MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 24: Jamie Macmillan of the Kangaroos handballs whilst being tackled by Jack Redpath of the Bulldogs during the round 14 AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and the North Melbourne Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium on June 24, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
North Melbourne defender Jamie Macmillan has labelled recent criticism of the playing group as "disrepectufl" and says the players are "p---ed off" with some of the attacks in the media.
Many pundits expect the Kangaroos to struggle again in 2018, with some media experts describing the list as one of the worst in the league.
But Macmillan, who has re-signed with the club until 2020, says the players are furious with such comments and will use it as motivation going into next year.
“I took it pretty personally and you got to take that personally as a player, and I got no doubt other guys read it as well,” Macmillan said on SEN radio on Wednesday morning.
“I found it disrespectful. I actually took it really personally. I have no doubt there are a couple guys feeling pissed off about it.
“There isn’t a whole lot we can do about it right now. I think it is good to see other people speaking about it in our four walls to see it hit them as well.
“I saw one article refer to Ben Cunnington and Robbie Tarrant as nothing more than B-grade players.
“If I were one of them, I would take that personally. Ben Cunnington is one of, if not the, best inside clearance player in the competition. Robbie Tarrant, if it wasn’t for Alex Rance, who is probably one of the best full backs the game has ever seen, would be in the All-Australian team.
“It’s only November and there isn’t a whole lot we can do about it now unfortunately. Hopefully, as you saw last year when we were able to put in some pretty competitive performances, we can raise a few eyebrows. Next year we will be looking to do that again, it’s the only way you can respond.”
North Melbourne finished 15th on the ladder in 2017 with just six wins and after delisting several experienced players, plus a quiet trade period, the young list will face an uphill battle to make improvements on this season.