Fox Footy pundits have taken aim at North Melbourne’s experienced backline, claiming those senior players’ poor skill and defensive ill-discipline is leaving the team’s young brigade “demoralised”.
Despite a good showing in the first half, the Kangaroos on Saturday couldn‘t go with the high-powered Adelaide Crows, who cruised to a 66-point win to hand North its 13th loss in a row.
Club great David King and dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna on Fox Footy’s First Crack highlighted some alarming passages of play from Saturday’s match at Adelaide Oval featuring North Melbourne’s defenders.
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Montagna pointed out some poor positioning from Aidan Corr, Griffin Logue, co-captain Luke McDonald that led directly to goals to Adelaide trio Lachie Murphy, Izak Rankine and Darcy Fogarty.
“I‘m getting so disappointed with this backline for the Kangaroos letting the rest of their team down week-in, week-out.
“I‘m picking on the backline because this is where their experience is meant to be. Aiden Corr is 28 years of age, Jack Ziebell, McDonald, (Ben) McKay and Logue – all their senior players.
“I went through the first seven goals of this game in the first quarter (against Adelaide) and six of them could have been prevented with a little bit more effort and a bit more competitiveness and a bit of resolve about them as a back group. That’s the frustrating part for me because this midfield are having a crack and trying really hard and still young, their forward line are starved and want more opportunity.
“Look at Luke McDonald there, I‘ve never seen a player go to a stoppage and just have his back turned and the ball whisk past his ear and he doesn’t even know it’s there. And then Griffin Logue comes to the club on good money … this is first quarter stuff. I’m not showing stuff from the fourth quarter when the game was over.
“This is what demoralises the rest of the team and why they probably dropped their heads after half-time because they’re thinking: ‘We’re trying our backsides off, why are so many easy goals getting conceded week-in, week-out?’ I‘m putting it fairly and squarely on the senior players in the backline that I think are letting them down.”
Kingy pointed out skill errors from Logue, McDonald and Ben McKay. One Logue kick-in was a horror turnover to Rankine, who then gifted Crows teammate Ben Keays an easy goal.
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“That‘s Under 9’s stuff that. That’s sub-AFL standard. You can’t have that at your footy club,” King said of Logue’s kick before pointing to the other errors.
“You‘ve got to want more. You’ve got to show these kids the way forward.”
As vision of a McDonald turnover played, King said: “It is no point leading like this. It is no point being a designated leader of the football club if you can‘t find better options than just gifting the opposition the ball back exiting your defensive 50.
“These kids are giving everything they‘ve got. They’re absolutely working themselves into the ground for the cause – and the back six are slaughtering the footy like this.
“You‘ve got to make a decision. If they can’t help you defend and they can’t help you use the ball, you’ve got to go past them. It’s as simple as that.
“They‘re on the absolute last legs for me, some of these guys. They’ve been great servants some of them, but it’s time to make decisions and get on with the next wave, because this is holding the club back and you’ve got to sometimes be cruel to be kind.”
