Herald Sun Footy Podcast: North Melbourne poses a compelling priority pick quandary

They’re battling injuries and a “lack of real talent”, but are the Kangaroos worse right now than Fitzroy? Check out the Herald Sun Footy Podcast for all the news, trade talk and media buzz.

Do the Kangaroos deserve a priority pick? (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

North Melbourne should “absolutely” be afforded a priority pick as they battle a situation more dire than that of Fitzroy, according to Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph.

Ralph joined the Herald Sun Footy Podcast to discuss the troubles of the flailing Roos, and what he believes would be a “compelling” case to league headquarters for a priority pick.

“They’re much worse than Fitzroy right now. Officially, the club is saying ‘we won’t contemplate it until the second half of the season, we hope to be able to win a string of four or five games … if we end up winning eight, of course we wouldn’t put that request in’,” he said.

“I think we all know how their season is going … they’ll scrounge one or two – they’re not going to win five (games).

“Their priority pick request will be absolutely compelling.”

Ralph said the worries for the club went far beyond the lengthy injury list.

“The worry right now is not just that they’ve got a lot of injuries or that Alastair Clarkson is distracted by the Hawthorn investigation,” he said.

“They just don’t have a lot of talent. What is even more worrying is that they’ve already traded out the picks that they got for their draft assistance in Darcy Tucker and (Griffin) Logue.

”There’s no way (with their current draft hand) they get back to the Geelongs and Richmonds and even Carltons of the world in terms of talent.

“I would think if you’re the AFL, you might potentially give them a mid first-rounder, or an end of first-rounder

“They need ways to get more talent, otherwise they’re in the doom and gloom forever.

“They’ve made significant mistakes all along ... and it adds up to a list that doesn’t have enough talent.”

The Kangaroos’ worries go far beyond their injury list. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

He said that Hawthorn opting to cull its list and West Coast’s 2018 premiership glory meant assistance would be off the table for them, but that North Melbourne continually being “blown out of the water” had skewed the competition to be “17 teams and North Melbourne”.

“I don’t think the history matters (of whether they should get consecutive years of assistance),” Ralph said.

“What (they) would be looking at … is we can’t have teams that drag down the league like North Melbourne.

“Right now, they’re an impediment to the league. The league can say ‘suck it up, it’s your own fault’ … or (they can help). Give them the right package … elite picks that will actually help them climb up the ladder.”

Originally published as Herald Sun Footy Podcast: North Melbourne poses a compelling priority pick quandary