North Melbourne is setting itself for a battle of the cultures on Saturday night when it takes on the Sydney Swans.
With the Kangaroos’ famed Shinboner Spirit on display against the Eagles last week, the Round 11 matchup at Etihad Stadium is shaping as one of the games of the year.
For North, being labelled a Shinboner has long been viewed as one of the club’s highest honours and a true mark of respect while the Swans’ “Bloods” culture is equally significant.
"The Shinboner Sprit is never take your eye off the ball - go as hard as you possibly can at every contest," Glenn Archer said recently.
"Being bold and brave – I think that is something that when you walk into this club, it is a given, you have got to have it."
When Brad Scott arrived at the club in 2009, he felt the essence of the Shinboner had been hijacked and its true spirit “had been lost”.
The club held several workshops and conducted surveys involving a cross-section of employees, players and fans, and was able to identify a set of guiding ideals befitting of Shinboner Spirit; belonging, being real, being bold and never being beaten. The true essence of the term had been rediscovered.
"It is our culture and culture is something that you can’t take for granted. It is something you have got to continually nurture," Scott said.
North’s “Shinboner Spirit” epithet pre-dates Sydney’s “Bloods” culture by several decades but the themes are similar; always being hard at the footy, never being beaten and playing with uncompromising courage and determination are part both teams’ values and ideals.
Formerly South Melbourne, Sydney adopted the bright red sash on the white jumper and its players were called the “bloodstained angels” following the 1945 VFL Grand Final against Carlton, otherwise known as the “Bloodbath”.
The modern day Swans had all but forgotten their once famous trademark until captain Stuart Maxfield reclaimed it in 2003 according to former player Luke Ablett.
“We always tried to refine what The Bloods actually meant and ultimately how we wanted to judge ourselves. That is probably the most important element of successful football club culture; not just the statistical measurements, but the character traits that you aspire to," Ablett said.
It all culminated for Sydney with a Premiership victory in 2005 and Brett Kirk’s cry of “This is for the Bloods!” gave rise to the new “Bloods” culture.
On Saturday night, the Shinboners will be out to regain some respect after being humiliated by the Bloods in last year’s preliminary final. If the boys from Arden Street can use the momentum gained in Hobart last week, another four points could be heading their way.
