Today’s post will operate a little differently to normal.
While there were positives (and negatives) in three of the four quarters, the game clearly swung on North Melbourne’s third quarter. Unable to keep their team defence on a string as it had been for most of the first half, Fremantle took advantage to pile on seven consecutive goals and were never seriously challenged from there.
So instead of the usual game wide discussion, it’s going to specifically focus on third quarter structures* and how North’s fell away.
There’ll be some background to set the scene, and some odds and ends after it, but for the most part it’s third quarter discussion only.
(*This also means I won’t be highlighting the wild, baffling inconsistency of umpiring for both sides. Apart from that sentence I guess.)
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Let’s start with the background.
Fremantle’s ball movement isn’t the quickest of all time, instead opting to win games off the back of a strong defensive philosophy and midfield/contest advantage (more on the latter later).
It does mean if opponents get on top through the midfield and contests, the Dockers struggle to move out of their back half consistently.
This is exactly what North achieved in the first half. The trio of Luke Davies-Uniacke, George Wardlaw, and particularly Tom Powell – electric in the second quarter – were all over their counterparts.
North had a +19 edge in contested possession, +8 at clearance, and it translated to +13 inside 50s.
The last stat is the key. Last week we went over how GWS were able to go back to front basically with their eyes closed.
Fun fact: GWS aren’t Fremantle. When North got the ball forward, a combination of an improved team defence and the Dockers slow, static movement allowed the game to stay in North’s front half for long stretches.
If my manual calculations are correct, Fremantle had 21 rebound 50s in the first half. Out of those 21, only three turned into inside 50s at the other end. Here’s how it compares to last week in table form:
| Team | Rebound 50s | To Inside 50s |
| GWS, Round 1 | 30 | 17 |
| Fremantle, Round 2, 1st Half | 21 | 3 |
Big difference!
Naturally you’d expect North to be able to defend Fremantle better than the Giants, but it was notable that the general defensive process was better than last week. For the first half.
This is supposed to be the part where I show vision to illustrate, but camera angles and such thwarted my best attempts.
Instead we return to the trusty, amateurly sketched diagrams:
Picture those two blue lines moving side to side and up and down as needed, keeping the ball in front of them and not allowing Fremantle easy exits.
That, plus the midfield dominance, was more or less the story of the first half – apart from the last few minutes.
After the break, following a few rapid fire unforced North turnovers in the early minutes, the game changed.
From Freo’s initial spell of possession for the quarter – the possession that so often ended in nothing during the first half – they held their forwards slightly deeper, pushing North’s second line of defence back. Space in between the lines materialised, and we saw this unfold:
A few minutes later, again Fremantle gained possession in defence. Again North’s defence was slow to snap into position as they had been in the first half.
Earlier I mentioned how Fremantle had (I think) 21 first half rebound 50s turn into only three inside 50s. The third quarter saw…
– Eight rebound 50s
– Five inside 50s
– Two goals
And this is how one of those two goals unfolded. It’s like rolling out the red carpet:
So instead of the team defence on a string like the first half, it was all over the shop. Picture the diagram from before with scattered North dots everywhere and that’s what the third quarter was like without possession.
Then, a midfield like Fremantle’s is rarely going to be dictated to for a full game. A handful of their third quarter goals came from stoppages, and this one in particular was a fancy bit of movement – and a quality finish – that flummoxed North’s defence.
Even the best sides would struggle with defending this, with rapid switches needed, so it’s not a huge surprise Andrew Brayshaw was able to find the fraction of space to squeeze another goal home.
It’s really high-level work. North will get there down the track on both sides of the ball, but all those subtle movements are beyond them at the moment. Which is perfectly acceptable!
Although this next passage doesn’t result in a goal, it’s arguably the best illustration of the influence Luke Jackson had on the third quarter.
The raw numbers don’t jump off the page for the term – 7 disposals (6 contested), 1 goal, 2 hit outs to advantage – but it’s how he moves in a way which his direct opponent can’t go with.
Fremantle kicked three goals from centre bounces for the term. In the least surprising news of the day, Jackson played key roles in all of them with his ground level work.
The first half numbers talked about earlier – contested possessions, clearances, and inside 50s – all flipped drastically after the break.
| Q1 + Q2 | Q3 | |
| Contested possessions | +19 North | +15 Freo |
| Clearances | +8 North | +6 Freo |
| Inside 50s | +13 North | +9 Freo |
If a fan walks away from the game with glass half full, that makes sense. There were undoubtedly positives.
If a fan walks away from the game glass half empty, that makes sense too. The third quarter was brutal at times.
The impatience is understandable, especially with what was on paper the most ‘winnable’ game of the first five rounds. Melbourne fans only getting to watch three wins in person since the end of 2019 is a record that tests even the most battle-hardened people.
But through everything that happened on Saturday, what shouldn’t be lost is there’s a clear, relatively sustainable process (once bodies mature) in all areas of the game now. How long it takes to bed that process down is the million-dollar question, but it’s a significant step forward from any point in the last five years.
Odds & Ends
– The Tom Powell stock I’ve been holding on to since game two appreciated considerably with his performance. Inarguably the best game of his career, and his second quarter was large. While it’s been a mild surprise to see such a streamlined midfield rotation over the first fortnight, the benefit is giving Powell bulk minutes in the position he benefits the team most and we’re seeing results immediately.
– To reiterate words from Round 1, Kallan Dawson again impressed. The reason I bring him up for a second straight week is because how he’s used on Good Friday will provide a large clue for how much faith is in him. There are three key defenders; two of whom get the Curnow and McKay tasks. Dawson’s athletic profile suits Curnow* and he should be able to stick with the Blue around the ground at least. But will there be personnel changes elsewhere?
(*If there are any Carlton fans reading this, this isn’t supposed to imply Dawson will definitely take the points. Just to be clear.)
– It’s a shame Charlie Lazzaro hasn’t been able to build on his strong pre-season as yet. Substituted at three quarter time with two metres gained from 13 relatively ineffective disposals, the role he’s in demands a little more. His effort can never, ever be questioned, but he’s not getting to the right places on either side of the ball.