North Melbourne feels the heat after Good Friday debacle against Essendon
Thousands of outraged fans have questioned North Melbourne’s Good Friday slot, while a pair of Roos legends slammed the club for its pitiful performance against Essendon.
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Thousands of outraged fans have called for North Melbourne to be axed from Good Friday after its dismal performance against Essendon.
More than 80 per cent of 16,000 voters on a Herald Sun poll say the Roos should be replaced in the marquee fixture after they were hammered by 58 points.
It comes after club champion David King labelled North Melbourne’s performance ‘embarrassing’.
The Kangaroos were comprehensively beaten in a 7.16 (58) to 17.14 (116) loss, laying just 18 tackles in the first half, as dual-premiership teammates King and Corey McKernan roasted them for their 1-4 start to 2019.
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King said the Roos were simply “not good enough”.
“On the biggest stage this club has for the season they turn up and play like that,” he said on Fox Footy.
“It’s not good enough. They’ve had 18 tackles in a half of footy … their defence is just non-existent.
“What do they stand for? What’s your identity? How do you want to play? I’m confused by (coach) Brad Scott — haven’t seen it in a couple of seasons — and I’m hard on him, I know that. I’m just lost as to where to from here.”
A frustrated Scott urged North fans to rally around his under-siege side.
“This club, for better or worse, has fought itself through some really tough situations,” Scott said.
“Our players are bitterly disappointed and our coaches are bitterly disappointed but now, more than ever, we need people to rally around the players.”
“It has been disappointing because (the pressure and tackling intensity is) what we pride ourselves on as a football club ... that we are competitive and, regardless of the circumstances and the odds, we always fight.
“At the moment it is just nowhere near good enough.”
The Kangaroos were smashed in all aspects of the game, with Scott conceding the lack of tackling intent was as telling as anything.
They had only 43 tackles collectively, with 10 coming from Jed Anderson. Twelve players had one or fewer tackles for the game.
“We have had consecutive six day breaks ... but it is a cop out to suggest that’s the reason we looked flat today,” he said.
“Our ball use was atrocious, every measure of the game was poor.
“We made some significant changes to our list at the end of 2016 and it takes time. There are sides that have been rebuilding for 15 years.
“(But) we are not going to be delusional that we were going to bring in some players from other clubs, and it was going to be a quick patch-up.”
Scott said the club would continue to put time into its younger players, while admitting the Kangaroos midfield has a unhealthy reliance on stars Ben Cunnington and Shaun Higgins.
Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall described the Kangaroos as “genuinely smelly”.
“Their use of the football has been deplorable,” he said.
“I think Essendon has been OK, they haven’t been great.
“It was like training drills, watching them go round.”
North Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell had just six disposals for the match, his worst since Round 3, 2015.
Much has been said about North’s fixturing on the Good Friday big stage, with the club adamant it deserves the coveted slot as it was an original advocate, and former star McKernan was scathing on Twitter.
“For a fierce @NMFCOfficial person to watch this served up on a day that we fought for and a time slot we used to own is hard to watch,” he wrote.
“When does the time come the club decides to DO something rather than accept what is being dished up and we are expected to swallow.”
For a fierce @NMFCOfficial person to watch this served up on a day that we fought for and a time slot we used to own is hard to watch. When does the time come the club decides to DO something rather than accept what is being dished up and we are expected to swallow.
— Corey McKernan (@CoreyMcKernan) April 19, 2019
Fans wondered if the Roos deserved to keep Good Friday footy.
Why are @NMFCOfficial even playing on Good Friday🤷ðŸ¼â€â™‚ï¸ A complete disgrace #AFLRoosDons #GoodFridayAppeal
— Harrison Borthwick (@hjb10_) April 19, 2019
So who is @essendonfc playing next year on Good Friday? #AFLRoosDons
— Code Red (@CodeRedBomber) April 19, 2019
So North lose Good Friday now like St Kilda did last year right? #AFLRoosDons #AFLNorthDons
— Boba Cannes (@Deyterkmahjerb) April 19, 2019
North Melbourne & Blockbuster are a few words that should never be put together.... #AFLRoosDons #afl #GoodFridayAppeal
— Trent Clifford (@trentclifford) April 19, 2019
Come on North Melbourne.. you wanted this Good Friday spot. Play it has hard as you pushed the AFL to get it FFS #aflnorthdons #AFLRoosDons I should really look up the hashtags before posting
— unoffical Dial-A-Dinos🕠(@Gojirahawk) April 19, 2019
Would love a journo in Brad Scott’s presser to ask him whether he believes @NMFCOfficial still deserve to play on the big stage with performances like the one they produced today There is a reason GC don’t have any blockbuster time slots, & North shouldn’t either. #AFLRoosDons
— Rosco Mac (@RossEMac) April 19, 2019
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