Ralph: Why North needed statement of loyalty from Zurhaar now more than ever

After being at the front of the line to kick Jason Horne-Francis out of North Melbourne, Cam Zurhaar declining to pledge his future to the Roos puts a target on his back, writes Jon Ralph.

MELBOURNE. 07/04/2023. AFL. Round 4. North Melbourne vs. Carlton at Marvel Stadium. Cameron Zurhaar of the Kangaroos celebrates a 3rd quarter goal. Pic: Michael Klein

Kevin Bartlett often proclaims that lying is footy’s second language.

From outright lies to vague mistruths, deceit comes easy in football where controlling the flow of information over injuries, trades or tactics is a competitive advantage.

In a game where BS is commonplace, Cam Zurhaar only needed to tell what Richmond great Bartlett called a ‘footy fib’ on Friday to make his life a hell of a lot easier this season.

At a press conference where his future as a free agent was the only real agenda item, he pointedly declined to pledge his future to the North Melbourne football club.

He talked about loving his time at the club and being sick of losing, but never quite uttered the sentence that he wanted to stay.

Cam Zurhaar hasn’t pledged himself to the Roos yet. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

To put it bluntly, Zurhaar kicked Jason Horne-Francis on the way out of Arden Street with a series of Insta posts using the expression “Hornetgone” and commenting “Elite” with a fire emoji when the Roos confirmed their No. 1 pick had been traded.

Zurhaar has every right to postpone his contract talks, field multiple offers and even jump ship like Ben McKay before him as a restricted free agent.

But given his public stance on Horne-Francis’ disloyalty, going through an entire season so obviously undecided about his future only puts a target on his back.

It would have been the tiniest footy fib to state emphatically that he wanted to re-sign at North Melbourne while being vague about the actual timing of his commitment.

A statement of loyalty would have also have shown real leadership at a time when the Roos are crying out for senior players to stand up in what shapes as another season of distraction.

As this masthead reported on Friday, the AFL is set to hand down its finding on Tarryn Thomas’ latest allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women in coming days.

The Roos are bracing for punishment and given how many chances he was afforded by the club and AFL last year, if the allegations are upheld he can expect to be sidelined for some time.

Tarryn Thomas’ future remains unclear. Picture: Brendan Beckett

North Melbourne’s football department and leadership need some clear air to highlight the gains they have made with a new improving list and coaching department.

Instead they have to endure more turmoil while potentially missing an elite player in Thomas who in his final six weeks averaged six clearances, five tackles, nearly a goal a game and 93 ranking points.

That public declaration of faith from Zurhaar wouldn’t have impacted rival offers, wouldn’t have locked him into staying, wouldn’t have set up cries of hypocrisy if he did leave.

Ben McKay repeatedly said all the right things about staying last year then let his contract drift until it was beneficial for both parties if he departed given the compensation pick.

Zurhaar is in an identical position.

If the Roos do finish bottom three he can depart having claimed they didn’t do enough to prove they were on the right track, and North Melbourne would likely secure a top-five compensation pick.

A career year could await for the dynamic Roo. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Securing compensation attached to a first-round pick will be more challenging than last year under new salaries – likely $900,000 per year for the contract of the departing free agent.

But as a powerful mid-forward who can tackle, kick goals and win explosive clearances someone might pay that price in a very shallow free agency pool.

So this is a career year in many ways for 25-year-old Zurhaar given the chance to set up his life post-football like McKay and Jade Gresham last October.

He might just let his football do the talking then sign a bumper deal to stay under Alastair Clarkson despite huge rival interest.

But fuelling the perception he could be out the door cannot help focus his mind ahead of the most important eight months of his footballing life.

Originally published as Ralph: Why North needed statement of loyalty from Zurhaar now more than ever