Jack Ziebell is on a mission. As North’s new captain, the soon to be 26-year-old wants all the players at Arden Street, new and old, to adhere to a strict standard.
With 11 new faces this season, he knows it’s going to be a learning process for some.
“We have brought back the Shinboner … for us as a leadership group and a captain, it’s important that we teach these new guys what it is to be a Shinboner, and how they now are representing all the people that have gone before them,” Ziebell told The Herald Sun.
“Because when they pull on the blue and white jumper we expect them to do everything a Shinboner would do.
“And if we have 22 Shinboners playing that role, we are going to be a bloody hard side to beat.
“From my point of view a Shinboner is someone who is never beaten. It’s a pretty simple definition and you can relate that back to a lot of different things, but on field you are never beaten no matter what the circumstances, no matter the scoreline, no matter who you are or who you are versing.
“Shinboners give 100 per cent 100 per cent of the time.”
While many have been quick to jump off the bandwagon, Ziebell remains bullish about the club’s prospects.
“When we walked back in to the club it was a strange feeling, but it was one that really resonated with me,” he said.
“It feels homely, it feels good. It’s going to be an exciting year .. we really don’t know what we are capable of yet.
“It’s almost like a new footy club.
“But after playing finals for three years in a row, you don’t not want to play finals again. So going forward, no matter what happens, it is personally my goal for our team to play finals every year for the rest of my career.”