Gary Buckenara analyses North Melbourne’s list after 2016 season

NORTH Melbourne must rebuild if it wants to win a premiership but there are major question marks on the club’s young players. GARY BUCKENARA ANALYSES THE LIST

Gary Buckenara wants to see Daniel Nielson, Ed Vickers-Willis and Sam Durdin get games in 2017. Picture: Colleen Petch

NORTH Melbourne is at the crossroads.

Their injuries this year showed a lack of depth on the list. They went from winning nine in a row at the start of the season to falling over the line and being the weakest team in the finals series.

To put it bluntly: If North Melbourne wants to win a premiership, it must completely rebuild the list.

The Kangaroos have been a middle-tier club worried about bottoming out but it seems as though, with the decisions made on those well-respected greats, they might be ready to go down that path. They’ve finally understood it and accepted it, which is a very hard thing to do for a middle of the road club that relies on being competitive every year to sell memberships and sponsorship etc.

Todd Goldtsein is a barometer for North Melbourne. Picture: Tom Huntley

From my experience, I have no doubt from board level through to the football department they’re in a period where they’re thinking: We’ve played finals, been close to a Grand Final, can we capitalise on this momentum? We might not have a list good enough to win a flag but let’s continue to play finals and gain that support and build our membership to keep the money rolling in with sponsorship dollars as well. That all comes as a result of playing finals.

But at the end of the day, all football clubs exist to win premierships. That’s the ultimate goal.

If the ultimate goal is just to play finals then to me that defeats the purpose of why you’re all there. You need to strive for the excellence required to achieve the ultimate success.

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE HAWKS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE TIGERS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE BLUES

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE PIES

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE CATS

As list managers it’s our job to know whether the list is good enough to win a premiership and if not, what decisions are we going to make that will see us become a better team going forward? Have we got the patience and the resolve to rebuild through the draft and go through some hard years in terms of on-field performance and results for a long-term benefit?

The time is now to find out if these young kids can play at the level. For too long North Melbourne has topped up with players from other clubs and not exposed these draftees to senior footy. They must do that now.

I’m thinking of guys like Sam Durdin, Ben McKay, Corey Wagner, Declan Mountford and Ed Vickers-Willis. I do have my question marks on Durdin though, with his competitiveness and his football smarts.

Daniel Nielson, Ed Vickers-Willis and Sam Durdin haven’t been given opportunities at senior level yet. Picture: Colleen Petch

Brad Scott needs to play them to find out if they’re players for the future and the ones who’ll be key parts of the rebuild. That’s all part of rebuilding the list.

Having said that, you still need experience around the club while rebuilding and that’s why I was really puzzled about the decision to axe Brent Harvey. He hadn’t lost his pace and was clearly still one of their best players, someone who has star power. And to a lesser extent Nick Dal Santo as well, I thought both of those had something to offer in 2017.

The Kangaroos made the right decision on Drew Petrie though. To me at the end of the year he looked cooked, whereas Harvey and Dal Santo didn’t. Firrito was a bit of a line ball call, probably the right one.

But the list is in trouble.

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE DOCKERS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE EAGLES

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE DEMONS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE SAINTS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE GIANTS

I was worried both last year and this year because I’ve felt the Kangaroos were one or two injuries — particularly to Goldstein — away from their side being severely disrupted and unfortunately for Scott and the club’s supporters, that’s exactly what happened.

It was no coincidence when Goldstein was playing injured and then missed a game, their form dramatically dropped away. That’s a major concern.

Todd Goldstein is North Melbourne’s barometer. If he plays well, the Kangaroos win. If he’s struggling, then the whole team goes down with him.

Majak Daw has committed to the club and the club has committed to him but is he the answer? Will he or is he capable of becoming that huge influence like Goldstein?

Brent Harvey was playing well enough to go on in 2017, Gary Buckenara says and would have been valuable to the rebuild. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

I look at the list and try to find another ruckman and really, Daw is it. Petrie helped out in that area but now he’s obviously gone and Ben Brown has done some of that work but they’ll need him to be a stay-at-home key forward because there is a lack of key position players.

The biggest concerns I have — even though they’ve lost a lot of experience with Petrie, Harvey, Firrito, Dal Santo and now Daniel Wells leaving will bring down their average age — if I go through the young players on the list I’m not sure how good they are. Which players will be their next stars and take the places of the departing champions?

I’m left scratching my head a little bit when I do look down the list for these guys.

While there is some talent there, I just don’t see enough good players.

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE CROWS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE BOMBERS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE LIONS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE SUNS

LIST ANALYSIS: BUCKENARA ON THE POWER

Jed Anderson is going to be a good player — he was a bit of a whipping boy this year but his body hasn’t been right for a while. But at least he played some footy this year so he’ll be better for that, he’ll be better next year.

I like Ben Jacobs as a player, Ben Cunnington has developed into a really good player, young McKay has some talent as has Durdin but will that talent come to the fore? As I wrote earlier I’ve got some question marks on him and I’m concerned that even though North will need he and McKay to step up next year, I’m not sure they’re ready in terms of their development.

Daniel Nielson was unlucky doing his knee but he’s not going to be a match-winner, he’ll be a depth player. Taylor Garner is a handy player, Ryan Clarke has some upside, Trent Dumont has shown some signs, Shaun Atley and Sam Wright and developing nicely into good regular 22 players, Luke McDonald was in and out and still finding his feet.

Gary Buckenara rates Jed Anderson and thinks he’ll become a good player for North Melbourne. Picture: Sam Rosewarne

Mason Wood has potential, Jamie Macmillan had a good year, Kayne Turner is a bit injury-prone, Sam Gibson and Ben Brown have been serviceable.

But when you go through the list, they’re all nice players and depth players but are they going to win you a premiership?

They’re lacking star power. And that’s why they rely so heavily on Goldstein.

The Kangaroos recruited three players during the trade period and I like what they’ve done. Basically all three have joined for little in terms of trade deals and have cost North Melbourne in salary cap only.

Nathan Hrovat from the Bulldogs is an in and under player who couldn’t break into what turned out to be the premiership team despite solid VFL form. I liked him as an under 18s player so he could be a good addition.

Marley Williams arrived the cheapest, which leads me to question whether he may have been pushed out by the Pies? But Williams is like Hrovat in that he’s a player they desperately need given he adds pace. But while he’s handy, he isn’t a star and both are small/mid-sized players rather than key position which is a critical need at the Kangaroos. Williams also isn’t is a great kick either.

Marley Williams will add speed to North Melbourne’s team but his kicking leaves a lot to be desired. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Paul Ahern from GWS is again a mid-sized player who can play both forward and in the midfield. He has some real talent but two knee reconstructions is a concern. Hopefully he has a change in luck at Arden St.

WHAT THEY NEED

North Melbourne definitely needs players with height and a back-up ruckman to Goldstein is the first port of call. I don’t think Daw is a ruckman, he doesn’t read the play well enough around the ground. If something happens to Goldstein and he’s their No.1 ruckman, then North Melbourne is in strife. They also need at least another key forward and key defender plus more outside pace. More generally, the Kangaroos need players who use the ball well.

I think there are too many players with average kicks on the list — even some of their better players like Andrew Swallow isn’t a great kick and neither is Cunnington or Jacobs. Jack Ziebell is a great kick and so is Shaun Higgins, while Atley is OK and so is Wright but McDonald isn’t a pinpoint kick. Players with good kicks coming off halfback is a particular need because when they look inside and are required to hit targets in the midfield, they need to do so in the modern game 9/10 times not 6/10. North Melbourne doesn’t have that and that’s why they struggle. It hurts them.

Jack Ziebell uses the ball very well but North Melbourne need to surround him with more players with good skills. Picture: Michael Klein

WHO’S UNDER THE PUMP

The Kangaroos have re-signed Daw so now he’s got to step up. He’s wanted the opportunities and now he’s going to get them so it’s time to deliver. No more “what if” or “I’d be in if Petrie or whoever wasn’t there”, there are no more excuses.

It shows me that there is such a lack of talls in the AFL landscape that other clubs were actually interested in trying to get Daw out of North Melbourne. He can do some brilliant things but he just doesn’t do them enough, he’s so inconsistent. But at the end of the day that’s probably why he survives, because he can do freakish things.

Aaron Mullett is one that’s been around a while but where is he going as a player? He’s had some injuries but even when fit hasn’t been a regular since he had that breakout season a few years back.

It’s time for Majak Daw to step up. Picture: Michael Klein

Ed Vickers-Willis hasn’t broken through so he’ll be needing to show a bit next year, particularly given it’s looking like more young kids will get their chance at senior level. He needs to be one of those.

WHO SHOULD GO

Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Nick Dal Santo, Michael Firrito, Robin Nahas, Brad McKenzie and Joel Tippett have all been delisted and Farren Ray has retired, while Wells has departed as a free agent and I think Mullett would be one to be moved on. The rest of the players just haven’t had exposure at senior level and they deserve a chance.

CRYSTAL BALL

I worry about North Melbourne. They could go from top eight to a bottom six club. It wouldn’t surprise me, if they do go down the full rebuild path, that they end up finishing really low on the ladder because there just isn’t a huge amount of quality coming through, nor have the young guys been exposed at all at senior level. They’ll be thrown right into the deep end.