Robbo: With no Jarrad Waite, North has become predictable targeting key man Ben Brown
No Jarrad Waite at North Melbourne this year means the focus is even more on Ben Brown. He was the No.1 target of all key forwards at the weekend, which makes the Kangaroos predictable. Mark Robinson writes.
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It was joked on the weekend that North Melbourne should contact Jarrad Waite and ask him to get himself fit for the mid-season draft.
What’s not a joke is that the Kangaroos desperately need someone to play alongside Ben Brown.
It was Brown or bust in the forward 50m against Fremantle on Sunday and the Kangaroos were busted right open.
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Clearly, the efforts of the forward group were affected by the team’s inability to move the ball from defence and the inability to be competitive in the midfield.
Coach Brad Scott said issues were widespread.
“Skill errors come from three or four factors … technical error, which is obvious; a decision-making error, which is obvious; and then there’s dysfunctional patterns forward of the ball to give the ball-carrier options,’’ he said.
“The fourth (one) is opposition pressure. I think we had pretty good examples of all four of those.’’
In what was a horrible opening game for the Kangaroos, they had 47 inside-50s to Fremantle’s 68, the second most recorded by the Dockers under Ross Lyon.
And when the Kangaroos got the ball inside their 50, the potency was minimal. Brown was the target 16 times, the most of any key forward in Round 1. The next in line was Jack Ziebell, who was the target eight times.
Because Brown was curtailed by Joel Hamling mainly and Alex Pearce, and Ziebell didn’t have an impact, the Kangaroos failed miserably in the forward half.
The question of who can help Brown is difficult because key backmen such as Scott Thompson, Majak Daw and Sam Durdin are out.
Daw could be an option if his body recovers.
The other major concern for Scott, which was obvious against the Dockers, and has been obvious for several seasons, is the potency of the midfield and small forwards. The spotlight is on Mason Wood yet again.
He had eight disposals, one score involvement and 29 SuperCoach points on Sunday. He didn’t lay a tackle.
Effectively he is North’s third tall and has been touted as an improver for several years. Scott can either back him or dump this week, and you suspect he will give him another chance, but the first 10 games this season are critical for Wood.
Another player under scrutiny is Kayne Turner. He had 14 disposals and four score involvements. He kicked one goal and laid two tackles.
The Kangaroos love his toughness but want more scores from him. At 23, he’s played 59 games and kicked 42 goals. He either has to kick more goals or lay more tackles.
Another curious player is Shaun Atley. He was far from the worst at the weekend, but, after 177 games, it’s difficult to recall in his career when he was at his best, and he’s the high half-forward. Then there’s Jy Simpkin, who had 12 disposals, two score involvements and didn’t kick a goal. At least he laid four tackles.
Of course, the forwards were only one part of the demolition. It was just that Brown seemed to be the predictable target, and the Dockers knew it.
The joke about Waite is just that, a joke, but North would have loved him beside Brown on Sunday.
Originally published as Robbo: With no Jarrad Waite, North has become predictable targeting key man Ben Brown
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