North Melbourne legend David King has put the acid on skipper Nick Larkey to step up and “be the number one man” at Arden Street amid a form slump.
Larkey was held goalless by Swans third-gamer Will Edwards on Saturday as the 4-5 Kangaroos slumped to a third-straight loss including just one win from their last five games.
The 2023 Coleman Medal winner has kicked just eight goals over that stretch — including four against the Giants in Round 7 — after 14 majors in his first four games.
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And King said it’s on Larkey to lift if the Roos are to fulfill their potential and make genuine inroads up the ladder in 2026.
“I’m putting out an APB for the captain of North Melbourne in crunch moments in crunch games,” King began on Fox Footy’s The First Crack.
“It’s not a crisis, but if you are going to climb the table and win these sorts of games, you need your spearhead and captain to take control.
“He hasn’t done that. The criticism isn’t you’re horribly out of form that you need to be dropped or anything like that.
“But he needs to assume his mantle that he’s been selected by his peers and the coaching staff to be the number one man. He has to deliver upon that.
“He was beaten by a third-game player in Edwards.
“Is he fighting for front position? Is he doing enough work before the ball arrives? Is he holding his own? Is he launching at packs? Or is he waiting and letting others have their opportunity.
“Time and time again, he ran under the footy. I just think he’s really passive.”
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King noted the star forward’s teammates haven’t been helped at times either, saying there’s moments where the Roos “need to honour his leads and give him the easy one”.
“I wonder whether it’s a team thing, it’s the only forward line I look at in the competition that doesn’t block. And I think, why?,” King added.
Larkey’s numbers against the best teams raised the most concern.
He’s kicked a combined 2.6 against top 10 teams Brisbane, Geelong and Sydney.
And the Roos skipper has rated poorly in all but one his last five games against Sydney (No. 46), Geelong (No. 45), GWS (No. 4), Richmond (No. 37) and Brisbane (No. 35).
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“I’m not interested in what they do against the also rans, because most teams will have good numbers against the also rans. But against Brisbane, Geelong and Sydney — 1.3, 1.1 and 0.2,” King continued.
“If you’re going to lead the joint, you’ve got to lead.
“There’s his individual game ratings. It just says, c’mon. It’s time to get moving, it’s time to get going. The club will not improve without the captain leading the way.”
Saints legend Leigh Montagna questioned whether the 27-year old being handed the captaincy could be weighing on his form.
But King doesn’t think it’s a factor.
“I don’t think so, he’s not that sort of guy. He’s a level-headed dude,” he said.
“Twenty-three one-on-one contests, which is the 10th most in the comp, he’s yet to mark one.
“I reckon two years ago, he was fighting two v one and still marking the ball.
“It’s just time to perform, it’s time to get going.”
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