North Melbourne Kangaroos - Todd Goldstein - Hit Out Record

Last night Todd Goldstein single handedly battled against twin towers Aaron Sandilands and Zac Clarke. Although the towers got their share of hit outs Goldstein still managed 20 of his own to go alone with 16 possessions and 2 goals.

While his 20 hit outs didn't move him up all-time hit out list, it has him right behind the next 3. Next week against St Kilda Goldstein needs 10 more to jump from 8th spot to 5th an 24 to make 4th spot. Considering last time Goldstein played the Saints he amassed an extremely healthy 47 hit outs and constricted #1 ruckman Ben McEvoy to 25. Either way barring an injury or suspension Goldstein is highly likely to reached the top 3 position after the final 2 regular season games have been played out.

Home and away hit-out tallies


878 - Gary Dempsey - 1982 (North Melbourne)
738 - Gary Dempsey - 1983 (North Melbourne)
711 - Mark Lee - 1984 (Richmond)
703 - Simon Madden - 1983 (Essendon)
688 - Gary Dempsey - 1981 (North Melbourne)
686 - Aaron Sandilands - 2010 (Fremantle)
682 - Darren Jolly - 2009 (Sydney)
679 - Todd Goldstein - 2011 (North Melbourne)* (19 games)
659 - Aaron Sandilands - 2009 (Fremantle)
649 - Mark Lee - 1983 (Richmond)
646 - Aaron Sandilands - 2008 (Fremantle)
643 - Mark Jamar - 2010 (Melbourne)
628 - Peter Everitt - 2004 (Hawthorn)
623 - Rod Blake - 1980 (Geelong)
619 - Justin Madden - 1982 (Essendon)
611 - Mark Lee - 1981 (Richmond)
611 - Simon Madden - 1984 (Essendon)
607 - Matthew Allan - 1999 (Carlton)

Until then hail to the palm down!

North Melbourne Kangaroos - Round 22 Review

Round 22 @ Etihad Stadium vs Fremantle Dockers

North Melbourne Kangaroos 6.1 10.7 16.10 21.17 143



Fremantle Dockers 3.1 3.4 5.7 6.9 45

With both teams sitting in 9th and 10 spot with a slim chance of slipping into the top 8 this is literally a make or break game. Loser = out and the winner can keep their marginal hopes alive. Sure the Dockers have had their share of injuries and more but they came into this game as full strength as they have all year including skipper Pavlich and perennial All-Australian ruckman Aaron Sandilands. This was always going to be a good challenge for the young and hungry Roos as they had battled valiantly bust lost their previous two games against top 4 teams.
 
Fremantle scored the opening goal in the first 45 seconds but the Roos didn't shirk winning the first quarter with 6 goals to 3. Andrew Swallow was getting lots of it including important contested stuff. Cam Pederson chipped in with 2 important goals while Petrie was having a quiet one.
 
In the second quarter what became apparent was the stiffling defence and the midfield making it hard to Fremantle to get any quality inside 50's. Scott 'Hunter' Thompson and Michael 'Spud' Firrito were particularly stingy! The Roos won the quarter kicking 4 goal to none and opened up the margin like a pinata.
 
This is where I was worried the Roos would take their foot off the throttle and either win by a slim margin or heaven forbid lose. Instead they stepped on toes and necks winning the quarter 6 goals to 2 and putting the result out of reach.
 
The Roos kicked 5 goals 7 to 1 and if not for slight inaccuracy in front of goal would have won by 100+ points instead having to settle for a 98 point victory.
 

What was most interesting was the absence of Drew Petrie on the score sheet and the evenness of the contributors across the ground. Andrew Swallow was best a field with 30 possessions including 16 contested, 7 inside 50's and 7 tackles. Aaron Edwards and Cam Pederson finished with 3 goals a piece and Todd Goldstein battle 2 200+cm giants alone and finished with 20 hit outs, 16 possessions, 4 inside 50's and 2 goals. 10 players registered 20+ possession games on the way to achieving the greatest winning margin for the Kangaroos since 2003.
 
Stats of interest: The Kangaroos scored 10 goals from marks and 10 from general play. Fremantle were 4 and 1. Fremantle also fielded more than player with 100 or more games under their belt. 7 to 5. It must also be noted that match winner Matthew Pavlich left the game for the Dolce and Cabbana red vest which did not help the Dockers. However one of our most important midfielders for the last 2 months Jack Ziebell was hurt in a heavy collision very early in the game and left also before being able to even register 1 possession. Not a straight swap but please don't use injury to argue a 98 point pounding.
 
Roo Rating: 9 1/2 / 10
 
Daniel Wells
 

Daniel did have some quiet patches but stood up when it counted finishing with 25 possies, 2 goals and a stunning 10 inside 50's. A far cry from Wellsey's best but after a couple of quiet weeks this is what he needed to remind All-Australian selectors he can play.
 
Wells Rating: 8 / 10
 
St Kilda are playing Sydney as I type this and 'we' play St Kilda next Saturday Night. These 2 games are crucial for the Kangaroos to get a sniff at the panties of the voluptuous siren I call Mistress Finals.
 
Until then hail to the Purple People Eater!

North Melbourne Kangaroos - Todd Goldstein moves up the All-Time ruck ladder

Back on the 3rd of August I discussed who was in the running for All-Australian Ruckman for 2011. During the discussion I mentioned that Todd Goldstein was currently sitting in 14th spot on the all-time hit-out tally. He was averaging 36 hit-outs a game and on Sunday against Hawthorn he had 37. This moves him up to #8 on the list equal with Aaron Sandilands from 2009. With another 36 in 2 weeks time against St Kilda (after the bye) he'll move up to #5 on the all-time list with 695.

Home and away hit-out tallies


878 - Gary Dempsey - 1982 (North Melbourne)
738 - Gary Dempsey - 1983 (North Melbourne)
711 - Mark Lee - 1984 (Richmond)
703 - Simon Madden - 1983 (Essendon)
688 - Gary Dempsey - 1981 (North Melbourne)
686 - Aaron Sandilands - 2010 (Fremantle)
682 - Darren Jolly - 2009 (Sydney)
659 - Todd Goldstein - 2011 (North Melbourne)* (18 games)
659 - Aaron Sandilands - 2009 (Fremantle)
649 - Mark Lee - 1983 (Richmond)
646 - Aaron Sandilands - 2008 (Fremantle)
643 - Mark Jamar - 2010 (Melbourne)
628 - Peter Everitt - 2004 (Hawthorn)
623 - Rod Blake - 1980 (Geelong)
619 - Justin Madden - 1982 (Essendon)
611 - Mark Lee - 1981 (Richmond)
611 - Simon Madden - 1984 (Essendon)
607 - Matthew Allan - 1999 (Carlton)

With 3 games to go it will be interesting to see if Goldstein can finish up in 2nd position (he needs to average 26 for the last 3 games) as Gary Dempsey's #1 spot is out of reach.

Until then hail to the 22!

All-Australian Ruckman - 2011

Dean Cox vs Todd Goldstein

Thanks to injuries to perennial AA Aaron Sandilands, Mark Jamar and Darren Jolly, Cox and Goldstein are clearly the two best ruckmen in the comp for 2011.

I'd be inclined to say both will make the squad and 1 or 2 of them will make the team of 22 at the end of the year. A 2 ruck team hasn't been in vogue for a few years with the exception of last year (Sandilands & Jamar) and with the sub rule it is probably even more unlikely.

If one of these players misses out on the honour of making the team it will be a shame as they are definitely in the top 22 players in the comp but the position they play is quite a specialised one. It's a bit like a quarterback in American Football. Only 1 takes the field at a time. Yes I know several teams play with 2 ruckmen!

Yes I am very aware raw stats don't tell all of the picture but if we look at more than the basics we can make an educated decision on who has had a better.

NOTE: Watching games and seeing the impact the player has made on the game is more important that just stat hawking. For example a mark, kick and goal is great. But Dean Cox did it in the dying minutes to win the game last week!

So let's look at some comparative stats.

Cox gets a lot more of the ball 100 times more and twice as many marks. Goldstein leads in tackles 75 to 31 and hitouts 622 to 543. Goals and assists are comparable.

Based on this I'd say Cox has been the most valuable ruckman in the comp as he has had quite a few more possessions and he uses it well too. The gap is slightly bridged in the amount of hit outs Goldstein has and the exceptionally high tackle count for a ruckman, this means he stops the opposition run and he's already there for the stoppage for a likely hitout.

While Cox is having a slightly superior season overall Goldstein is having an incredible season in hitouts. This has been helped by the injury for former #1 Kangaroo ruckman Hamish McIntosh and left Goldstein to shoulder the role alone with Cam Pederson and Drew Petrie pinch hitting when needed. Todd Goldstein missed the 1st game of the season  (ironically against Cox's West Coast) but still sits at #14 in the all-time hitout tally (see table below) and if he averages 29 for the remainder of the year will finish 2nd on that list. 29 will not be out of the realms of possibility as Goldstein is averaging 36 a game in the 17 he has played.

Home and away hit-out tallies

878 - Gary Dempsey - 1982 (North Melbourne)
738 - Gary Dempsey - 1983 (North Melbourne)
711 - Mark Lee - 1984 (Richmond)
703 - Simon Madden - 1983 (Essendon)
688 - Gary Dempsey - 1981 (North Melbourne)
686 - Aaron Sandilands - 2010 (Fremantle)
682 - Darren Jolly - 2009 (Sydney)
659 - Aaron Sandilands - 2009 (Fremantle)
649 - Mark Lee - 1983 (Richmond)
646 - Aaron Sandilands - 2008 (Fremantle)
643 - Mark Jamar - 2010 (Melbourne)
628 - Peter Everitt - 2004 (Hawthorn)
623 - Rod Blake - 1980 (Geelong)
622 - Todd Goldstein - 2011* (17 games)
619 - Justin Madden - 1982 (Essendon)
611 - Mark Lee - 1981 (Richmond)
611 - Simon Madden - 1984 (Essendon)
607 - Matthew Allan - 1999 (Carlton)
 
So where do I sit in All-Australian contention? Based on form up to date, Cox is slightly ahead but Goldstein would be very stiff if he doesn't make the team.
 
Until then hail to the tap tap tapparoo!