Alastair Clarkson could have had any available coaching job in the AFL after he announced an end to his exile last year. There were even clubs with coaches in contract that called Clarkson’s management to test his interest.
Moved by Celtic and former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou to take on the “most difficult” job, Clarkson opted for a homecoming to North Melbourne.
North Melbourne have lost their last four matches.Credit: Getty Images
And didn’t the Kangaroos celebrate. There had not been such scenes at Arden Street for 50 years, dating back to North Melbourne signing Ron Barassi as coach.
Club president Sonja Hood was quick to tweet her excitement. She eagerly – and understandably – took to media street.
It was a very long victory lap.
Clarkson’s arrival – on a five-year deal paying at least $1 million a season – was not smooth. He was embroiled in still-clouded racism claims, which he has denied, at Hawthorn where he delivered four premierships. He apologised for his outburst to a female television journalist.
That drama was overlooked as soon as Clarkson delivered results – wins against Fremantle and West Coast in rounds one and two. Clarkson’s genius was confirmed.
A month later, the champagne has gone flat. The victory lap has marched into a brick wall. North Melbourne are in freefall on the field. They have lost four games in a row. They have the league’s worst defence. It is difficult to predict when the next victory will come – maybe in round 18 in another grudge match against the Hawks?
Clarkson’s once-admired gameplan is broken.
During the last five years at Hawthorn and the six games at North Melbourne so far, Clarkson’s record is an underwhelming 50 wins and 58 losses.
In fairness, no one expected a miracle à la Barassi with Clarkson’s start at a club that had mismanaged its football program for some time. But we did expect a team with some very useful players to be competitive and give effort.
For the past month, North Melbourne have turned into witches hats in defence, with the opposition taking 127 marks on average. No other AFL team concedes more.
Clarkson must adjust his defensive structure. He cannot continue to instruct his players to loosely guard space in an 18-man zone. His side must bridge the distance when the opposition has the ball in slow-play situations. His players need to aggressively shut down space. Guarding grass, not an opponent – otherwise known as “team defence” – is a copout and teaches young players bad habits. No one takes accountability for an opponent.
It is easy to pass the blame.
As a result, North Melbourne rank 17 of 18 when it comes to stopping the opposition on transition. They have conceded the most points from defensive chains and the Roos are the easiest team to score against once the ball goes inside their defensive 50. In the past two weeks the opposition has taken 53 marks inside forward 50 – the league average in this category is just 12 per game.
Clarkson’s style differs significantly from his former Hawthorn captain and current Hawks coach Sam Mitchell. Hawthorn’s list is younger than North Melbourne’s and considerably less advanced in the rebuild, yet the Hawks are proving much harder to play against.
In the past month, Hawthorn have conceded just 97 marks against and, in the previous fortnight, lost both games by a combined five points. Their average score conceded in the past four games is 86 points. North Melbourne’s is 109.
In Hawthorn’s round three victory against North Melbourne, Mitchell outsmarted his former coach. He had Hawthorn control the ball and slice through the North Melbourne’s lapse zone, taking 140 marks and dominating possession with 74 more kicks.
More problematic for the Kangaroos is the need to inject some elite talent into the squad. Other than first-year sensation Harry Sheezel and midfield star Luke Davies-Uniacke, there is not a North Melbourne player aged under 23 to be overly excited about.
The Kangaroos selected midfielder George Wardlaw with pick No.4 last year. Despite not playing an AFL game yet, there is justified optimism that he can develop into an explosive midfielder. Fourth-year key forward Charlie Comben has some admirable traits, namely his tackling and aggression. But he kicks less than a goal a game and in his six games this season has averaged just three marks and nine touches. These numbers are well below expectations, even for an inexperienced player.
Rebuilding a list relies solely on club recruiters selecting the right players at the draft, particularly with picks inside the top 10. Midfielder Will Phillips was taken with pick No.3 in 2020, which was a mistake. North Melbourne overlooked Sydney key forward Logan McDonald in favour of Phillips, a tiny midfielder lacking speed, always kicking short and struggling to break lines.
When Phillips has attended centre bounces this season, he has been thrown around like a rag doll. On Sunday against Gold Coast, he was subbed out of the game for 32-year-old Liam Shiels, who accepted a lifeline from North Melbourne after initially announcing his retirement at Hawthorn.
The club’s most talented player since Wayne Carey, Jason Horne-Francis requested a trade last year to Port Adelaide after just one season and 17 games. This season, 19-year-old Horne-Francis has accumulated 33 clearances, which would rank him equal first at North Melbourne with Davies-Uniacke.
North Melbourne’s rebuild should be tracking in the same direction as Adelaide that under coach Matthew Nicks is in the fourth year of an overhaul.
Adelaide have prioritised the draft with key picks such as Riley Thilthope (No.3 in 2020) and Josh Rachele (No.6 in 2021) while also adding to the squad with recruits such as now captain Jordan Dawson (2021) and Izak Rankine (2022). The results have been stunning. Adelaide are genuine finals contenders this year.
Unlike Adelaide, North Melbourne’s trade targets have failed. Since 2018, the Kangaroos have been aggressive in the market – Jasper Pittard and Jarrod Polec (Port Adelaide), Aiden Bonar and Aidan Corr (GWS), Atu Bosenavulagi and Jaidyn Stephenson (Collingwood), Lachie Young (Western Bulldogs), Hugh Greenwood (Gold Coast), Callum Coleman-Jones (Richmond) and Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker (Fremantle). All have failed to meet the club’s needs.
The recruiters that made the bulk of those decisions have left the club. North Melbourne currently have picks four and 12 (tied to Port Adelaide for Horne-Francis) at this year’s draft. This allows them to load up on young talent again. For a club that has won just 11 games in the past four seasons, it is vital the Kangaroos reverse the trend and pick accurately.
The media interviews have dried up. The players have become uncompetitive. The gameplan resembles 18 stationary traffic cones and the usually patient fan base is getting restless. Pump the brakes, the parade is over.
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