AFL 2021 previews: Roos recruit Jaidyn Stephenson will be ‘bloody handful’ in new role, says Jack Ziebell
North Melbourne is planning to unleash Jaidyn Stephenson in a new role this year and skipper Jack Ziebell says it will cause headaches for opposition teams.
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North Melbourne skipper Jack Ziebell says former Collingwood goal kicker Jaidyn Stephenson will be a “handful” using his speed and evasiveness up the ground this season.
The Magpies parted with Stephenson and Adam Treloar as part of bombshell trade moves last season, arming both stars with extra motivation to excel at their new clubs this year.
While Stephenson enjoyed a phenomenal debut season, it was his training, fitness and work ethic away which came in for some criticism before his departure at Collingwood.
But Ziebell, who is preparing to start a new chapter himself in the back half this year, said Stephenson had made a strong impression in his first pre-season at Arden St and could be a weapon in the midfield and forward half in 2021.
“He is (working hard enough). He has presented well and done a great job so far,” Ziebell said.
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“Last week he played really well actually against the Hawks, he had a fair bit of the footy and the coach (David Noble) is really keen to get him up the ground a bit and get him involved in the play.
“We all know what he can do inside 50m, so if we can get a good balance of these two (midfield and forward work), I think he is going to be a bloody handful for the opposition.”
North has launched into a full rebuild amid big calls to move on 15 players last season.
Coach Noble has already indicated his desire to play the club’s youngsters in 2021 but Ziebell said the team had the capacity to cause some upsets this season.
And improving the Roos’ scoring capacity is a priority as they prepare to open their season against Port Adelaide on Sunday.
“We are going to surprise a few teams this year,” Ziebell said.
“Externally, everyone probably doesn’t have the highest opinion of us at the minute, but that is for them to decide.
“Our coach has been fantastic implementing his game plan so far and his philosophies around attacking, and how we are going to do that, is going to be very exciting for our fans to watch.”
Ziebell has spent the bulk of his career playing midfield forward but the skipper will marshal his side from the back half this season in a bold positional move.
Former Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge played a key role sweeping across the half back line in his final two years at Brisbane.
Ziebell, 30, said he was looking forward to the new challenge behind the ball.
“It can go one of two ways; you cannot want to do it and then be not great at it, or actually embrace it and have a good crack at it,” he said.
“I feel like it can extend my career a little bit as well if I do it well.
“I’m doing all I can to learn the role and I have learned quite a bit over the past three months.
“From a captaincy point of view, it might be a bit easier to lead behind the footy as well because being ahead of the ball, you rely a lot on what goes on up the ground to have an impact on the game.
“Behind the footy I can use my communication skills to help set everyone up in the right positions and help with the structure.
“But also it is about being a calming influence on the field as well.”
TRELOAR FIRMING FOR PIES GRUDGE MATCH
– Jon Ralph
Adam Treloar will be ready for his “personal” grudge match with Nathan Buckley’s Collingwood next Friday after fully recovering from his lingering calf injury.
And former Bulldogs captain Easton Wood is making a late push to play in that MCG clash after a strong recovery from a hamstring strain.
The Western Bulldogs trained on Thursday, with former Pie Treloar getting through the session after a strong two-and-a-half quarter hitout in the VFL on Monday.
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He said on Monday that he could easily have run out that contest, even playing some halfback and half-forward in a sign of what might be to come at the Dogs.
The Dogs will train again on Monday and Wednesday before a captain’s run on Thursday ahead of the clash against Treloar’s old side.
The Pies are paying as much as $300,000 of Treloar’s $900,000 salary on a five-year deal.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said recently while fellow departure Tom Phillips “saw that it wasn’t a personal decision, it was a professional decision” to trade him, Treloar had the opposite view.
Treloar made clear this week he believed he had done enough to take on his old side.
“It was great to get a hitout ahead of Round 1 and whatever the plan is for that. Physically I feel great. I could have played another quarter but I was managed with minutes. I played a bit of mid, forward and back and it was really pleasing to get through and I am looking forward to seeing what the plan is going forward.
“Physically you want to be right and be in good nick. Today was a massive indicator to see where I was at physically and I feel great.”
The club’s head physio Chris Bell said he would work with the club’s match committee on his return plan but everything looks set for that blockbuster clash.
Easton Wood injured his hamstring on February 8, so will have had over five weeks to rehabilitate it before Round 1.
With fellow defender Hayden Crozier out for 6-8 weeks after shoulder surgery, Wood’s likely return is well-timed.
Bell said Wood had been able to put together a “fantastic block of training: and would reintegrate back into full training next week before the club determined his availability for Round 1.
Aaron Naughton will be fit to play after scans on his elbow cleared him of any structural damage, with the power forwards losing grip temporarily but set to train on Monday.
Bont: How Dogs will make most of star-studded midfield
– Glenn McFarlane
Marcus Bontempelli has conditioned himself for more game time – and more time forward – as the Western Bulldogs look to exploit their rich midfield depth this season.
The Bulldogs star – voted the man most likely to win the 2021 Brownlow by his captaincy counterparts – told the Herald Sun the addition of Adam Treloar to an already strong midfield would prove an asset if the club can strike the right balance.
Part of that will be Bontempelli’s willingness to go forward on more occasions where he could be a dangerous match-up one-out, instead of coming from the field for a rest, given the AFL’s slashing of interchange rotations to only 75 this season.
But while he conceded the club’s overall depth was as strong as at any other time since he joined the club, the Bulldogs skipper stressed talent can only take teams so far.
“It (the depth) probably is (as strong as it has been), when you consider the type of players we have got talent-wise,” Bontempelli said.
“That talent is only getting you so far, but it certainly does bring optimism.”
The Bulldogs will tackle Collingwood at the MCG on Friday week in what looms as another chapter in the rivalry between the clubs, given Treloar’s messy exit from the Magpies.
Bontempelli said the players will get around Treloar in the lead-up to the game – if he proves his fitness – given the emotion attached to the match.
“It adds an edge to the game and most people love playing in big games at the ‘G on a Friday night, which we haven’t always had the benefit of,” he said.
“From a selection point of view, it is out of our hands. It’s great that he (Treloar) got through the (VFL match last Monday). He has got that bit of form and confidence … it would be good to see him out there.”
Bontempelli said the interchange cuts will likely increase the fatigue for players, but said it was “a footballer’s dream” to be asked to play more game time.
“The plan is to make sure everyone can cope initially from a training perspective … (to) get the guys up to the physical level requirements,” he said.
“There is a compromise because you can run out of gas a bit late, so you want to make sure your players still have some juice late in a game, especially with the game time going back (to a pre-COVID 20 minutes per quarter).”
Bontempelli, 25, kicked 11 goals from 18 games last season, but the midfield rotations he will be involved in with Treloar, Josh Dunkley, Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith, Lachie Hunter, Tom Liberatore and others means he will get to spend more time in attack this season.
His highest goals haul in a season was 26 in 2016, the year the Bulldogs’ revolving midfield helped drive them to a remarkable flag.
Bontempelli is happy to alternate between the midfield and attack, depending on the team’s needs.
“I look forward to it,” he said.
“I’m happy to step aside and let the young boys in there (at times) to help change it up a bit.”
“Then I can sneak down in the forward line if the other forwards will allow me, and hopefully it will bode well for me if I can get a mismatch or something like that.”
The Bulldogs haven’t won a final since that 2016 flag, bowing out in the last two finals series in week one.
“It is super important that you assess the key takeaways, but you can’t carry the baggage around with you all the time,” he said of last year’s elimination final loss to St Kilda.
“The final last year was a bit like our season. It took us a while to get going and we finally found some form late, but we’ve got to be better than that. ”
Pendles: Treloar move hasn’t hurt our cohesion
Adam Treloar’s contentious move to the Western Bulldogs hasn’t damaged cohesion within the Collingwood playing group with skipper Scott Pendlebury saying the club moved on quickly from its messy trade period.
As Treloar prepares to prove his fitness to take on the Magpies in an intriguing grudge match at the MCG on Friday week, Pendlebury said the club was looking to the future, not the past.
That future is certain to see Jordan De Goey playing a greater midfield role this season, with his captain saying he was almost demanding the role at the moment.
The Magpies controversially told Treloar he had to find a new home at the end of last season – despite having a long-term contract – and also traded Jaidyn Stephenson, Tom Phillips and Atu Bosenavulagi, with the decision bringing a stinging rebuke from the fans.
“It wasn’t the greatest circumstances in which they left, but Ads (Treloar) is not going to take it easy on us (on March 19) because he likes us,” Pendlebury said.
“I would like him to (take it easy), but we know it is going to be a fierce rivalry, and we’re ready for that.”
But he said the trades hadn’t had an impact on the closeness of the group.
“It played out so much publicly, but internally (during) that period, we were all together behind the scenes training and catching up for lunch and doing the things you do as a football club,” Pendlebury said.
“Those discussions about guys being traded get put to bed pretty quickly once you’re preparing for the season.”
Pendlebury said coach Nathan Buckley’s connection to the current Magpies group was as strong as ever, even if his relationship with Treloar did not appear to be.
“I feel like it is,” Pendlebury said when asked if the coach’s links to the players were still strong as he prepared to start the final year of his contract.
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Then he added: “It is not (strong), as he spoke about with Ads at the moment.”
Pendlebury explained he had spoken with Treloar after the bitter fallout of the trade period, but would not reveal what was said.
“Yeah, I spoke to Ads at the end of it all. We are all mates first and then teammates. I spoke to Ads but I am not going to tell you what we spoke about.
“It (trading) is a part of the game. It is disappointing for Ads, but that’s the nature of the beast we have created with free agency.”
Pendlebury said the explosive De Goey would spend more time in the midfield this year, as evidenced in Collingwood’s pre-season clash with Richmond last week.
“He is certainly demanding it … he comes in and kicks whoever he wants out, and when he played like he did (last) weekend, it is exciting,” he said of De Goey.
“I think we will see Jordy in there a lot more. It was good to see him and (Dustin) Martin standing in there. Jordan can try and emulate some of the things Dusty has done.”
PENDLEBURY: PIES PLAYERS TO MAKE A STAND ON RACISM
Scott Pendlebury and the entire playing group have pledged their commitment to bringing about long-term change at Collingwood following the confronting ‘Do Better’ report which found systematic racism existed at the club.
In the wake of one of the most tumultuous off-seasons in the Magpies’ history, Pendlebury said the players were determined to play a role in ensuring all 18 recommendations of the report are adopted and enshrined in the club’s DNA.
An open letter from 150 footballers and netballers of Collingwood last month began with the word “Sorry”, apologising to “anyone who, through their association with our club, has been marginalised, hurt or discriminated against due to their race”.
Pendlebury said the players had made interim presidents Peter Murphy and Mark Korda aware of their viewpoints, following Eddie McGuire’s departure last month.
“I think it (the letter) sort of came across as just the AFL players, but it was all the athletes (AFLW and netballers) involved in our club and they endorsed the letter we wrote,” Pendlebury said at AFL captains day at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday.
“We’re really focused on the 18-step process we’ve got in place. It wasn’t just the letter for us, and then sort of (say), ‘We’ve done our bit’.
“Now it’s about, ‘How can we help?’ and, ‘What we need to do?’. We have seen the people they have put in place to carry out the 18 steps.
“We are keen as players to be actively involved as we can.”
Collingwood has appointed an 12-person anti-racism group including former player Daniel Wells and AFL executive Tanya Hosch in an effort to enact swift change at the club.
It came after the leaking of the ‘Do Better’ report – the independent review that came about after 2010 premiership player Heritier Lumumba claimed he had suffered ongoing racial abuse during his time at the club – in the Herald Sun earlier this year.
MORE: THE RACIAL SLUR THAT STILL HAUNTS ANDREW KRAKOUER
Pendlebury made it clear that the players – as a collective – intend to play a big role in bringing about change.
Asked how he felt personally about the report, he admitted it had been confronting and said: “You have the conversation with a lot of the guys at the club about how it makes you feel.
“It is probably hard for me to understand as a white privileged man about what the experiences we are talking about.
“The thing that we said as players that we can do moving forward is the 18-step plan and to play a part in that. That’s why we are so keen to be involved and make the environment a better place moving forward.”
Pendlebury said McGuire’s resignation as president was difficult, but would not change the impact he made during more than two decades in the role.
“Eddie was a huge figure at the football club and he did so much for the place,” he said. “He remains a black and white man, so we’ll miss Ed.
“We have Mark Korda and Peter Murphy as interim presidents. They have come down and said ‘G’day’. Their message to us is ‘you guys focus on the footy and do that really well’ and they will deal with the stuff from their end.”
Originally published as AFL 2021 previews: Roos recruit Jaidyn Stephenson will be ‘bloody handful’ in new role, says Jack Ziebell
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