Brad Scott says North Melbourne is a destination club as Kangaroos hunt free agents
NORTH Melbourne missed out on some big fish during last year’s trade period. But coach Brad Scott has spruiked his club as the Kangas position themselves in the free agency race.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott has talked up his club as a potential home for free agents, saying the Kangas were now a destination club.
After missing out on big fish Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly last year, Scott said his club was again looking to improve its list by whatever means it could.
And Scott believes his club’s strong start to 2018 “does help” as the Roos look to bolster their list.
FREE AGENT HUNT: NORTH BUILDS HUGE WAR CHEST
MATURE-AGERS: IS BIG BEN BROWN THE BEST?
This year North is among the suitors hoping to lure out-of-contract guns like Andrew Gaff, Jeremy McGovern, Jordan De Goey and Rory Sloane away from their club.
And Scott encouraged any wantaway stars to consider the Roos.
“We have, I think, completely changed the discussion around North Melbourne over the last eight or nine years,” he said.
“We’re firmly entrenched here in our heartland at Arden Street … I think on-field we’ve showed that we can be competitive against the best for a period of time, and I think we’re building a pretty sustainable brand.
“So I think that any players who look at our football club think that this would be a great place to play their best.”
Scott’s Kanga spruik came on the day the club announced star forward Jarraid Waite had suffered a setback in his return from a calf injury.
Speaking ahead of a Saturday night’s clash with a battle-scarred Western Bulldogs — a game in which North may welcome back runner Jed Anderson and consider blooding two-gamer Nick Larkey — Scott lamented Waite’s “frustrating” setback.
The 35-year-old veteran first suffered the injury in the lead-up to his team’s Round 11 win. Waite said the new blow wouldn’t influence a decision on playing on in 2019, the goalkicker more focused on working his way back to the field as the 7-5 Kangas chase a finals berth.
What is the latest on Jarrad Waite’s injury? The man himself has just spoken to the media. MORE: https://t.co/btQkXPOVaQ pic.twitter.com/ZdwpXq9W3E
— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) June 20, 2018
“(I’ve) just got to really respect the injury now,” Waite said.
“It’s obviously not ideal. I’ve just got to rehab it and hopefully play some good footy in the second half of the year.”
Waite wouldn’t put a time frame on a likely return, saying he’d “tick the boxes” and be guided by club medicos as he continued his recovery.
On Saturday night North meets a Bulldogs side ravaged by injury. A win would consolidate Scott’s team inside the top eight but the coach said they hadn’t mentioned the ‘F’ word.
“It’s just not on the horizon right at the moment,” he said of finals.
“We’ve got a lot of footy to play before that’s even in the discussions. I understand there’s a ladder and we’re sitting just inside the top eight … I’ve always been, as a coach, focused on p[laying footy that’s capable of beating the best teams.
“That’s what our focus is.”
Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. SIGN UP NOW >
Max’s Metrics: Numbers behind stars Saint’s staggering contract
Max King has signed an eye-boggling new contract after the Saints lined his numbers up against past greats. They liked what they saw and here is how the spearhead compares to 12 others.
Inside AFL’s draft combine: See the standouts, surprise packet
Draft hopefuls for both the AFL and AFLW were put to the test at this year’s combine, with one Victorian key forward producing a stunning 20m sprint. See the results and more here.