NORTH MELBOURNE 4.4 6.4 9.8 11.10 (76)
MELBOURNE 2.0 8.5 8.8 10.12 (72)
Goals: North Melbourne: B Brown 4 J Simpkin 2 A Swallow J Waite L McDonald S Higgins S Thompson. Melbourne: J Garlett 3 J Melksham 2 T McDonald 2 C Oliver J Hogan J Hunt. Umpires: Troy Pannell, David Harris, Leigh Fisher
Best: North Melbourne: Brown, Higgins, McDonald, Swallow, Simpkin, Ziebell, Cunnington. Melbourne: Oliver, Gawn, Tyson, Hibberd, Lewis, McDonald, Jetta
​Venue: Blundstone Arena.
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Kangeroos continue to haunt the Demons
A tight and tense affair saw North Melbourne extend to 17-0 against Melbourne.
It was 1980, and having at last beaten Jimmy Connors after a lengthy losing streak, the late American tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis quipped: "And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row." But the same cannot be said of Melbourne, whose top eight spot again looks shaky following a 17th consecutive loss to North Melbourne in a Hobart heart-stopper on Saturday, a result made all the worse by a suspected broken collarbone for spearhead Jesse Hogan.
The rebuilding Roos had lost seven matches in a row coming into the game, with their decision to rest key players last weekend against Essendon raising questions about how badly Brad Scott and his team want to win games this year. Well if North were tanking in this one, they were doing a terrible job of it. They prevailed after a rousing effort to come from behind in the final quarter while kicking into the breeze, putting to bed those conspiracy theories as well as memories of five losses by less than a goal earlier this season.
It was a day of attrition for both sides. While Demon Neville Jetta remarkably played out the game despite copping an early knee to the face from Majak Daw, and inexperienced Roo Declan Mountford returned to the field after being assessed following a head knock of his own, a pair of tall forwards fared much worse, with Hogan and North veteran Jarrad Waite both watching from the sidelines in the last quarter. Hogan's day was done after a visit to the rooms confirmed his shoulder troubles, and Waite, who had briefly returned to the field after having his calf strapped. At 34, and out-of-contract at season's end, his AFL future looks in doubt.
When these two sides met at the same venue early in 2016, the wind was so strong that Melbourne led at half-time even after conceding the first seven goals of the match. Again it was a central factor, with the lead swinging from quarter to quarter depending on who had the advantage, the ball spending long periods locked inside 50 at the River end. With kicking made harder because of the conditions, both sides used the ball by hand more than by foot, especially around the stoppages, where young Demon Clayton Oliver put on another clearance masterclass. Not that it was enough in the end.
With the breeze at their backs, the Roos made much of the early play, but couldn't capitalise. Jeff Garlett bobbed up to kick two majors at the other end, and it was only a late flurry from North that gave them a 16-point lead at the first change.
Having emerged as a serious contender for the Coleman Medal, North spearhead Ben Brown was making his presence felt in his home state, kicking his third goal of the day to extend North's lead to 22 points within 30 seconds of the restart. But that was as good as things got for the Roos, as Melbourne took advantage of their turn at the scoring end. The move forward of Tom McDonald has yet again shown that necessity is the mother of invention, and ably assisted by some neat finishing from the reborn Jake Melksham, Hogan, and another sublime – albeit more conventional – set shot from Jayden Hunt, the Dees put through six of the seven goals before half-time.
But then it was North's chance again, and Melbourne barely got a look in for half an hour. Brown was excellent, adding a fourth major before marking to set up a 65-metre goal for Luke McDonald. Even veteran defender Scott Thompson was getting in on the act, putting his side ahead at the 13-minute mark. It looked like the Roos were going to create a substantial buffer by the final change, but they weren't clean enough inside their arc and led by only a goal with a quarter to play. That gap was wiped clear in little over a minute as Garlett added his third, although Shaun Higgins regained the lead for North shortly after. Tom McDonald took a towering grab and converted down the other end, but first-year Roo Jy Simpkin responded just before time-on.
The final stages were typically dramatic, with a pair of long-range shots inside the last three minutes from Michael Hibberd both errant. The Roos however won enough crucial late contests, with Simpkin, Ben Cunnington, Daw and Higgins all coming to the fore when needed.
VOTESÂ
C. Oliver (Melb) 9
B. Brown (NM) 8
S. Higgins (NM) 8
L. McDonald (NM) 7
A. Swallow (NM) 7
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