The Tackle: North Melbourne's game plan desperately needs another tweak

CAN the Roos make the eight? How good are the Pies and are the umpires on the right track? Replay live chat. 

ANGER has replaced disbelief.

Following yet another loss after dominating for a period of the game, questions are being asked of North Melbourne players and coach Brad Scott.

The Kangaroos are 4-7 at their break. Not so long ago there was a sense of pride at being named the best team outside the eight, but now they are "so-what" words.

It's so what because the Kangaroos don't defend.

And if you don't defend in this competition, you're not a good side.

Scott tweaked his game style this year. Last year it was kamikaze footy and it was breathtaking. This year it would appear they are trying to retain the footy a lot more, criss-crossing half-back and then moving it forward.

It desperately needs another tweak.

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They have plenty of positives, but they are too easily scored against.

One statistic is damning. The worst team at allowing scores from their defensive 50m is Greater Western Sydney at 19 per cent. The next at 14.1 per cent is Melbourne and North Melbourne.

The best is Fremantle at 6.8 per cent, followed by Sydney and then Essendon. The numbers don't lie.

In their four closest losses, the Kangas allowed 29 or more shots at goal.

It is not September footy.

Last year North Melbourne won 14 games. This year it has won four with 11 to play. The Roos' next outing is at Fremantle.

A loss and they aren't playing finals -- full stop.

Respectfully, I can't agree with Scott about it not being a mental problem. The Kangaroos are mentally fragile. Adelaide knew it. The Suns said it. Mostly everyone else believes it.

They lack leadership, and never before could it absolutely be said, but there is a strong argument Jack Ziebell is the club's most influential player.

He was missed on the weekend because of suspension, and what his team missed was his competitiveness, a willingness to be at the contest, fighting, scrounging and bullocking to deny the opposition.

On Saturday night, the Kangas gave up the fight. It got too hard. It was wet and the skills required for victory were not slick skills, rather strong minds.

The Kangaroos wanted to play easy footy, wanted to stand off from the contest.

By comparison, the Suns put their head over the ball.

Critics of Guy McKenna's team have to eat their words. Supporters of Scott and his Kangas have to reassess their thinking.

Scott said his players did not handle the conditions, but at five goals to zip, they seemed to be handling the conditions superbly.

What followed was that the Suns changed their attitude and ball movement, and the Kangas stalled.

After quarter-time, the Suns won the contested football by 32, inside-50s were 56-22, clearances 46-29 and centre clearances 12-3.

Scott and Co made a mistake with Trent McKenzie. The booming left-footer was able to control half-back. He had 25 touches and nine marks and gained 689m, 148m more than the next best.

Even Drew Petrie lamented after the match how McKenzie could have been on his own for so much of the time. The blame is collective, which includes the coach.

He has to continue to demand a defensive attitude from his players and they simply have to respond.

It's called leadership. As Paul Roos says, leadership is captains and leaders, on the day, directing other players.

SuperCoach Round 11 studs and duds

It's not happening at the Kangaroos. The skipper, Andrew Swallow, is either in a slump or playing injured. He had 10 touches on Saturday night, and 12 tackles, and probably since Round 7 has been below normal output.

He has credits in the bank. The problem is North has basically run out of its.

***

A NIGHT OF TALL TALES AND TRUE LEGENDS

The AFL Hall of Fame brings out the kid in everyone.

Even for a footy head, you know the day is different when you arrive at Canberra's Sofitel by taxi and standing out the front is Ron Barassi and Malcolm Bight.

The legend and the would-be legend.

Straight away I think of the famous words said by Barassi in the 1977 Grand Final, the drawn one: "You tell Blight: 'Serve bloody him right'", after Blight attempted a baulk in the middle of the MCG and was collected around the neck.

That was 36 years ago.

And here they were chin-wagging and smiling, Blight looking almost the same with the moustaka and Barassi looking like he always does, distinguished and reverent.

And the Hall of Fame didn't start for another three hours.

Have said before and will probably say it every year I can, the Hall of Fame is the night of nights. It's footy purity. There's no adverts or sponsorship, it's just footy people listening to footy people talking about their triumphs and fears, their adventures and their vulnerabilities.

Five men were to be inducted as well as a legend.

Royce Hart was given the nod this year, ahead of Blight, Wayne Carey, Jason Dunstall, Tony Lockett and Greg Williams, among others, including Collingwood legend Dick Lee who played at the turn of the penultimate century.

Hart, the last on to the stage, spoke softly. The Tassie star was a rover before he became the best centre-half-forward before Carey, and if anything he attempted to rewrite history in his acceptance speech.

Legend has it that Tigers coach Tom Hafey had a simple game plan: Kick it long to Royce and get out of his way.

Hart, to everyone's disappointment I suspect, said he never heard Hafey say that.

But the night is about tall tales and true ones.

And it's not only those stage who hold court.

A wondrous aspect of the occasion is the gathering of legends and Hall of Famers.

It was, I think, my 12th Hall of Fame and I can remember my first one. Mick Sheahan introduced me to John ''Mopsy'' Rantall and Peter Bedford, and I'm sure it was the night I met Wayne Richardson, the star Magpies centreman of the 1970s.

Along the way, have seen Doc Baldock almost cry, Darren Jarman cry like a baby and Tony Lockett rush in, grab a hire jacket, make a speech, and immediately drive back to Bowral in NSW.

I've seen a humble Wayne Carey, Sam Newman and Dermott Brereton accept their honour, an excited Dipper, I spoke to Jezza before he became a legend, Crawf spoke of his mother, I've had darts with Carl Ditterich and his feisty wife, had beers with Kernahan and Terry Daniher, and great mates Quinlan and Round, and Michael Long is a legend in so many different ways.

I remember meeting Len Thompson, who Sheahan greatly admired, and my first thought was: Gee, he's big. And was sad when Thompson died a few years later.

I played a little game one year, comparing tables. There was the Hawks table of Dunstall, Brereton, Platten, Knights and Dipper. Nearby was the Carlton table of Kernahan. Bradley, Silvagni, Williams and Jezza and Big Nick was visiting from another table. I went with the Hawks, but who really knows.

Of them all, Baldock was the saddest because he struggled to speak - and everyone loved The Doc - and Archer was probably the funniest, when he apologised to his wife for not having as much testosterone at 40 as he did when he was 18.

Yes, the crowd is as enchanting as the recipients.

This night, like all the other nights, you watch and, if you're lucky, you listen.

There was Tuddy talking to Big Nick, Ditterich sat next to Ross Smith and Quinlan was on their table, Dunstall caught up with Carey, Lloyd and Al Clarkson spoke for the first time since Lloyd knocked out Brad Sewell and Clarko wanted to go Lloyd after the siren, there was Aylett and Hassa Mann, TD and Harry Beitzel, while Sheedy and Parkin shared the same table.

Kernahan caught up with Graham Cornes at the end, not only two great South Australians but two greats from Glenelg, and then Rick Davies joined them.

The ''Jumbo Prince'' was hilarious on stage, and he was the same off it. And not dissimilar to dashing former Claremont and Geelong great Denis Marshall. I say dashing because Marshall, he joked, was all Hollywood when he played.

You find yourself in odd situations.

Blokes will likely know what I'm talking about, but it's funny who you run into at an urinal. Such a pedestrian activity takes on a different feel when you sidle up and Long, Dunstall and Big Nick are standing there.

''Lockett had to be a legend next,'' said Dunstall, and no-one disagreed.

Matthew Lloyd, inducted this year, was in awe.

He spoke of his excitement getting on the plane in Melbourne and on it was Robbie Flower, Dipper, Ken Fraser, Simon Madden and Bernie Quinlan, Lloyd's childhood hero. Lloyd couldn't let the moment pass and asked Bernie if he could have a photo.

He spoke brilliantly, Lloyd, as they all did - Scott West, umpire Bryan Sheehan, the Jumbo Prince, Hassa and the disappointment was Brian Peake, who could not attend but sent a video message. It's not the same.

Lloyd spoke of the time Dean Wallis and Mark Harvey told him to toughen up in a small room after a game, and of the day Robert Shaw told him he didn't work as hard at training as Lockett and Dunstall did. They were career-long incentives.

Talking of Lockett, Lloyd took great comfort to know the great man also got nervous. Before making his debut for Victoria, Lloyd was so on edge, he went to the toilet to the vomit. He didn't want anyone to see him, but soon realised the stalls either side of him also heaved to that wretched noise. Yes, Lockett was emptying in one and Brett Ratten in another.

West used to bribe his twin brother to have a kick with him, wrote to Steve Waugh about leadership and got a phone call back, and lamented he never won a premiership.

We all laughed when he proudly admitted he was an under-10 Division 4 premiership runner, and looked at his son when he said it, all dapper in dinner suit and bow tie.

Acceptance speeches are like confessionals. Players thank and forgive, reflect and accept. West, who had trying times after he quit footy, said he could understand if the family unit broke apart. You could hear a pin drop in the room.

Of course, that was another time, for West's family was all in attendance.

Sheehan is a hemophiliac, which is a blood disorder, which meant he couldn't play contact sport. But he loved footy so much he became an umpire. He umpired the '89 Grand Final and Dipper cried as Sheehan spoke.

He was a funny bugger, too. He spoke of his two kids going to footy clinics, and where all of everyone else wore footy jumpers, his boys wore umpire uniforms.

Hassa was everything Melbourne, three-time premiership player, three-time best and fairest and club captain.

He spoke of another time, the '50s and '60s, and clearly remembered the Norm Smith sacking for he was captain. On a fateful night, he was talking to Norm on the telephone when Norm's front door bell rang. Norm hung up and at the door was a messenger with a telegram, informing Norm that he had been sacked.

Norm rang Hassa back, told him the news, and Hassa was ''so stressed, I had to have a milk'' to settle him down.

Hassa said he went to Norm's house, where everyone was crying and he and his wife followed suit.

Unfortunately for Hassa, his speech was interrupted.  Because it was at the Grand Dining Room at Parliament House, and with the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader, and many MPs in attendance, there was always a chance they would be required to vote on legislation that night.

As Hassa was shedding a tear as he spoke, the bells went off and up to 15 pollies got up and walked out. It was kind of show-stopper. But the night went on.

Rick Davies is what you would call an entertainer. His first game he played on Nathan Buckley's old man Ray, and he loved telling of the '76 SANFL Grand Final when he had 21 kicks, 21 handballs and 15 marks. ''Yeah, everything went right,'' he said.

He toured with the Galahs, where he met Sheedy for the first time, and when the coach asked the players to run one hundred hundreds, Davies was gobsmacked. ''I didn't go that far on my holidays,'' he laughed.

Largely, that's what the night is about - laughs and memories.

Back at the hotel bar, it is even less formal as the beers and champers continue to flow.

Indeed, the bus back to the hotel is memorable on its own.

On one, Royce walked on and got a rousing round of applause, just as a small group of enthusiasts were maniacally debating who was the better centre half-forward, Kernahan or Brereton? While on the other bus, Tuddy was holding court singing the Four 'N Twenty pie song, which got another airing last year on the TVs.

Of course, the night must end. This year it was about 2am, and the last to leave was the entire Lloyd clan, mum and dad, the brothers and sister-in-laws. Lloyd didn't want to miss a moment.

That's what the Hall of Fame is: A moment in time to celebrate and be celebrated.

It is the night of nights.

***

LIKES

1. Umpiring

Saints fans turn away now. There were some howlers at Etihad yesterday - at least one to Priddis at the death, Saad holding the ball, Mine in the back to Hurn - but the fact the umpires have allowed to the game to play and not be stopped every minute is welcome relief.

The umpires will argue nothing has changed, but from Round 1 to Round 11, the average amount of free kicks per round has dropped by almost 200. The sport is much better for it.

If anything, the players playing for free kicks look even more stupid now than they did two months back.

2. Sydney

If there has been a more brutal performance from a team this year, I have not seen it.

From first bounce to last, the Swans played the supreme game: high pressure, fierce tackling, numbers at contest, run from half-back and hard press.

The midfield depth is obscene: Hannebery, O'Keeffe, Kieren Jack, newbie Tom Mitchell, Luke Parker, a quiet-ish Josh Kennedy, and throw in Macleski and McVeigh off half-back.

Seriously, if the Swans played that way on the most important day, they will not be beaten.

3. Dane Rampe

It was hard to separate the Swans superstars, and the fact they feature in the The Tackle most weeks, but could not ignore Dane Rampe any more.

The Sydney-born defender was taken at pick No.37 in the 2012 rookie draft and has slotted into the hole left by three injured teammates - Alex Johnson, Lewis Roberts-Thompson and the recently retired Marty Mattner.

His 18 disposals against Adelaide was the best return in his nine-game career.

It makes you wonder what the  Bulldogs were thinking, when Rampe trained with the club in 2009 and played two years for Williamstown. Their loss, Sydney's gain.

4. Dyson Heppell

The Bombers hope he is their ''Scott Pendlebury'', a midfielder with poise, good decision-making and clean hands.

It was Heppell's best game for the club against the Blues, and pleasing for Heppell was his willingness to be at the contest, which hasn't always been at the forefront.

He held the Bombers together with 28 touches, 10 marks and a game-high nine inside 50s. Similar to Pendlebury, he gets where the ball is.

5. Jarrad Harbrow

Yes, Gazza was BOG again, but Harbrow wasn't far behind him again.

He plays an interesting position - half-back all-over - and while the Kangaroos waited for someone to give them the ball, Gazza and Harbrow won it themselves and ran off.

Those two and Dion Prestia, who is one of the improved players in the competition, shared 91 possessions, 19 clearances and 16 tackles.

Harbrow started as a small defender, but he's far better than that. He stops opponents, he tackles, he wins the ball and he runs, which makes him a most dangerous proposition.

6. Stephen Milne

He needed that, Milney, because the critics were sharpening their tongues.

Five goals from the little champ almost got the Saints over the line, and the goal from 40m, when only moments before he was limping like he had been shot, was vintage Milne.

He'll need more games like that to keep the doubters from the door, but even if this season is his last, he will walk away with close to 280 games and 580 goals.

7. Tackling I

Not surprisingly, the tackle count at a soaked Metricon topped 200, with North Melbourne notching 106 to 101, despite the Suns have a huge advantage with ball use (378-301).

The most pleasing number for coach Guy McKenna was the 10 tackles for ruckman Tom Nicholls who also had 16 touches and 33 hit outs, which makes him just about a certainty to be a Supercoach special in the weeks ahead.

8. Tackling II

At Etihad Stadium yesterday, the Saints did a lot right without walking away with the four points.

Their intent was to pressure the Eagles and Jack Steven and David Armitage led the way with 21 tackles between them.

West Coast only had 38 for the game, their most coming from Scott Selwood with five.

The Saints had 74 all up, with only Jimmy Gwilt and Jimmy Webster failing to record a tackle.

9. GWS

The Cats won, but it was Kevin Sheedy's mob which won the plaudits, led by Jeremy Cameron's 4.4 and Callan Ward and Adam Treloar in the midfield.

How much better would they be with Buddy Franklin in the forward line?

10. Initiative

Hurn to the middle, knock on by Naitanui, pick up, long kick to a running McKenzie and goal. Could not have done it better. It was the go-ahead goal which ripped the heart out of St Kilda. 

By the way, Beau Maister didn't dog the chase and fall over, he lost his footing at an inopportune time. For those who missed it, it was a cracking game of footy.

Honourable mentions

Jarrad Waite, Jake Carlisle and Michael Hurley, James Kelly, Levi Casboult as a target, Dal on a back flank, Jack Newnes, Dean Cox in the final quarter, Trent McKenzie and Tom Murphy in the back half.

***

DISLIKES

1. Joey Montagna

He wouldn't have slept last night after his brain fade in the final quarter.

Liked that coach Scott Watters didn't rag him, and in fact praised Joey for his ability to run from half-back to inside 50m to put himself in the position to have the shot. But. But. But.

Montagna had to give the ball over the top to either Riewoldt or Milne who would've goaled, which meant the Saints were up by seven points with six minutes to play. 

2. Dribblers

Jumping on the Jason Dunstall bandwagon here and pointing the finger at Lindsay Thomas.

Why he didn't continue to run into goal, and why he chose to dribble the kick and not kick through it and in the air remains a mystery.

Rookie mistake from one of the guns small forwards in the competition.

3. Lachie Henderson

Among Carlton's best players with 10 marks (six contested) but made a crucial mistake at the end. He didn't cost the Blues the game, but it didn't help.

He gathered the ball in the final minutes and instead of clearing long towards the wing, he chose to go short to Garlett. Winderlich intercepted, brought it inside to Melksham who goaled with a minute or so to play. Critical turnover.

4. Adelaide

Featuring too much in the dislikes to be a threat this year and the performance on Saturday against the Swans was disappointing to say the least.

Touch wary to go for the throat because the Swans would've destroyed all opposition with their performance. But the Crows were made to look like schoolboys.

They were bullied and they surrendered. Not for the first time this season Patrick Dangerfield was needed to play midfield and to play full-forward.

They didn't match the Swans in the middle when he was in the square, and the Crows couldn't kick goals when he was in the middle.

5. Marking free kicks

The Saints thought they were on the wrong end, but the push out paid against Jack Darling on Dylan Roberton close to goal was so wrong.

The umpires have corrected the bump/push/block/hold interpretations and all Darling did was manoeuvre Roberton out of the way with the use of an arm.

Winning a marking contest by use of strength should not be a free kick.

6 Chris Scott

Like him a lot, but didn't like his comments. Said he would give up a few wins if the team was to player better football. A little condescending for my liking.

He'll say he had a point, but did Richo, when he said on Saturday night it would be best if the Kangaroos gave up a goal so the ball could get back to the middle?

Richo's a champ, and we like his left-field thinking, but, um, not this time.

7. Andrew Gaff

Fourteen of 24 games last year he had more than 25 touches. This year, it's been once from 11 outings.

He is being tagged out of the game and yesterday it was by Dunell and Geary.

The opposition has recognised as being crucial on a wing, and his lack of run and carry is one of the reasons the Eagles have been described a slow by foot and ball movement.

It's a learning curve for him, as it is for all gun youngsters.

8. Triple J

Wonderwall shouldn't be the No.1 song of the past 20 years.

9. Twitter twerps

To the rugby league people who attacked me over the weekend, chill out. Said it was a bad week for the code, didn't say the sport was not popular.

And to the people who defended the ''pisser'', well, good luck to you.

Agree with Robbo? Chat live with him tomorrow from 11.30am AEST

***

BEST TWEETS

@matthurst74:  dislike - Nth Melbourne’s wasted season.

@zombie_JL16: Like: Jeremy Cameron starring in a team yet to win a game Dislike: Brad Scott refusing to admit NM have a choking problem.

@jrsads: not suppose to be for away fans but dislike the 2 train, 80 minute commute to Skoda stadium from Sydney CBD

@MSBracken:  Like: North being found out. Dislike: Oasis at number 1 of hottest 100 #dudsong

@skeeta7777: dislike umpires getting WCE out of jail yet again and darling staging for frees should be fined or rubbed out

@upnabout: DL: Cox flapping about appealing for frees 2 weeks in a row. Sad to see a champ go out like that.

@TheGEJ: L: full backs kicking match winning goals. D: substandard umpiring in the saints / eagles game. Baffling

@chookie94:  dislike: missing a vital goal with an open goal and two champs in the goal square. Written apology please Leigh Montagna!!

@hankster6969:  i think the blues are mentally weak. No different to last year.

@jc_thebomb: Like the cannon McKenzie has relaunched, Casboult performance, GWS performance & Carlisle, Dislike: Carlton. What happened

@APH1991: Like, Ben Howlett's finally getting the recognition he deserves. Dislike, Kangaroos, what more to say.

@andrewsmcneil: 2 dislikes Robbo. Montagna not sharing in absolute clutch time of game & umpiring in final quarter of

@marcusc3525: Like: Daniel Kerr. What a champion, kept eagles in that game in 1st half.

@JRickard1991: Like Melksham's response to tons of criticism, dislike goal review. SCRAP IT or pay to get right equipment

@liamazar13: L: Ryder's ruck work on Friday night. Stepped up as no.1 ruck. D: No such thing as dropping the ball anymore

@howarewefellas: Like: Jeremy Cameron, All-Australian chance? And Bald Jesus (Ablett) making a mockery of wet-weather footy

@ClaytonMartin15:  DISLIKE: Bye's. 6 games over 4 days is ridiculous. Just have 1 "General bye" and get it over and done with. 3 weeks is cra:

@goobaw:  like - beating carlton my most hated club by 5 points. hate - nearly losing to carlton my most hated club

@sainter1966:  Dislikes: Out tackling your opposition 70 - 38 but not get rewarded. Likes: Nothing

@GedZochling: Jumbo Prince (Rick Davies) is but one of the GIGANTIC BIBLE of football storytellers..The only reason we play IS THE STORY..more Jumbo's

@zoo_32:  dislike thumb reco on Friday so no long weekend beers. Like a photo of my dog getting 1400 likes on Instagram

@timelliott33: Dan hannerbury if he played for a big Melbourne side we would rate him like Judd pendlebury or Watson

@tim_michell: Like: Jarrad Waite's form in front of goal. Dislike: Kane Lucas's miss that signalled the Dons comeback

@daz_gun: Dislike. No footy until 440pm. I had to actually hang out with the family

@Zmithy85:  Like - coming over from WA and being able to walk up to the ground and buy a ticket on the day.