McGuane: Is Essendon tough enough to handle North Melbourne?
It’s been a long time since a meek North Melbourne was smashed by Essendon on Good Friday. With a new coach and newfound toughness, the Roos will throw everything at the Bombers. Can they handle it?
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Saturday’s clash between Essendon and North Melbourne will be anything but a “marshmallow” game.
Twenty one years since Kangaroos supporters threw the chewy confectionary at Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy — after he labelled the Kangaroos soft — we’re going to see a hard, tough contest that means so much to both teams.
If you had have said that after Essendon obliterated North Melbourne on Good Friday, you might have been labelled mad.
But the Kangaroos have resurrected their season, thanks to caretaker coach Rhyce Shaw, who has won four of his five games at the helm, including victories over Richmond and Collingwood.
Shaw referenced the 58-point Good Friday drubbing a few times in his press conference this week, so he has gone to school on what the Bombers did, and will demand his team maintains their pressure.
If they can win on Saturday, the Kangaroos will keep their finals hopes alive.
If I were in charge, I'd be appointing Shaw as the long-term coach of the North Melbourne Football Club.
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PRESSURE POINTS
Watching Essendon train at the Hangar on Wednesday, it was evident its players were instructed to bring pressure and intensity at the contest.
It was interesting seeing one team act as “Essendon” and another as “North”, as they tried to incorporate what the Kangaroos have added to their game style under Shaw.
Clearly North's new-found pressure gauge hasn't been lost on John Worsfold. He wants his team to know what is coming their way.
Coaches can illustrate what the opposition is doing in whiteboard sessions and through vision, but players fast-track their development and retain information better when they see it in operation.
LINE BALL
At training, the Bombers were trying to replicate the long, kicking down-the-line game Shaw has introduced.
The Roos are playing a direct brand with a heavy influence of pressure, contest and gaining territory.
From Round 11 to now, the Roos are kicking longer than any other team.
They are prepared to kick long down the line and trust their three “tall” forwards — Ben Brown, Mason Wood and Nick Larkey.
In the past, they have been too reliant on Brown.
Being predictable breeds belief. The team knows that whatever happens, there will at least be a strong contest.
North can win the ball down the line, but if they don't, their mids know they must get to the fall of the ball in full knowledge of where it is going.
SHAW SCORE
North Melbourne is scoring heavily under Shaw's coaching, averaging 92 points — third in the competition since he took over.
But there is still room for improvement.
The Kangaroos are gaining good territory — their inside-50s are high at 58, which is third since Round 11 — but only rank ninth (42.8 per cent) for scoring efficiency once the ball is in attack.
But if they can narrow their focus and become a more efficient team, they will be even harder to beat.
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TURNOVER GAME
North’s turnover game is built on immense pressure.
They are scoring a competition-high 58.6 points from turnovers.
Under Shaw, the points differential from turnovers is 28.6, which means the average points against them from turnovers is 30.
Not only are they creating turnovers, they are also generating scores from turnovers.
They are also hard to score against.
Their forward half game is good — ranked third for inside 50s — meaning they give their forwards a chance.
But they are also drying up opposition inside 50s, conceding 44.8 per game, ranked first in the AFL.
The Bombers have been developing their territory game.
Essendon has to beat North at the source tomorrow through its midfield group — taking on the likes of Ben Cunnington, Jack Ziebell, Jed Anderson and Jy Simpkin — to win the territory battle.
This will give the Bombers a chance to get their forward-half scoring going.
CAPTAIN SPEAKING
There have been a number of spikes in performance since Shaw took over — think Simpkin, Tarryn Thomas and Cameron Zurhaar — but none more so than Ziebell.
He has gone from a SuperCoach ranking of 82 in the first 10 rounds, to 114 in past five games.
He has been reinvigorated by spending more time on the ball.
In recent matches, North’s four-man leadership group has been reduced to two on game day, with Ziebell and Robbie Tarrant doing great work.
This has also helped develop the youngsters.
The Roos have had four Rising Star nominations — Bailey Scott (now injured), Zurhaar, Thomas and Larkey.
Simpkin has taken the new responsibility and run with it, while Sam Durdin has helped out in the key defensive post. The list profile is looking good.
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BACK ZAC
Bomber tall Zac Clarke has a massive task this week against Todd Goldstein, and it might be his last chance to keep his AFL career alive.
With Tom Bellchambers out injured, Worsfold has pinned his faith in the former Docker, who has struggled in four games this year.
I would be saying to him: “Zac, what do you stand for? We need you to be aggressive, strong at stoppages to give us first look at the footy because if we can’t nullify Goldstein’s ruck connection to his midfielders, it puts us on the backfoot.”
It's time to stand and deliver.
Clarke will have help on Saturday from Shaun McKernan and Cale Hooker, but sometimes you have got to help yourself.
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