Yet another close game. It was the sixth time in North Melbourne’s last seven games where the final margin was 10 points or less.
Those six games ended with two wins, a draw, and three losses. It’s not an exaggeration to say it could have easily been six wins, and equally as easily six losses. Close to a 50-50 split feels about right on the balance of probabilities.
Although of those six games, this one was my most interesting because of North’s approach. While there have been games this year where North have entered with different goals – heavy stoppage focus, defending in a mid-block, the eternal dilemma of wide v narrow, just to name a few – Saturday night in Perth saw a strong front half game.
60 inside 50s was North’s highest total in a game since Round 23, 2023. 48 inside 50s conceded was also North’s lowest total this year against a good team (Essendon don’t count).
A lot worked. A hell of a lot, without getting the ultimate result. Today’s post will focus specifically on North’s process.
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Going into the match without Charlie Comben, out for at least the next couple of weeks with a shoulder injury, the query was how North’s key defenders would fare against Fremantle’s tall forwards.
North’s approach became apparent almost instantly, looking to defend much higher up the ground than normal, almost overly so at times. Given Fremantle, even with their ball movement improvement in previous weeks, aren’t the most expansive team in terms of using width at speed, the theory was fairly simple:
– Get those extra numbers defending higher up the ground, ideally condensing the game into a smaller space. If it works, it keeps the game in North’s forward half, stops Fremantle from getting clean joy from contest wins, and prevents North’s defenders from dealing with plenty of supply coming their way in defensive 50.
The benefits were obvious. Yet like any theory in sport, life, or the world at large, the potential drawbacks were also there. Two of them, in fact:
1) By squeezing up so high and condensing the game, it makes forward half efficiency a little trickier* simply by virtue of more bodies in smaller spaces
2) If Fremantle did get clean joy from contest wins, or if North’s structure and pressure around the ball wasn’t up to standard, the Dockers would enjoy clean routes to high quality shots again and again.
(*Which isn’t to excuse 10 goals from 60 entries, but rather looking at the overall process)
It left North with a clear risk v reward situation: Execute the plan well, the game lives in your forward half. Get it wrong, and you’re susceptible to bursts of scoring the other way.
Overall, it worked excellently. 29 tackles inside forward 50 was not only nearly double North’s previous best for the season (15 v Port Adelaide in Round 7), but also the best by any team in any game this year.
As a matter of fact, you have to go all the way back to Round 20, 2021 to find the last time it was equalled in a game (Melbourne against Collingwood) – Round 8, 2021 for the last time 29 was bettered (35 for Sydney against Melbourne).
After all that, it’s probably not the smartest idea for the first clip to show a bump inside 50 instead of a tackle, but it achieves the same thing of showing how North’s forward half game wanted to work, so close enough.
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For those who have missed it, the last five North Melbourne pieces on The Shinboner, plus…
2025’s Team Structures Page
North Melbourne’s Round 13 analysis v West Coast
North Melbourne at the mid-season bye
North Melbourne’s Round 11 analysis v Collingwood
North Melbourne’s Round 10 analysis v Richmond
North Melbourne’s Round 9 analysis v Brisbane
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Block the easy exits, force a rushed disposal or turnover, reap the benefits. Simple in theory, harder in execution.
Right from the start though, it was easy to tell North were on. Aside from the George Wardlaw bump, look at the other Roos as the ball spills to the right side of screen. There’s nowhere easy to go, which forces Neil Erasmus to hold for a split second longer than hoped, and North force the turnover to create Zac Fisher’s goal.
Even though the above officially gets counted as a goal from stoppage (because it hadn’t cleared the area before the bump), it’s a forced turnover in all but name – one of 29 North forced in their front half for the night.
Here’s another example.
After Harry Sheezel’s kick to the pocket is picked up by Luke Jackson, he’s forced into a rushed handball to Bailey Banfield.
Banfield just … stops. The easy exits are blocked, so he pauses, trying to figure out what to do next. And as he waits, Nick Larkey swoops to tackle…
…wait … hang on. I’m receiving word this wasn’t a turnover and a North goal from the line, but instead judged a normal rushed behind? That’s strange. Could have sworn it was a textbook holding the ball.
Nevertheless, it was good process. And that’s what North executed for nearly the entire night. Even when Fremantle managed to earn a rebound 50, they only retained possession from about a third of them.
To illustrate how much lower that is compared to the AFL season average, enjoy a table:
| Team | % of rebound 50s retained (Round 0-13) |
| Melbourne | 56.6% |
| Western Bulldogs | 55.1% |
| Geelong | 54% |
| Brisbane | 52.9% |
| Carlton | 50.3% |
| Essendon | 50.2% |
| Collingwood | 49.3% |
| North Melbourne | 48.9% |
| Adelaide | 48.9% |
| Hawthorn | 47.8% |
| Richmond | 47.8% |
| GWS | 47% |
| Fremantle (Round 1-13) | 46.9% |
| St Kilda | 46.3% |
| Gold Coast | 45.8% |
| West Coast | 44.2% |
| Sydney | 43.4% |
| Port Adelaide | 42.8% |
| Fremantle (Round 14) | 32.6% |
Everything looks good, right?
Here’s what happens when it isn’t.
For those who have missed it, the last five Notebook entries on The Shinboner, plus…
2025’s Team Structures Page
St Kilda and Fremantle’s health checks: Round 13’s Notebook
Carlton, Port, and Bulldogs health checks: Round 12’s Notebook
Teams moving in different directions: Round 11’s Notebook
How to get 49 disposals in a game: Round 10’s Notebook
Rolling stoppages and fast-tracked rookies: Round 9’s Notebook
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It wasn’t even a sustained period, but the only ‘consistent’ time North’s plan broke down was for a grand total of two minutes and twenty-five seconds.
With 6:17 remaining in the second quarter, North had a throw in at half forward while holding a two-point lead – 4.2.26 to 3.6.24.
With 3:52 remaining in the second quarter, the ball went back to the centre circle with North trailing by 21 points – 4.3.27 to 7.6.48.
When there are numbers higher up the field, it means the first layer of defence takes on even greater importance than normal. If a team breaks that first layer, they’re presented with acres of space both in front and over the back of what’s remaining.
So when Sam Switkowski’s handball breaks containment, the end result is nearly inevitable:
Moments later, North get the ball to half forward and it’s easy to see numbers approaching. But again it’s a forward handball that breaks containment – this time from Heath Chapman – allowing Fremantle a nice, deep forward entry.
That highlights their biggest strength on the night – key forwards – and North’s biggest weakness. Naturally it results in a Pat Voss goal from the line.
Although the third goal of the four was from a centre bounce, the last of the quartet was another example of what happened when Freo were able to break the first layer of defence (glass half full) or North weren’t able to pressure well enough (glass half empty).
We can see the margins are so slim. In each of those examples, it doesn’t take too much imagination to see how it ends in a Fremantle turnover and North going forward once again.
The point of this section isn’t to exclaim, ‘that was the game right there’, or anything overly simplistic like that. It’s to show how these are the fine margins on which games swing against finals calibre teams.
(Note: I’m probably seat 1A on the ‘Fremantle should be a top four team’ train, which may colour my judgement slightly)
It was arguably North’s best process game of the entire season – strong defensively in the front half, expansive offensively early in the last quarter to storm back into the game, and arguably slightly outpointed a strong midfield for the entirety.
Despite the result, it should be a night North take great heart out of – especially given what’s coming up next.
Good Friday against Carlton was inarguably North’s worst performance of the year and, in my books anyway, the worst performance in Alastair Clarkson’s time as coach.
Since then, the improvement has looked to take a step…
| North in 2025 | Round 1-6 | Round 7-14 |
| Inside 50s conceded | 58.8 | 52.3 |
| Scores against per inside 50 | 49.3% | 45.1% |
| Time in forward half | -15 minutes 20 seconds | -6 minutes 35 seconds |
| Percentage | 72.7% | 90.1% |
| Results | 1 win, 5 losses | 2 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses |
…and in Clarkson’s post-match press conference after the Dockers loss, he said just enough to reveal how important the return game against Carlton this Saturday is:
“We think we’ve changed a few things and that’ll be the real test for us. Looking forward to seeing how much difference the alterations we’ve made to the way we play have improved (North) from Good Friday to next week’s game. I’m going to enjoy having a look at that contrast.”
Make no mistake, it is a measuring stick game. If the improvements since Good Friday are real, we’ll find out at the MCG on Saturday.