If North Melbourne are lucky, they won’t have another game this year with the conditions they faced on Saturday.
A combination of blustery wind, intermittent rain of varying intensity, and an open ground at Barossa Park provided an experience almost impossible to replicate anywhere else during the year, especially now Hobart trips have fallen by the wayside.
It meant some positions felt largely redundant – for instance, Charlie Spargo’s specific role as a high half-forward link man was tough to execute at all, let alone well for someone not yet AFL match fit – while other elements, like the degree of difficulty for usually simple set shots, existed in its own bubble.
There were still plenty of takeaways from the afternoon, largely around transition on both sides of the ball and the handful of tweaks that were made off the back of team selection.
Finn O’Sullivan’s injury-enforced absence meant a midfield tweak was needed. In the first quarter all the changes we saw perhaps caught Brisbane on the hop slightly as well, considering all of North’s goals in the term came from stoppage.
– Jy Simpkin took the large chunk of O’Sullivan’s role, tasked with the responsibility of Will Ashcroft
– Continuing on from what we saw in snippets late against Carlton, Paul Curtis had some more spot on-ball minutes
– Regardless of whether it was Dylan Stephens or Tom Blamires, the defensive side winger appeared to be much closer in to the contest than previous weeks, and also with a licence to get involved in the exit rather than playing as a standard sweeper
– Spargo’s pure high half forward role saw him come up to contests and stoppages, floating around on both sides of them at times
To start with all these listed tweaks – plus probably a few more that were impossible to pick up via broadcast view – meant Brisbane had to problem solve.
If we look at the initial clearance that led to all four North first quarter goals, we can see how those changes had an effect:
1) Curtis coming through like a bowling ball creating the time for Simpkin to pick up and clear
2) Spargo coming around to the defensive side of stoppage to be an option and then belt it forward
3) Blamires in position to pick up the tap and kick it forward, admittedly with a horrendous slice
4) Stephens picking up the Luke Davies-Uniacke handball and finding a leading Curtis
The game changed after quarter time as Brisbane ramped up their defensive work around the ball, cutting off many of North’s outlets around contest.
Across the middle two quarters, which is largely the focus for the rest of today’s piece, the key moments largely came through ball movement or transition, whether offensive, defensive, or a mix of both.
Because those moments jump around a lot and are tricky to follow chronologically, what we’ll do here is split into multiple parts and take each through to its conclusion. First up:
Offensive Rebound: Back Half
In the second quarter, Brisbane won all four centre clearances. That, combined with all their missed shots, meant they dictated territory, forcing North to play largely out of their back half.
Of North’s 11 rebound 50s for the term, they retained possession from only five (three stoppage, three turnover), with just two of those five making it inside 50 at the other end.
Sometimes getting pinned deep in defence can be self-inflicted. Other times there’s not a lot that can be done when it’s against a very good team who are set up well behind the ball.
Looking through the footage we can see plenty of scrambled exits under fierce pressure, or slow, wide balls which aren’t causing Lions any hesitation.
(Special mention to Stephens bravely sitting under a ball and getting clobbered by a swinging Jarrod Berry spoil, and then the irony of the first person to pass comment on it being Jordan Lewis)
The end result was even though North were looking to try a few different things – some handball, some long kicking, some short kicking – sometimes the opposition is too good.
After spending the term unable to move the ball, North came out after half time with a resolve to push even more, which brings us to our next point.
Offensive Transition: Into Types of Turnovers
Last week we briefly touched on how there’s a difference between a bad kick and a bad decision, the theory that someone can be the best kick of all time but if they make the wrong decision on where to go then it doesn’t matter how good their skills are.
Coincidentally that topic was right at the fore in the third quarter and is really important for how to judge some of the turnovers we saw.
Before we continue, a disclaimer: My personal preference is if the right decision gets made, I’m not hugely fussed at whether it results in a turnover because I believe it’s far tougher to consistently make the right decision in a game. If the right decisions are continually made it gives disposal far greater room for error, usually – usually – rectifying the latter with time.
For example, this from Curtis is the right decision to make. Nick Larkey is out over the back and it’s an achievable option. It’s a correct decision to go there, but a bad kick. In theory the process is sound, which is the most important thing.
Contrast it with this Stephens decision rolling down the wing. He opts to go inboard with a short kick to the waiting Luke McDonald, right as Lincoln McCarthy is closing in.
It’s a low percentage kick, with the reward also not worth the risk. The kick itself is fine, coming off the boot normally without too much hang time. The issue is first and foremost a bad decision made.
Only one of Luke Parker’s 8,347 third quarter defensive acts saves it from a Brisbane goal.
These turnovers – whether from bad kicks, bad decisions, or both – largely stemmed from a desire to keep challenging Brisbane’s defence after a second quarter spent pinned in the back half.
It made perfect sense to try and open the game up. The final issue was these offensive turnovers came without much in the way of cover behind the ball.
Defensive Transition: After Offensive Transition
In the second half, Brisbane had 18 rebound 50s. Nine of them made it inside the Lions’ 50, a rate of 50 percent.
Some context for how high a 50 percent transition rate is: Last year’s leader was the Western Bulldogs at 30.7 percent.
When a team goes forward, usually the simultaneous defensive goal is to set up well behind possession, ideally getting in a position to stop any quick opponent transition.
Sometimes the offensive turnovers are in a position nearly impossible to defend, like this shallow entry from Harry Sheezel with half the Brisbane population suddenly in the vicinity of the spoil (note: another to chalk down to right decision, bad kick with too much air in it)…
…but other times there was enough evidence – from what we could see on broadcast view – of North’s setup behind the ball not sufficiently ready or able to quickly snap into defensive mode.
Earlier we looked at the Curtis turnover which came from a right decision but bad kick. From the turnover Brisbane were able to take it right down the other end for a goal and the glimpse of behind the goals footage we get is instructive.
We can see North’s forwards coming in behind but they’re too high, allowing Bruce Reville to present as the get out option. It’s understandable that it happens because the expectation is Curtis’ kick will find Larkey, but it’s these little things that separate teams.
The best teams won’t switch off even though they have every right to, and that allows them to be better defensively. And then with North’s back line stretched it allowed Brisbane all sorts of room to run through the middle unchallenged.
It made for a frustrating afternoon because North did plenty right both individually and collectively, outside of these lapses.
There are still plenty of things to clean up, but of more pressing matters is a game this Sunday against Richmond, where North will probably enter the heaviest favourites they’ve been for quite some time.
A different mindset will be required for a more traditional game than what we saw in the Barossa. It’ll need to be ticked off before heading into what looms as a brutally tough five weeks before the bye.