How do you defend against fast play? That was the task which confronted North Melbourne on Sunday, and one they ultimately failed on route to a 72-point loss against Essendon.
Category: 2021
From The Notebook, Round 9
On the agenda this week: Gold Coast's terrible third quarter, the Western Bulldogs' maturity, and a starting point for Melbourne's forward trio.
Round 9 v Hawthorn: Problem solving
Forgive me if I’m a little bit rusty today, I looked up the manual on how to write about a North Melbourne win and it had been so long all the ink had faded out.
From The Notebook, Round 8: Geelong’s ‘stretching’ ball movement
A slight detour from the script for this week's Notebook, with a single-topic focus on Geelong's method of moving the ball against Richmond.
Round 8 v Collingwood: A monthly player check-in
After the first player progress report a few weeks ago proved to be popular, and given the requests for individuals since, it's now going to become a monthly thing for the rest of the season.
From The Notebook: Round 7
As promised last week, it's an all-positive edition of the Notebook, featuring Richmond and Liam Baker, the Suns and Izak Rankine, along with Brisbane's favourable matchup against Port Adelaide.
Round 7 v Melbourne: A clear sign of progress
Although wind in Hobart makes for an exponentially funnier game, from a long-term development perspective it was great for it to take a rare Sunday off.
Melbourne rising: What’s behind the Demons’ unbeaten start to 2021?
6-0 for the first time since 1965, comfortable wins over last year’s premiers and runner up, a defensive setup humming in all areas and genuine belief coursing through the playing group.
From The Notebook: Round 6
Six weeks into the season, we're at the stage where trends we see are more likely to be legitimate. Today it's all about West Coast, set shots, Carlton's defence and St Kilda's form.
Round 6 v Fremantle: Spread and defend
Today's post is all about midfield structure; unfortunately one which broke down far too often for North Melbourne against Fremantle around stoppages and contests.