Jack Ziebell has praised the leadership of coach Brad Scott after North Melbourne’s lacklustre start to the season.
The Kangaroos belted the Blues at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, notching just their second win of the season after 7 rounds.
Ziebell says the finger of blame for the poor performances so far this year has been pointed in the wrong direction.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Brad,” Ziebell told The Age.
“He’s huge. He’s got the players’ backs 100 per cent and he’s the guy who leads from the front, whether we’re going well or going poorly. And often when we’re going well, he’ll be the one who shuns all that spotlight, and when we’re going poorly, he’s the one who puts it all on himself. I could not speak highly enough of our coach and I love having him with us.
“[Scott bearing the brunt] honestly doesn’t sit too well with me, because it’s not his fault. We’re all in it together. We all want to help out and do our bit.”
North defeated Carlton to the tune of 58 points on Sunday and played the style of football supporters had become accustomed to in 2018.
“We haven’t executed well enough for probably the first five or six rounds. Results reflect that. Footy is a simple game when you put it in terms of contested footy,” Ziebell said.
“We set ourselves for that today.
“That’s in the North Melbourne DNA. People have been disappointed, but no one’s been more disappointed than ourselves with our first six weeks of the season.”
Ziebell played a sensational ‘captain’s game’, going head-to-head with Patrick Cripps. The past two weeks has afforded the No.7 more midfield minutes where he’s thrived.
“If I need to play inside I’ll play inside, if I need to play forward I’ll play forward,” Ziebell stated.
“I am dictated to by the coach, and I trust him 100 per cent with what he needs and what he wants from me. He’ll lay out my role week-to-week, and we’ll just go from there.”