Who would you rather play for, North or the Saints?

Published Jul 2, 2024, 5:20 AM

On today's Herald Sun footy podcast, Andy Bellairs and Glenn McFarlane discuss where free agents would prefer to head - North Melbourne or St Kilda (and it's the blue and white that seems a more attractive prospect).

Also, the umpires are the main point of footy conversation again so Macca delves into what impact AFL CEO Andrew Dillon's recent comments will have on the conversation.

Here's a question you wouldn't even have had to think about even six weeks ago. Which is more of a destination club for out of contracted players Sin Kilda or one win North Melbourne. Hello and welcome to the Heraldson Footy Podcast. I'm Andy Belaiz and Glenn McFarlane will join me coming up to discuss just that. And how do you feel about contracted players meeting with opposition clubs in season? Well, it seems to be happening more and more, so we'll talk to macer about that too. Also, the umpires are in the news again with Andrew Dillon, the CEO of the AFL, doubling down on the support of the umpiring decisions. We're going to dissect what that means for the fans and for footy in general. Here's maca and here on the Heraldson Footy Podcast. We joined often every week now.

So much for joining us pleasure. Andy, always happy to join you.

So it's we've been talking for five years about how bad North is, Yes, and they're generationally bad and they're you know, the worst since fitzrou in the nineties, and all these things up early that we can come out with in hyperbole. But are they finally Are we seeing light at the end of the time.

Ah, I think we are, and there's good light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train at the light in the in the tunnel as well, I think we are starting to see that they still on the bottom of the ladder.

It might not be that way at the end of the year. They could flip with Richmond.

I've got no doubt because they can win another game or two North. What I do like is that the players seem to want to hang around and stay.

We've got to take it. You know.

John Ralph had a great piece last week on LDU about how he wants to stay. You know, we don't know what kam Zha is going to do yet a while. Most of their young guns have signed for a period of time. So I think I won't say Destination Club because it's they're not but in that sense, but I think they've got the jump on a couple of other or certainly one other Victorian team who is really struggling to get a nibble.

Well that's and when you said to me, it took me a moment to compute this. But Sin Kilda and North. Where would you rather go if you were a young up and coming player who with money was dangled in front of you for a trade.

I'm always keen to go for the money, and it's very keen for that.

But if the Saints and North both offered Jadeham but at five in five.

Years, you've got to look at where they're going to be. These clubs are going to be for that next five years, and as you sit here right now, you would think that North has got the capability of doing far more than Sin Kilda in that five years.

So there's obviously other factors.

They're both two really hard coaches if you look at it, old school coaches, but I think Clarko has got that sort of modern bent on him in the sense that the way that they play footy North is actually quite attractive. I wouldn't have been saying that eight to ten weeks ago, to be honest. So it's a mini flip. But I can certainly see that Saint Kilda's probably in the position that North were when they were trying to get hold of Dusty Martin back in twenty seventeen and offered Josh Kelly.

Oh, Josh Kelly.

They had so many they tried to try and I think Luke Parker or Dan Hannibry might have been one at that time.

Dan ends up going to Saint Kilda.

So Saint Kilda's in that sort of that sort of semi no man's land. You think about what they're looked at at the moment. They've tried to get hold of Jordan de Goy, No, didn't happen. You know, they've certainly looked at Hugh mcluggage. Didn't happen, Tyson Stengele, didn't happen, Jarre Berry. There's quite a few there that they've been knocked back on at the moment, and whether that is to do with people and the way they're seeing their list. They did play finals last year, but they're far from a finals team and I think the scary thing if you're a footballer is you don't want your team to be out of contention when Tazy's coming in. So I sitting here right now, taking to consideration similar sort of deals, you'd have to think North would be pretty attractive.

Well.

And also you look at Saint Kilda's list and yes they've got obviously every team has good players, but is there that is that star direct or an up and coming star that you can look at.

Who's a number?

I want to be attached myself to him?

Who's number you're going to put on your back? You can see it north. Do you want cheese or do you want wardlaw?

Jeez?

I reckon, I'd have wardlawa He's absolute superstar. I love Nick Larky, Yeah, I see Nick Larky is an absolute star. Is fantastic. So you're looking at that, You're looking at LDU. There's quite a few there. Ads and Kilda, who are you going to do? Are you going to put Max King on your back?

Don't? Maybe Vanilla Wanning Miller is probably the one.

But that's the thing you look at, and that's not You don't choose a footy club for those particular reasons, but kids might, absolutely And that's why the Saints, you've got a real dilemma.

About where they're at.

You know what I wish they would do stop winging a little bit about father sons and academies. All it does, in my mindset is that it creates a bit of a narrative around a footy club that's negative and that permeates to the players, and certainly doesn't it to Ross, you know, but Ross has got caught up in it as well. I think sure behind the scenes, argue your case as much as you can. And it was a great story by Robot. I'm not bagging the story. I would love to have sat down with Bassett last week. But you know what, stop winging about that. They've got a few next Gen academy in there as well. Get on with developing your own and get on with doing the right and making your decisions count well.

And compare it to another great piece of Robbo did was it two years ago? It was it last year with so on your Hood where you did similar sit down and that was a very positive store definitely about the forward direction of the football correct. And I think there's a real contrast there.

There is is sort.

Of thinking positively about the game and developing where you're going and sort of correct be mired in what's you know, Yeah, these things that might be a problematic to you.

Well, we talk this game down so much, don't we, And I just think sometimes it gets a little bit heavy on people. And that's why I think that by all means security can have that and behind argue that case behind closed doors as hard as you can, but just maybe publicly just pull back a little.

I reckon and there is Securita also have a there is a problematic issue for them with their playing list in that one of their star players or a guy who has emerged as a few Josh.

Battle, yeah, still hasn't signed.

He's still on the sign. He's looking at a high risk.

Of moving on, no doubt, there's no question about that or else.

Generally, the school of thought, with a lot of managers and with a lot of clubs, if you haven't signed by the mid year break or just after the mid year break, something strange there. Now that there's been all, you know, situations that haven't worked out, like I think Travis Cloak was one where he looked like he was out of Colin but all of a sudden decides to stay.

So that happens.

But the fact is Hawthorne are making a really strong pitch for Josh Battle. They missed out last year on Ben McKay. They thought they had a little nibble at a sava there for a period of time as well. They need a key defender and Josh Battle fits that bill very fascinating. The talk around about Sam Mitchell, the Hawthorne coach, who is an absolute gun.

Who is you know?

I was out to put the question to him last week. A few of us did actually about whether he's spoken to Josh Battle. He delicately let the ball go through to the keeper, but did say there has been a slight change and players do deserve now to know exactly what they're dealing with when they're talking about we're a long way from the Lynn Jong days with the great j Clark story where he had Lynn from the Bulldogs, you know, touring the Collingwood facilities in twenty sixteen, an uproar, there was an uproar, and we've come a long way since then, a huge long way from then.

But it is fascinating.

And there's talk about Hawthorne and having a delegation that's going to Sydney to meet Harry Perryman. Have we changed enough Andy that we're not heading down the NRL pathway? But to these players, are they within their rights to speak to other other opposition coaches in the middle of the season.

I can't see why not. I can't see why not. I think coaches themselves, you know, assistant coaches We've seen it plenty of times where a coach has got a you know that they've been given carte blanche to advertise and then put the hand up for senior coaching roles even when their teams are in finals contention and things like that. So I can't see why it shouldn't be the same for players. You know, you or I can go on into which with another employer.

I'm sure anyone's taken me at this stage, am I. I'm only joking.

I don't know. I think they're lining up for you. I think that having a conversation and we.

Have mature it, haven't we in that sense we have mature like I don't think we're quite at that level where you would sign a deal and it would become public that you know, and he's going to I was going to say somewhere other than Melbourne that you're going to. I was trying to think who you would hate the most. And he's going to Collingwood next year, but not next year, in two years, in two years time. And that's the bizarre thing. And they've got it within their heads that these guys are smart enough that they still want to play good football, whatever code they're playing and so they'll still give everything, but I'm just not sure we're quite at that stage yet a while.

Yeah, well, I mean it's a really interesting conversation and it can only move forward from here. We can only get more comfortable around it. And also the Saints and North, I mean.

Is an interesting scenario, isn't it, because you know, one footy club it looks to be going in one direction and the other one admittedly very very early on in the North melbourne've you know, they've shown a bit in the last few weeks. One still won one game and there's still a long way to go. But the Saints have been incredibly disappointing. I think, not throwing the baby out with a bath order in that regard, But I just worry about where their list is, not necessarily just now.

I'm talking about in two years time.

And it's amazing when we think at the start of the year we were talking North and West Coast where the bottom of the bottom and Hawthorne wasn't far behind. I mean, people were there. There, there were some positive signs.

But I'll be honest with you, if I'm choosing between the three, I think it might be the Brown and gold variety that I.

Think if you're choosing between eighteen, yeah, I think, and I think.

I've said this on here to you before Destination Dingley. Now they go to Dingley next year. It doesn't sound great, but it'll be the best best facilities you've ever seen out there. They're going to have and they are very active Andy, They'll be as active as anyone going forward.

At the end of this year.

I want to talk to you about umpires, but let's take a break. We'll come back with Glen mcfahan. We're back here on the Herald Sun Footy podcast. I'm joined by Glenn mcfarhlan and Macka. We've talked a lot about umpire.

We have.

Everyone's talked a lot about umpires and it seems to your you know, it seems like it's politics at the moment, where on one side or the other and they're moving further away. You either think they're the best they've ever been, you think they're the worst of every been and never the twain shall meet.

Well.

I was hoping Robo was sitting down today when Andrew Dillon, the AFL CEO, got up and said that umpiring is as good as it's ever been.

Now.

Robo, as we know two weeks ago and he's had it further justification in the last two weeks said it was the worst umpiring he had seen in thirty years of covering footy, So that it's not just a little gap between those two scenarios.

There's a chasm.

You're looking at, a chasm between Robbo's view and Andrew Dillon's view.

I get that Andrew Dillon's.

Got to support the umpires and support Steve mcbernie and to do that. I just think he went a little bit too far by saying it's best that it's ever been, because we've seen it. There's always going to be mistakes. I make mistakes on a daily basis, footballers do. Umpires are going to make mistakes. But gee, it feels like we've had a really tough run lately, haven't we.

He really paints that's a strange comment to make. He paints himself into a corner by the app the absolutism of that comment the best it's ever been. You're surely there can be caveats. Surely he can come out and try and be conciliatreating towards those people who aren't liking and being frustrated by what they see and say, we understand, you know that to the to the metrics, they're doing really well. We will continue to listen, Steve McBurnie to listen, but no to say that it's the best it's ever been, full stop. I don't think it's the right way to go.

No, it's an interesting scenario and of course this week they didn't put anyone up for an explanation of what went on in the certainly in the third quarter of Esidence Gelong.

Now I'm not saying that that won the game for Geelong, far from it. Geelong went on.

And systematically dismantled Essident in the second half, but geez, some of those decisions you look at and already Brad Scott, you know, we only know now that the deliberate one was not right because Brad Scott had had a cover station with the AFL and good on the AFL. They've had a They've been obviously able to go to Essendon and potentially other clubs this week, but we don't know that. I'd love to know that it shouldn't be up to Brad Scott in a sense, it's not having to go at Brad Scott, but if there's a couple, I'm really up for not to do it every week. But then when there are certain weeks where there are certain games where you know, the decision is such a big part of the talking point of the week, address it.

I'd rather be than be on the front foot with.

It and put an umpire representative up as well, even if it's not Steve McBurnie. Put a mad Stevich or a Brett Rose. We be one of the really scene guys who fantastic coup on to sit down with the media or just stand up and say we're going to take you through these This is why this decision was made. It may not have been technically correct, but it's a fast moving game and we're all, as we've said before, footy fans understand correct, really difficult game to umpire. Just be open with us.

Yeah, absolutely, And I think that's all you want and all your request is to just be open. You know, nobody is infallible, like there's mistakes everywhere you go. It just seems to be that at the moment there's a real doom and gloom around umpires. So I don't know that Andrew Dillon and I think he's doing a great job. But I'm not sure those comments, you know, were the right way to go. I think if you just be a bit conciliatory and say, yeah, we've got a couple of wrong we're trying to get better. I'm not sure the four umpire system is working. We're in year two of it. They're resolute, the AFL and saying it is working. Going to be a fascinating Watch this space. We haven't even got to finals yet. Imagine when it happens in the finals.

As the as the could have beans will say, I hate to see a final decide.

Well, imagine Digger. I don't know whether the Digg is still going around? Is he still he is?

He's around around somewhere in the now, dig one hundred and.

He's had some going what you know on the liver over the journey over there is to get upset the practice internal problem. Oh yeah, internal practice match. We'll there you go.

Hey, Maaca, as you said, watch this space, but we're not going to stop talk about umpires.

It's coming.

We'll stand by. We've got a big game Friday night. Let's hope not absolutely. Thanks you to Thanks Andy, that'll do us.

On today's Herald Sunfooty podcast, I'm Andy Bellez and my thanks to Glenn McFarlane for joining me today. Make sure you keep an eye out for all the trade buzz from Moneyball on Wednesday morning, Nick mcgon's analysis on Friday, all the game day coverage over the weekend, and then, as always, Robbos can't mistackle on Sunday night. I'll catch you next week.

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