Join In The Chorus, Sing It One And All
It was reported in the Herald Sun that the Kangaroos membership had risen to 24,841 members! That is great news to the club and from a general supporter of AFL Football it is very pleasing to see the Kangaroo supporters getting behind their club. The question I have is why does it take this kind of situation for supporters to come out of the woodwork and buy a membership to support their club?
They are a big chance to reach their goal of 30,000 too with 6323 yet to renew their memberships. Brayshaw has certainly pulled out the big guns with Ricky Ponting securing the money of teammates Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and former Test opening batsman Justin Langer who has purchased a family ticket. Now that the Pakistan tour has been cancelled they may have some time to watch a few games. The Kangas have also secured other high profile people to jump on board as well Lee Freedman, musician Tim Rogers, former Australian Davis Cup representative Wayne Arthurs, and several golfers. Young West Australian golfer Michael Sim has told North he plans to wear the club logo on his golf bag.
Eugene Arroca correctly pointed out though that while the numbers a looking good this year it is a bit of a worry as to whether the “sympathisers” that have purchased memberships will renew them on a yearly basis. Let’s hope the Roos don’t have to rely on that to keep them going.
The first ACL Injury for the Year and Collingwood’s Captaincy Debate
It has been the hardest period in the clubs history and now young Kangaroo Draftee, 22 year old Nathan Grima has become the first victim of the dreaded ACL injury for Season 2008. Grima who played in the Central Districts Premiership Team last year had big wraps on him and was expected to play senior footy this year according to coach Dean Laidley. Now he will have to sit it out on the sidelines for the rest of the year. Nathan Thompson will no doubt be giving some much needed advice and support.
In other Pre Season News, the debate still goes on regarding who will succeed ex Magpie skipper Nathan Buckley, already you can see that there will be comparisons made between who ever takes over and Buckley which will be extremely unfair and difficult to the new skipper. Malthouse has said that there will definetely be one Captain “Collingwood will not have two captains or three captains or four captains — Collingwood will have one captain,” It is probably the biggest job in terms of Captaincy you could have and is something the Pies are not taking lightley. The person doesn’t need to be the best player in my opinion but they certainly have to be able to lead by example on the field which a Nick Maxwell does extremely well, but also they will need to represent the club and be the “FACE” of the Collingwood Football Club for years to come. Which Buckley was fantastic at.
I just don’t think they will go for a Rocca, Burns type as they are in the latter part of their career, i think they need to go for a Nick Maxwell or a Tarkyn Lockyer.
Anyway time will tell and they are said to be making an announcement during the latter part of the NAB Cup.
VOTE 1 for Lockyer.
Can the Kangaroos put the off field dramas behind them?
After what has been the biggest off season in the North Melbourne Football Club’s history, James Brayshaw and his team have made their decision to stay in Melbourne and the North fans are rejoicing while others are not so sure. The question is can the Kangaroos player and coaching staff get them selves up for the 2008 season and build on what was an impressive 2007 where they unexpectedly made the Preliminary Final, this was on the back of them being touted as Wooden Spooners. I have posted previously about some great highlight packages of the Kangaroos to get the adrenalin going.
Let’s go through their additions and deletions from the list:
ADDITIONS:
Exchange period – received: Ben Davies (Collingwood), Sam Power (Western Bulldogs)
Rookie elevation: Leigh Adams, Matt Campbell
NAB AFL Draft: Levi Greenwood (Port Adelaide Magpies), Blake Grima (Kangaroos), Josh Smith (West Perth), Robbie Tarrant (Bendigo Pioneers), Scott Thompson (Geelong VFL)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Glenn Archer (veteran – outside list), Kasey Green, Jonathan Hay
Exchange period – traded: Brad Moran (Adelaide)
Delisted: Blake Grima (second list lodgement), Daniel McConnell, David Trotter, Callum Urch, Djaran Whyman, Ben Hughes (rookie), Tim Hutchison (rookie)
With a finishing ladder position of 4th in 2007 the Kangaroos will not be expecting anything less than another top 4 finish in 2008. Dean Laidley has got this team gelling together as a unit very nicely. The don’t have the superstar players that other teams have, unless you can put Brent Harvey and Daniel Wells in that category, but what they do is play as an old fashioned team as you would expect given they are the “Shinboners”.
In 2007 the Kangaroos seemed to have the better of the teams outside the eight but were found out a bit by the teams inside the eight as illustrated by the fact that they only won 4 of 13 games against these teams, this is something that I am sure Laidley has discussed at length with the playing group.
In 2007 Laidley produced a more attacking game plan and the Kangaroos now play an exiting attacking, high scoring style of football which from a spectators point of view is good to watch. Laidley’s faith in a couple of players in Michael Firrito, who was exceptional at holding down full back and the emergence of Josh Gibson in the back half was great to see. These two will be the leaders in defence along with Daniel Pratt now that the Shinboner of the Century has retired and his on field presence will be missed. A youngster by the name of Levi Greenwood may just slot straight into the great mans shoes and from all reports bares a striking resemblance to the way Archer played.
Last year saw what I would rate as career best form from the likes of Brent Harvey, Corey Jones, Shannon Watt, Jesse Smith and Hamish McIntosh. It will be interesting too see if this group of players and along with the likes of Andrew Swallow and Scott McMahan can back up their exceptional years and have another fantastic season because that will go along way to determining the outcome of the season for the Kangaroos. Let’s not forget the Kangaroos had 9 players in the finals series that had played under 50 games so those players should now be ready to take a big step forward.
The knockers keep coming for the Kangaroos
What is it with these footballing greats knocking the North Melbourne Football Clubs decision to relocate to the Gold Coast?
Some of the comments from these people really surprise me. I mean here we have Ron Barassi a two time North Melbourne Premiership coach (1975, 1977) and arguably the biggest footballing identity saying that it wasn’t his preference for the club to stay in Melbourne. What!!!! This is one person that I would have thought would have been 100% behind the club, but he says his opinion is that the “game is greater than any one club”, which is fair enough, but try to explain that to the members of the Kangaroos or any club for that matter. What would happen if the Collingwood Football Club was in a similar situation? A good business man Eddie McGuire is, but there would be a never ending riot if he decided that would be best for the Pies. I am sure he could see all the positives in it from a business sense but he would do everything in his power to get the same result here in Melbourne I am sure of that. What would the great Ted Whitten and Chris Grant think of a decision about relocating the Western Bulldogs?
We then have outspoken football identity and Kangaroo great Sam Kekovich saying similar things about the decision: “We had everything to gain and nothing to lose,” the former club champion said.
Then Alan Aylett: “Even if I don’t agree with it, all you can do now is wait and hope. Time will tell.”
Here are 3 high profile football identities that have big profiles and a lot of pull in a lot of different areas of business and football and instead of getting off there arse and trying to help their club they are taking the easy option and having a go at the club for doing their best to “Stay in Melbourne”.
It is sad to see that the history and passion of a club in today’s AFL landscape is lost on these types of people, which I would have thought to be the opposite. I am sure James Brayshaw and his board are just taking note of the comments being said by these people and creating a nice little collection to be pulled out at a later date when they have successfully done what they set out to achieve and prove all these people wrong.
All you North Melbourne fans head on over to the Kangaroo website and sign up now!
Don’t miss these North Melbourne fans
I have just came across these two great videos, take a look North Melbourne fans this should stir your emotions and make you want to jump on board an buy a membership, I’m not a North Melbourne supporter but still enjoyed watching them.
The second one I first saw on Dave’s Football Blog which focuses on all the different codes of football from around the world.
Leave a comment after you have watched them both and tell me what you thought.
No Home? No Deal!
You don’t have a home for us?, then stuff ya !
They were the words of the North Melbourne Football Club’s chairman James Brayshaw, or as he known among the Kangaroo faithful “GOD” (not those exact words but that’s what he implied).
The North Melbourne Football Club is staying in Melbourne, while the AFL will push on with it’s interests in the Gold Coast it will not be with the Kangaroos. It’s good to see the passion is still alive in today’s football world, you just can’t beat “People Power” !
The North Melbourne fans turned out in droves to the Dallas Brooks Hall to hear their new “GOD” James Brayshaw outline his plans to resurrect the future of the embattled AFL Club. Hours earlier the Kangaroos board rejected the AFL’s rail roading tactics to try to lure them with a $100 million carrot, one I am sure was very tempting. But like most other football followers I am glad they refused, there is still enough room here in Victoria for the North Melbourne Football Club.
The AFL’s appalling tactics
The AFL’s decision to prey on a club that is in a vulnerable position like North Melbourne are just so Mr Demetriou 
and his board to can say they grew the game into uncharted territory is disgusting to say the least. I hope all North Melbourne fans and supporters of other clubs “Stick it up em”, to use one the late great Teddy Whitten’s cliché’s. Remember this is a club with 138 years of tradition here in Melbourne, and what a lot of people may not realise is that this is a club that battled for 30 years to get into the VFL, and then another 50 to win their first premiership !, but the AFL brushed this aside and could only see their own agenda.
