Despite a bottom-place finish, the Northern Bullants showed encouraging improvement in 2024 and continued to build their reputation as a breeding ground for AFL talent.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 21st
W-L-D (%): 2-16 (62.8%)
Players used: 51
Played every match: 7 – Patrick Fairlie, Caleb Franks, Josh Hamilton, John Jorgensen, Matthew King, Ethan Mantas, Jean-Luc Velissaris
Ex-AFL players: 1 (9 matches)
Debutants: 28 – Zane Anderson, Corey Barbaro, Isaac Barry, Rook Barry, Harry Butterworth, Liam Canny, Jared Crosbie, Aleksandr D’Arro, Felix Dreher, Lucas Edmonds, Will Elliott, Cooper Ellis, Kane Emery, Caleb Franks, Maison Goodman, Luke Green, Aaron Hilton, Marcus Holland, Alex Jacobs, Max Johnson, Christos Kosmas, Rohan McKenzie, Isaac McMillian, Caleb McPherson, Tyson Pickett, Bailey Tome, William Wallace, Dane Whitnall
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and fairest: 1st: Jean-Luc Velissaris (216 votes), 2nd: Patrick Fairlie (156), 3rd: Liam Mackie (122), 4th: John Jorgensen (74), 5th: Saad El-Hawli (65)
J.J. Liston Trophy: Patrick Fairlie (9 votes), Jean-Luc Velissaris 9, Saad El-Hawli (2), John Jorgensen 2
Coaches MVP: Patrick Fairlie (46 votes), Jean-Luc Velissaris (31), Saad El-Hawli (17)
Smithy’s VFL Team of the Year: Saad El-Hawli (wing)
Leading Goalkickers: John Jorgensen (25), Will Elliott (14), Caleb Franks (12)
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Jean-Luc Velissaris 32.2, Patrick Fairlie 30.1, Saad El Hawli 25.8, Felix Dreher 24.5, Liam Mackie 23.9
Contested possessions: Jean-Luc Velissaris 12.2, Patrick Fairlie 12.2, Caleb Franks 9.4, Felix Dreher 7.3, Saad El-Hawli 7.1
Kicks: Liam Mackie 20.3, Felix Dreher 19.5, Jean-Luc Velissaris 19.4, Matthew King 15.6, Patrick Fairlie 14.4
Handballs: Patrick Fairlie 15.7, Jean-Luc Velissaris 12.8, Saad El-Hawli 10.8, Caleb Franks 8.9, Josh Hamilton 7.3
Marks: Matthew King 7.3, Saad El-Hawli 6.5, Felix Dreher 6.3, Patrick Fairlie 5.7, Jean-Luc Velissaris 5.5.
Tackles: Patrick Fairlie 6.3, Bailey Tome 5.3, Max Johnson 5.0, Caleb Franks 4.9, Jean-Luc Velissaris 3.7
Hitouts: Max Johnson 17.2, Will Elliott 6.1, Luke Green 5.5, John Jorgensen 4.6, Jack Chubb 0.8
Clearances: Jean-Luc Velissaris 5.9, Patrick Fairlie 5.7, Caleb Franks 3.4, Max Johnson 2.6, Sam Gilbert 2.6
Inside-50s: Jean-Luc Velissaris 5.9, Patrick Fairlie 3.6, Liam Mackie 3.5, Caleb Franks 2.5, Saad El-Hawli 2.5
Rebound-50s: Felix Dreher 8.7, Liam Mackie 6.0, Matthew King 5.2, Saad El-Hawli 4.4, Ethan Mantas 3.4
What went right: The Bullants are building a reputation as an AFL breeding ground, with Essendon’s mid-season draftee Saad El-Hawli becoming the third player from Genis Steel Oval to earn an opportunity in the past 12 months. Talented forward-ruck Will Elliott is considered a chance to be the fourth over this off-season. Breaking a 16-match losing streak against Collingwood in Round 7 and backing it up with a second win over former alignment partner Carlton in four years were major highlights. They may have also found a beauty in defender Felix Dreher, who was the No.1 rebounder in the VFL in his six late-season games.
What went wrong: Despite the 2-16 record, it’s hard to really pinpoint too much in what was always going to be a development year. The Bullants did fall to their second wooden spoon in three years despite an improved year. Lapses in games were the biggest issue rather than being blown away, which only happened once when thrashed by Richmond. Losing El-Hawli hurt short-term as it took away a lot of run and carry, but it could help make them a destination club.
Summary: With only nine players staying at the club from 2023, there were no external expectations on what the Bullants could achieve. Therefore, despite falling to the bottom it was a much-improved performance in Rohan Welsh’s first season at the helm. They improved their percentage from 40 to 62 and cut out the hammerings. They had seven players line up in every match compared to three. They still had a whopping 28 debutants (down from 33 last year) and look to have found a couple in Elliott, Caleb Franks and Maison Goodman. And with Welsh and many of their senior stars recommitting, they are building the stability they need as a standalone club.
Grade: 5/10