North's forward line since being flogged by Hawthorn in Tassie has actually started to fuinction well and is pretty imposing.

Petrie, Tarrant, Hansen as talls, with Harper, Adams and Thomas as smalls... then you have players like Harvey who seems to play well against us as well...

Hansen I didn't rate all that much, but he and Tarrant are keeping Edwards out of the side at the moment.

Frawley and Tom McDonald to rotate between Petrie and Hansen, with Rivers on Tarrant.

Not confident this week, North are playing well, and pushing for spot in the bottom half of the eight, our injuries, and playing after Darwin (even though the conditions don't sound as bad as normal) will make it tough to back up...

Absolutely. And getting back to my point regarding the midfields supplying these tall keys such as Petrie. North's midfield cut through the Tigers midfield on many occassions. Wells, Swallow, Atley (improving each game), Bastinac and Cunnington have played many games together now and the consistency of playing together pays big dividends (unlike our midfield dynamic changes). So much so that these guys have pushed Brent Harvey back to almost a part time midfielder with minimum influence.

They've successfully made the transition with the influx of youth. Heaven forbid if they snag Boak - he'd be a good replacement for Harvey.

I reckon it is a good bet that Petrie will kick more goals than our whole team

I can't help but try and compare the midfielders we have to what they have... and whilst I think there is similarity in the quality, I agree that for whatever reason, we have not had these midfielders 'click' yet. Injury has a bit to do with it, I suspect transitioning from the way Bailey wanted them to play to Neelds play style is another part of it... Atley, and Harper are two of their players that add a lot of speed and there is some good inside grunt with Cunnington and Swallow.

Todd Goldstein being the main ruck... is another thing that seems to have worked for them... It didn't look like it was working with the two big rucks in there.

I can't help but try and compare the midfielders we have to what they have... and whilst I think there is similarity in the quality, I agree that for whatever reason, we have not had these midfielders 'click' yet. Injury has a bit to do with it, I suspect transitioning from the way Bailey wanted them to play to Neelds play style is another part of it... Atley, and Harper are two of their players that add a lot of speed and there is some good inside grunt with Cunnington and Swallow.

Todd Goldstein being the main ruck... is another thing that seems to have worked for them... It didn't look like it was working with the two big rucks in there.

I know we want to cling to the idea that our draft selections are good and they have just not been developed.

But with every passing week it is more obvious they are just not as good as we all thought.

Most of them are poor kicks, that will not change no matter how long we wait.

It is time we got over this "they will come good soon " attitude.

We have to go to the well again the current players are not good enough.

I know we want to cling to the idea that our draft selections are good and they have just not been developed.

But with every passing week it is more obvious they are just not as good as we all thought.

Most of them are poor kicks, that will not change no matter how long we wait.

It is time we got over this "they will come good soon " attitude.

We have to go to the well again the current players are not good enough.

Given my day so far has been pretty good, I am not really feeling like getting depressed just yet if you don't mind...

.... but I still think you are wrong :D

As H_T suggested, North has been able to put a few games into these players (All playing together) and now it's beginning to gel.

I am not kidding myself that we don't need more class in there, as not all of them have worked obviously, but the more games we can get into Jones, Sylvia, Trengove, Grimes, Gysberts, McKenzie etc playing together as a group, hopefully add in Blease when he gets an engine, and whoever we get from this draft the better our prospects for the future. Of the players I mention above, only Jones has been a constant... and his form has been great. Sylvia had a terrible start to the season, and his head hasn't been in a good spot for a lot of years.... but Wells took a while to come right for North. Gysberts has been stuffed around by injury, and I suspect he and Blease don't have the engine to run out games in the midfield and have been told as such. Trengove looks injured....

Things will come good, it's not going to be this year, it's probably not going to be next year. But as bad as we have been this year.... I have actually been able to watch more games and think that we are playing a more competitive and harder brand of football than in the time that Bailey was coach... Last year we won big but we lost by even more, .... there was no such thing as a close win.

Sorry this is pretty much OT mods.... resume normal broadcast regarding Petrie ripping us a new one!

Is the season over yet? I can't cope anymore.....

North is one of those teams that lose just when their on the verge of something great.

They are due to do it again this week.

Of course we might let them play badly and still win but we are a good chance.

North is one of those teams that lose just when their on the verge of something great.

They are due to do it again this week.

Of course we might let them play badly and still win but we are a good chance.

Haha... we are normally the team that plays them back into form, but given they are already a team with form.... anything could happen huh?

North is one of those teams that lose just when their on the verge of something great.

They are due to do it again this week.

Of course we might let them play badly and still win but we are a good chance.

A good chance....hehehe.....hehehehe......BAHAHAHAHA...that is funny!

North is one of those teams that lose just when their on the verge of something great.

They are due to do it again this week.

Of course we might let them play badly and still win but we are a good chance.

Would love to see Brad Scott go into meltdown in the post match presser!

North is one of those teams that lose just when their on the verge of something great.

They are due to do it again this week.

Of course we might let them play badly and still win but we are a good chance.

Head to Head since 2007:

North Melbourne 9 : Melbourne 0

SO what would you say is the reason we dont win many games?

errr, the midfield....

Our problem is not Petrie its the Melbourne players. They can't/won't play.

Our problem is not Petrie its the Melbourne players. They can't/won't play.

Carn't is the word jnrmac.

People can come up with all sorts of reasons / excuses but over the last 5 years

It all comes back to "Not good Enough"

Head to Head since 2007:

North Melbourne 9 : Melbourne 0

Sickening, especially when there have been years when we've been equal/better then them. I hoping we'll start to get a similar run going against the bombers.

Sickening, especially when there have been years when we've been equal/better then them. I hoping we'll start to get a similar run going against the bombers.

Pates you are kidding right.

In that period we have never been better than North.

Look at how many games the two teams have won over the period.

We just lost to Port in Darwin, the first time in 3 games there, and you think we'll beat North at Etihad?.... Hmmmmmmm

Was replying to Robot Devil, sorry Deez probably should have quoted his post.

So where I said "hopefully" and "occasionally" you interpreted that as "we will win"

Great! I'm the new Tony Robbins. All positive all the time and massive teeth to boot. Now buy my motivational tapes.

Shaun Atley is going to be a beauty for North. A steal for them at pick 17 in 2010.

Shaun Atley is going to be a beauty for North. A steal for them at pick 17 in 2010.

How come that never gets said about the Dees?

I know we pick poorly!

How come that never gets said about the Dees?

I know we pick poorly!

Tom McDonald says hi.

Tom McDonald says hi.

Sadly about 25 other players attempt to say hi and bite off their tongues.

Head to Head since 2007:

North Melbourne 9 : Melbourne 0

That's deesgraceful

errr, the midfield....

or the lack of one.

Pates you are kidding right.

In that period we have never been better than North.

Look at how many games the two teams have won over the period.

Was going to argue the point but just had a look thought the years and a part from a year where we were on par, they've mostly been better! Once or twice we've come in with. Better form, but still haven't got the points.

Point is our record sucks! That much I think we can agree on!

Was going to argue the point but just had a look thought the years and a part from a year where we were on par, they've mostly been better! Once or twice we've come in with. Better form, but still haven't got the points.

Point is our record sucks! That much I think we can agree on!

No dispute there Pates.

God I get sick of this when the hell are we going to become at least an average side?