
Like a jilted lover

Infatuation? UK is infatuated with our crowds, yes, I'm more along the lines of detestation. Vastly different.

[stan]

Well really only booney seemed to touch on what I originally asked before all hell seemwd to break loose lol.

Goldy, rest him and get him right and peachy and let Daw ruck for a bit.