Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has taken a swipe at one of his former players, North Melbourne forward Jaidyn Stephenson.
Stephenson moved from Collingwood to North Melbourne in 2021 after he was shown the door at the end of 2020 by Buckley.
At the start of his career, Stephenson was crowned the 2018 Rising Star, but has been unable to back up his early career form since moving to the Kangaroos.
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Now, Buckley has taken aim at the 25-year-old after discussing his disappointment towards a lack of support behind young Kangaroos players.
During the Roos' 38-point loss at the hands of St Kilda on Saturday, one incident stuck out to Buckley for all the wrong reasons.
Youngster Jackson Archer gave away a 50-metre penalty for failing to return the football back to Saints ruckman Rowan Marshall, simply dropping the ball on the turf instead.
After the brain fade, Archer walked off the field, with none of his teammates coming to speak to him or get around the 21-year-old.
"Every single person at a football club can drive a spirit, connection and support. That kid (Archer) is beating himself up already, he doesn't need someone to come and rev him up," Buckley said on Fox Footy on Monday night.
"He needs someone to say, 'hey, next time, we back you, we trust you and we're with you'."
Buckley expressed his displeasure with the lack of support, calling on the club to find more players willing to work, like Archer, instead of Stephenson, who he classifies as "inconsistent".
"North need to back a kid like that who's going to give competitive efforts. Over, say, a Jaidyn Stephenson, who when he gets selected is inconsistent with his effort," he said.
"I don't know what standard you're setting when you pick players like that."
North Melbourne's collective effort has continued to come under fire, with coach Alastair Clarkson failing to bring the edge he had at Hawthorn to the Kangaroos.
Matthew Lloyd called for the winless Roos to take inspiration from West Coast, who have already won two of their eight games in 2024.
The Eagles have not only seen an improvement to their side with the addition of Harley Reid, but also a change in their veteran's hunger to succeed.
"I was speaking to a North Melbourne person … and West Coast are giving them a little hope," Lloyd said on Nine's Footy Classified after round seven.
"The senior players at North need to find something and they may see a little turnaround like this."
The Kangaroos face off against Gold Coast on Saturday night, hoping to improve on their 0-8 start.
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