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Firrito, Thompson ‘epitomise’ North

Brad Scott says it’s a ‘really important week’ for the club as Michael Firrito and Scott Thompson prepare for milestone matches.

5:16pm  May 10, 2013

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Daw opens for young Roo

Majak Daw has been promoted to North Melbourne's senior list

3:00pm  Oct 1, 2012

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Flexibility the key for Firrito

The Roos defender is ready to take on more responsibility this season, and in the future

7:20pm  Mar 13, 2007

Latest Player Video

AFL Central: Michael Firrito

4:01pm  Apr 5, 2012

North in Utah - Bobsledding

3:44pm  Nov 11, 2011

Utah - Testing times

5:19pm  Oct 31, 2011

Seniors List

11

Michael
Firrito

Height
189 cm
DOB
27-11-1983
Weight
93 kg
Debut
2003
Games
2013
8
Career
201
Goals
2013
0
Career
28
2013 Dream Team Points
Total
504
Avg
63
MichaelFirrito

Player Bio

At a Glance

Junior Clubs: Gembrook
Clubs: North Melbourne
Debut: 2003
Recruited from: Box Hill Hawks
Brownlow Votes: 2

Player Sponsors

Spirito Constructions Pty Ltd/Charles Bongiovanni - Alexkarbon Real Estate

  • After the retirement of Brady Rawlings, Firrito became the defensive general with the most experience in the back six.
  • His slightly quieter 2011 was replaced by an impressive bounce-back year. Right from the start, he showed he was set for a quality year nullifying Michael Hurley in the season opener against Essendon.
  • He showcased his versatility on numerous occasions throughout the season. From week to week he would be matched up on opponents much smaller or much taller.

 

Background

  • Recruited from Box Hill in the VFL
  • He has played 114 out of the last 115 games for North since the Qualifying Final, 2007
  • Can play on smalls and talls, making him a valuable player

 

Season by Season

Season by Season

  • Firrito's form dipped slightly in 2011. In a measure of how consistent he had been in previous years, 2011 was just the second time in the past seven years he had finished outside the top 10 in the Syd Barker Medal.
  • However he still finished fourth at the club for rebound 50's, fifth for one-percenters and ninth for inside 50's. It showed that Firrito can still find a way to contribute even if certain areas of his game weren't performing as well as he would have liked.

 

  • Firrito had a career high year for disposals and provided much needed stability down back in Brad Scott's first year. With the backline working around Firrito and his drive from the defensive 50, there was plenty of rebound provided.
  • He polled his only two Brownlow votes in 2010 courtesy of two one-vote performances against Melbourne (Round 6) and Carlton (Round 12) respectively. Unsurprisingly the result of those two games was North wins, illustrating Firrito's importance in the back half.

 

Stats

By the numbers

  • 2013   Season Average
    Games Played 8
    • Kicks 11.5
    • Handballs 5.1
    • Disposals 16.6
    • Marks 5.1
    • Hit-Outs 0.0
    • Tackles 1.4
    • Goals 0.0
    • Dream Team 63.0

2013 Highlights

Statistics Best Opponent Round
Kicks 14 Brisbane Lions Rd 4
Handballs 8 Western Bulldogs Rd 7
Disposals 20 Brisbane Lions Rd 4
Marks 7 Geelong Cats Rd 2
Hit-outs 0 - -
Tackles 6 Port Adelaide Rd 6
Goals 0 - -
Dream Team 89 Port Adelaide Rd 6

2013 Season Breakdown

Rd Opponent Result K H D M HO FF FA T G B DT
1 Collingwood L 87 - 103 13 6 19 7 0 1 1 1 0 0 74
2 Geelong Cats L 112 - 108 10 5 15 7 0 1 0 1 0 0 66
3 Sydney Swans L 92 - 131 14 5 19 5 0 1 1 1 0 0 69
4 Brisbane Lions W 125 - 62 14 6 20 6 0 2 2 0 0 0 68
5 Hawthorn L 99 - 96 11 2 13 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 47
6 Port Adelaide W 93 - 83 12 6 18 6 0 5 2 6 0 0 89
7 Western Bulldogs W 97 - 151 6 8 14 4 0 2 3 0 0 0 39
8 West Coast Eagles L 90 - 88 12 3 15 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 52
9 Adelaide Crows - - - - - - - - - - -
10 St Kilda - - - - - - - - - - -
11 Gold Coast Suns - - - - - - - - - - -
13 Fremantle - - - - - - - - - - -
14 GWS Giants - - - - - - - - - - -
15 Richmond - - - - - - - - - - -
16 Brisbane Lions - - - - - - - - - - -
17 Carlton - - - - - - - - - - -
18 Melbourne - - - - - - - - - - -
19 Geelong Cats - - - - - - - - - - -
20 Adelaide Crows - - - - - - - - - - -
21 Essendon - - - - - - - - - - -
22 Hawthorn - - - - - - - - - - -
23 Collingwood - - - - - - - - - - -
TOTAL W: 3 - L: 5 92 41 133 41 0 12 11 11 0 0 504

By the numbers

  • Career Average
    Games Played 201
    • Kicks 7.7
    • Handballs 7.3
    • Disposals 15.0
    • Marks 3.8
    • Hit-Outs 0.4
    • Tackles 2.5
    • Goals 0.1
    • Dream Team 58.0

Career Highlights

Statistics Best Opponent Round
Kicks 15 Port Adelaide Rd 6, 2011
Handballs 25 GWS Giants Rd 2, 2012
Disposals 33 GWS Giants Rd 2, 2012
Marks 10 Brisbane Lions Rd 18, 2007
Hit-outs 7 Western Bulldogs Rd 8, 2005
Tackles 11 Carlton Rd 22, 2005
Goals 2 Sydney Swans Rd 14, 2009
Dream Team 108 St Kilda Rd 11, 2009

Career Breakdown

Season Club K H D M HO FF FA T G B DT
2013 North Melbourne 92 41 133 41 0 12 11 11 0 0 504
2012 North Melbourne 190 222 412 98 0 15 23 37 1 1 1409
2011 North Melbourne 180 163 343 68 2 17 23 57 2 1 1261
2010 North Melbourne 192 232 424 89 0 19 19 54 2 2 1499
2009 North Melbourne 172 197 369 81 11 24 26 101 9 6 1574
2008 North Melbourne 156 179 335 109 4 17 23 40 1 7 1278
2007 North Melbourne 164 168 332 89 2 14 35 39 1 1 1169
2006 North Melbourne 130 107 237 75 6 15 11 44 3 5 1016
2005 North Melbourne 168 105 273 84 30 11 24 74 5 4 1265
2004 North Melbourne 90 61 151 35 17 7 13 33 4 2 640
2003 North Melbourne 6 2 8 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 38

Legend

K
Kicks
H
Handballs
D
Disposals
M
Marks
HO
Hit-outs
FF
Frees For
FA
Frees Against
T
Tackles
G
Goals
B
Behinds
DT
Dream Team

Milestones

Games: 193 Goals: 28

 

Awards

AFL Awards

NAB Rising Star Nominee
2004

International Rules
2008

 

Q&A

As well as playing great footy, I’d like to be remembered for:
Being Italian

Most memorable victory (AFL or non-AFL):
Getting married

Most admired player at another club:
 Alex Fasolo

Favourite ground to play on:
MCG

Best part about training:
Getting the most out of a session

Weights or running:
Weights

What would you prefer – mark of the year or goal of the year:
Goal

Which skill do you need to most work on:
Goal celebration

Complete this line…with two minutes to go in the 2012 Grand Final:
I will need to shave again

Who will be Mike Sheahan’s No. 1 ranked player by the end of 2012:
Hamish McIntosh

You are running 30 minutes late to an early morning beach recovery session. What’s your excuse:
Had to trim my nose hairs

What is the first thing you would do if you were Andrew Demetriou for a day:
Make multicultural round every week

Favourite meal the night before a game:
Spuds

What music helps you get ‘in the zone’ before a game:
Michael Buble

One thing you would change about the world:
Clone Adam Maranello

PlayStation or Xbox? And what’s your favourite game:
XBox

Who would win MasterChef at your club? And what’s their signature dish:
Andrew Swallow, soup du jour

Your favourite line from a movie:
“You talking to me?”

What’s your favourite dance move:
The nut bush

What is your favourite holiday destination in Australia:
Gembrook

Where would you recommend visiting within your state:
Gembrook