Dear Dan,

Well, I am not quite sure where you are now, or whether you managed to keep up with today's game. It was a bit of a nostalgic experience for me - listening to the game on the radio, except that it was on a Sunday and against a team from the SANFL. It is still a bit difficult to know exactly what to make of the result.

In the end we lost by three goals after twice getting close in the last quarter. Listening to the radio it seems as though there were a number of observations that can be made from our performance:

1. We seemed to have good pressure in the backline but conceded 37 shots at goal, a number of marks in good scoring position and a couple of 50 metre penalties that were not only actually 50 metres but resulted in goals
2. We finished the game strongly but appeared to go almost completely missing in the second and third quarters
3. Wells seemed to start ok, but faded out of the game and did not have a very strong impact.
4. Hamish played reasonably in the ruck, but our defensive pressure in the midfield was patchy and despite both Burgoynes getting plenty of the ball at and around stoppages there did not appear to be a move to play them in any way that was not extremely loose
5. Corey Jones kicked all four of our second quarter goals but was barely sighted otherwise.
6. Boomer was inspirational in the second half kicking four goals
7. Aaron Edwards worked his way into the game taking a number of marks and finishing with one goal
8. Leigh Brown and David Hale are not causing too much concern in opposition planning meetings
9. Watt, Petrie and Firrito were good in the backline but Arch and Pratt were not so great, and Arch should really go back to the forward line so that at least someone there has a taken a contested mark in the past three years.
10. In the last quarter we had five consecutive shots at goal for four points and one out of bounds on the full.

So, yet again it was disappointing to come close and to lose, and one wonders how many close losses we can sustain before we start to have distant losses. A win soon would probably do wonders for the team. They seem to be playing with an intent to attack but not quite knowing what to do ...

It feels a little like some previous North era that I can't quite put my finger on ... that things are just not quite falling into place, but when they do we will actually play some reasonably good football. It was also encouraging to see that Blake Grima and Callum Urch were in North Ballarat's better players on Saturday and that Urch kicked five goals from centre-half forward. I still think that he would be a good option in the forward line with Jones and Edwards.

It will certainly be good to have you back for our foray into the twilight next Sunday evening.

The off-season has certainly not been one that we would normally associate with the club but it does seem to have a certain farcical element that is very North Melbourne. The highlight of this being the inimitable Wayne Carey and his sparkling insight into his own contribution to the club. In confronting Laidley the other night our Wayne appeared to be - the only doubt is as to whether he could have really been stupid enough to believe this, and even this doubt is negligible - suggesting that his contribution to the club included the drafting of Daniel Wells. If only someone could fondle his brain and suggest he get a bigger one?

Until next time.

Justin