North Melbourne coach David Noble gives his take on the Kangaroos’ recruits
A new year, new coach and new draftees has North Melbourne fans optimistic. David Noble reveals which youngsters are set to take the club forward this season.
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North Melbourne midfielder Ben Cunnington has been ruled out of Thursday’s practice match against St Kilda at Arden St under the AFL’s new concussion protocols, but is expected to return for Sunday week’s clash with Hawthorn.
It comes as the Kangaroos prepare to unveil new draftees Tom Powell, Charlie Lazzaro and Eddie Ford against the Saints.
The club’s No.3 draft pick Will Phillips was overlooked for the first game, but North Melbourne coach David Noble said the midfielder was in the mix for the AAMI Community Series clash against the Hawks in Launceston on March 6.
Cunnington suffered a head knock in an intra-club match on February 12.
“He won’t be out there. We’re on that new protocol from the AFL, so it’s a lot more complicated than what it was previously,” Noble said on Wednesday.
“There’s a few more avenues that we need to go through to get guys to play again so we’re one of the first players to experience that.
“We just need to take our time with getting Ben through that.”
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The AFL’s strict new rules on concussions means that a player can return “on the 12th day after the day in which the concussion was suffered”, but Noble said the club decided last weekend that Cunnington needed more time.
Noble expects Cunnington, who played only three matches last season due to a serious back injury, to be ready for the Hawks’ game.
“He is in good shape, his back is great and he has done plenty of work during the pre-season,” he said. “We are really happy where he is at.”
Cunnington’s absence — and Jack Ziebell’s move to a half-back role — means the Kangaroos will go into Thursday’s game with a fresh, relatively young midfield, which will include a look at some draftees and ex-Magpie Jaidyn Stephenson.
“There’s a fair bit of competition in that midfield, so we’ve been working on a few things with Will (Phillips), but we’re really happy with where he’s at,” Noble said.
“We’ve got a couple of guys who have performed a little better ... we have got Tommy Powell in (against the Saints), Charlie Lazzaro and Ed Ford.”
Stephenson will spend time on the wing as well as through the middle, which Noble believes could be a weapon for the Kangaroos this year.
“I like his time and space, and his ability to see the game quickly and make clear decisions,” he said of Stephenson.
“He still has some areas of his game that he needs to improve. But his capacity to make good decisions on the field means the ball keeps moving forward.
“That’s why we like him on the wing, and occasionally at centre bounces ... he can get in there and get on the end of the chain and it goes inside 50.”
NOBLE ON THE KANGAS KIDS
North Melbourne coach David Noble has placed no limits on what his batch of new Kangaroos can achieve in their debut seasons.
Noble says the club’s development program will provide recruits with the best chance of carving out long-term AFL careers.
The Kangaroos made the most savage cuts of any AFL club at the end of last season, which means some of their young talent will be fast-tracked this year.
The delistings happened before Noble was appointed as coach, but he has been buoyed by the manner in which North Melbourne attacked last year’s national draft, along with the free agency acquisition of former Giant Aidan Corr as well as three trades including the recruitment of former Magpie Jaidyn Stephenson.
An injection of speed in the off-season excites Noble as he looks to kickstart his AFL coaching career against Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on March 21.
“We’ve got 26 players under 22,” Noble told the Herald Sun.
“We know we need to keep growing through the draft in the next couple of years, but (this current) group will come through collectively, and that’s exciting.
“If we can get the level of education right and get the message consistently and calmly across to them, we can create an environment where they can grow.
“Our fans need to be aware that we are ultimately chasing success. What that looks this year, we are not sure, but it means we want to consistently improve and look to get better each year.
“Hopefully the fans can just pick a player and watch him grow.”
Noble’s plan to get an early look at the Kangaroos’ young talent could be a bonus forKFC SuperCoach players, with draftees Will Phillips and Tom Powell impressing early, along with small forward Phoenix Spicer.
Then, there’s the ready-made Roos with Noble believing Corr will start to get more recognition for his defensive craft, while Stephenson, Atu Bosenavulagi and Lachie Young are all expected to play roles this season and beyond.
Asked if the Kangaroos could surprise a few people this season, Noble said: “Let’s wait and see … let’s get the process right and if we surprise them, that’s great.”
“We want our fans to see that we are reliable.”
NOBLE ON THE NEW ROOS
WILL PHILLIPS
18, Midfielder, Oakleigh Chargers
Pick 3, national draft
KFC SuperCoach price: $198,300 MID
“He is a very well-rounded midfielder who is eager to learn. He holds his feet well, he is very clean and has a good knowledge around offence and defence.
“I think he has got really nice balance.
“He is wearing the No. 29 (made famous by AFL games record-holder and now Kangaroos development coach Brent Harvey). We actually give ‘Boomer’ (Harvey) a bit of a razz and say he might even end up in the back end (backline) at times this year.”
TOM POWELL
18, Midfielder, Sturt
Pick 13, national draft
KFC SuperCoach price: $153,300 MID
“Tom is going really well at the moment. He is an accumulator (of the ball) by nature (averaged 35 disposals in the SA Under-18s) because he reads the ball so well.
“We have been impressed with his diligence around the club and he has fitted in really, really well.”
CHARLIE LAZZARO
18, Midfielder, Geelong Falcons
Pick 36, national draft
KFC SuperCoach price: $117,300 MID
“Charlie has just got energy, vibe and zest and he brings a level of excitement to the group.
“He’s just got general energy and sharpness with his movement and I think that’s really going to be something that’s going to help the group.”
PHOENIX SPICER
19, Forward, South Adelaide
Pick 42, national draft (Mid/Fwd)
KFC SuperCoach price: $117,300 FWD/MID
“Oh boy, he’s exciting to watch. He gets up to top end speed really quickly and he has already run around a few of our defenders.
“We have had Kyron Hayden playing on him a few times and he (Spicer) has been able to put some real speed on, so they were interesting battles.”
EDDIE FORD
18, Forward/Midfield, Western Jets
Pick 56, national draft
KFC SuperCoach price: $117,300 FWD
“Ed has got some real forward craft. He has a natural level of competitiveness and he is a terrific size (188cm) as well.”
PATRICK WALKER
18, Wing/Half Back, North Hobart
Pick 2, rookie draft
KFC SuperCoach price: $102,400 DEF
“I actually played with his father (Warren) in a premiership in Tasmania (with North Hobart).
“I said to Paddy when I rang him, ‘Has your Dad made any mention of that?’ and he said ‘Yes, he mentioned you played together’.
“Paddy reads the game well. I am really pleased with the way he has settled in. He is a hard runner and has a big tank.
“He has good skills and he plays in one of those running spots (wing or half-back).”
CONNOR MENADUE
24, Wing/Midfielder, Werribee
Pick 18, rookie draft
KFC SuperCoach price: $201,500 DEF
“He comes with previous experience (39 games with Richmond). So he has got an understanding and he know what the environment is all about.
“He has settled in really well and we see him playing across half-back or the wing.”
AIDAN CORR
26, defender, GWS Giants
Restricted free agent
KFC SuperCoach price: $381,100 DEF
“His size, his shape, his ability to play variance of (defensive) roles really excites us.
“He can play as your interceptor, he can take your medium talls and he can pinch hit on a tall if you need him too, just to cover off.
“He might have flown under the radar a bit (at GWS), and perhaps didn’t get the recognition he could have. But we think he is going to be a good player for us.”
JAIDYN STEPHENSON
22, Midfielder/forward
Traded from Collingwood
KFC SuperCoach price: $354,100 FWD
ATU BOSENAVULAGI
20, Forward/Midfielder
Traded from Collingwood
KFC SuperCoach price: $175,500 FWD
LACHIE YOUNG
21, Defender/Midfielder
Traded from Western Bulldogs
KFC SuperCoach price: $202,000 DEF/MID
“The club was looking to add some speed even before I got there. I’m excited by what they have done in adding some speed to the group where we have see Atu (Bosenavulagi) and Stevo (Jaidyn Stephenson) coming in, and we’ve also see Lachie Young come into the club as well. ”
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