TonyK
CibbuanoWe have improved: Laidley
September 7th 2008 02:22
NORTH MELBOURNE coach Dean Laidley believes his side has made significant progress this season despite being bundled out in the first week of the finals.
The Roos' 2008 campaign ended on Saturday night when they lost to Sydney by 35 points at ANZ Stadium.
The Kangaroos reached a preliminary final in 2007 but Laidley believes his side has improved this season.
"I actually think, if you're talking about (winning) premierships - and let's face it that's what we're here to do - I would have thought we're closer this year than what we were last year," Laidley said.
"When we walked off after the preliminary final (against Port Adelaide) I thought we were a ways off it but the development over the summer and through the year of the younger guys that I've already spoken about, and with what we've probably got to come into the side ... it's been a real step forward for us."
Laidley admitted his side struggled to find consistency this season.
"We'll sit down and we'll have a review, we've played some pretty good footy at certain stages during the year, other times we were ordinary," he said.
Laidley also said the emergence of several players was a positive to take out of this season.
"(But there) are some really positive signs, the combination of Lindsay (Thomas) and Matty Campbell inside our forward 50's been super and to get nearly 60 goals from them (was pleasing), but their probably last four weeks has been a bit flat," Laidley said.
"Also to find a player like (Gavin) Urquhart, I think David Hale's taken another real step in his career, Ben Ross is in the wings and he probably wouldn't have gone out of the side if he didn't get injured."
"We've certainly found another ruckman in (Todd) Goldstein … and (Lachlan) Hansen came in and did some pretty good things for us, so outside of that side tonight you've probably got five or six kids that we think can have a really big influence next year or continue to have a big influence and you'll have some of those guys turning into men."
The Roos' 2008 campaign ended on Saturday night when they lost to Sydney by 35 points at ANZ Stadium.
The Kangaroos reached a preliminary final in 2007 but Laidley believes his side has improved this season.
"I actually think, if you're talking about (winning) premierships - and let's face it that's what we're here to do - I would have thought we're closer this year than what we were last year," Laidley said.
"When we walked off after the preliminary final (against Port Adelaide) I thought we were a ways off it but the development over the summer and through the year of the younger guys that I've already spoken about, and with what we've probably got to come into the side ... it's been a real step forward for us."
Laidley admitted his side struggled to find consistency this season.
"We'll sit down and we'll have a review, we've played some pretty good footy at certain stages during the year, other times we were ordinary," he said.
Laidley also said the emergence of several players was a positive to take out of this season.
"(But there) are some really positive signs, the combination of Lindsay (Thomas) and Matty Campbell inside our forward 50's been super and to get nearly 60 goals from them (was pleasing), but their probably last four weeks has been a bit flat," Laidley said.
"Also to find a player like (Gavin) Urquhart, I think David Hale's taken another real step in his career, Ben Ross is in the wings and he probably wouldn't have gone out of the side if he didn't get injured."
"We've certainly found another ruckman in (Todd) Goldstein … and (Lachlan) Hansen came in and did some pretty good things for us, so outside of that side tonight you've probably got five or six kids that we think can have a really big influence next year or continue to have a big influence and you'll have some of those guys turning into men."
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