Rhyce Shaw throws support for the out-of-form key forward Ben Brown as his struggles continued against Essendon.
North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw has defended the Kangaroos’ spearhead Brown after the heat has turned on out of the key forward whose struggles continued against the Bombers.
The key forward Brown kicked a single goal from eight disposals in the Kangas’ 14-point loss to the Dons at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night, 11 July. His tally sits at only seven goals in six games this season, which shows a significant drop-off from the spearhead’s career-best 64-goal season in 2019.
After the game against Essendon, Coach Rhyce Shaw backed in the 27-year-old forward to turn things around. He claimed that Brown’s failing had more to do with the teams’ play than his own efforts.
The 38-year-old coach said:
“Ben’s competing really hard, he’s working really hard and I think we haven’t really helped our forward a lot in terms of our (forward) entries. He’s a bit dictated by what happens up the ground and we are a work in progress in that.”
He continued throwing support to the forward, adding:
“With Ben, he’s giving us an option and bringing the ball to the deck. He’s playing his role but we have to help him out.”
The Roos had a promising start this season after claiming wins in the opening two rounds. However, they have now slipped to 16th rank on the ladder, following the streak of four consecutive defeats.
With Captain Jack Ziebell’s hamstring issue and the inside midfielder Ben Cunnington’s back issue, North Melbourne has a “significant” injury list. As the club is going through a bit of a lean patch, Coach Shaw is confident that the team will stack up to their brand sooner.
Shaw, who is 5 feet 10 inches in height, is the son of former Collingwood captain Ray Shaw. His father took the Magpies to the 1979 Escort Cup Grand Final and won their first senior title since 1958.
Prior to the appointment as head coach for North Melbourne, Shaw served as an assistant coach at Sydney for three years. He was an assistant coach of Kangaroos for a few months before being appointed interim head coach in May 2019. Later, he became the club’s permanent successor to Brad Scott as head coach.
Shaw played the last of his 237 career AFL games in 2015.
