Speaking from Arden Street on Thursday afternoon, Laidley acknowledged that staying alive in the pre-season competition gives superior access to venues and opposition plus a better gauge of how the squad is shaping.
“I think the NAB Cup’s a great competition, it’s great for your preparation, but do you set yourself to go all out to win it? I wouldn’t have thought so,” he said.
“But the longer you can stay in it I think it’s better for your preparation. You play on good grounds, in good conditions, rather than ending up in Alice Springs or Bunbury or somewhere like that.
“Last year we lost our first one [to the Western Bulldogs] up in Darwin. Then we played Brisbane down here, who left basically their senior side at home, went to Fremantle who had a solid week the previous week so they rested all their players. And then we played Melbourne who had a really bad injury list this time last year.
“So our preparation was really, really poor going into round one. I think that showed.”
Some of the newest Roos could earn opportunities in the coming weeks, with Laidley suggesting that draftees Jack Ziebell, Sam Wright and Liam Anthony had shown enough since arriving at the club in November.
“They’re probably the three stand-outs,” he said. “The other guys are probably a little younger [in their development]. You would think those guys would perhaps get a look-in a little bit earlier.
“Sam’s still got a little bit of work to do on his body – he’s probably a bit skinnier than me. But we wanted some midfielders and some running players and with Liam, he certainly runs hard and gets in the right places, and Jack’s all class. He’s worked really hard to add to his talent since he’s been at the footy club.”
Laidley added that the contribution of his second-, third- and fourth-year players would be pivotal this year, and he has been particularly encouraged by the emergence of ruckman Todd Goldstein.
The 20-year-old, who played three games in 2008, has improved his conditioning and athleticism through a heavy summer workload and is looking to form a strong combination with first-choice big man Hamish McIntosh.
“His development from midway through last year and then coming back and having this pre-season – it’s been a joy to watch him,” Laidley said.
“Hamish has also had a very good pre-season. To have those two rucking will be great for the football club and will allow us to play David Hale forward. If we can keep those three on the park it will be very exciting for our supporters.”
North opens its NAB Cup campaign against Carlton at Telstra Dome on February 20.
