32 minutes and 54 seconds into the last quarter, Cam Zurhaar puts North Melbourne in front for the first time in the game. After the final siren.
To understand how we got there, first we have to go back.
North Melbourne emerge for the third quarter much earlier than normal, looking up at a scoreboard with a 38-point deficit – a deficit which had been as high as 43 with six minutes left in the second quarter.
Zurhaar returns to familiar territory inside the forward 50 after five and a half games at the other end of the ground. It’s a swap for Colby McKercher, who retreats to the position where he’s best suited as a high half-back.
Meanwhile Tristan Xerri lines up on the 50-metre mark, looking to relieve Cooper Trembath of ruck duties as soon as possible after the centre bounce. Trembath, who attends just one centre bounce in the first half, is about to see that number increase exponentially.
In the first half, Gold Coast kick five goals – six total scoring shots – from just 10 centre clearances. Those 10 centre clearances are only three more than North’s total, but the Suns are getting far more value from their wins against a North midfield hellbent on remaining proactive at ground level despite Xerri repeatedly being jumped over.
To half time, of North’s 23 inside 50s, they retain possession from less than half (11) and suffer direct turnovers from more than a third (8). It’s not as if Gold Coast are whisking the ball end to end as a result, a Suns outfit clearly feeling the effects of two weeks in Darwin heat and humidity, but North’s ball use and choices allow Sam Collins and his 803 first half intercept possessions to loom large. They need to find a way to shift the Suns defence.
It’s not as if North are second best in every facet of the game. It isn’t the general game flow you expect when a margin is more than six goals at half time. North’s focus areas are as clear as can be.
Don’t be overly aggressive from centre bounce setups and allow the Suns to turn that into a weakness. Shift the angles with ball use just enough to get the Suns’ key defenders on the move. Hang around for a while and see what happens. This isn’t an all-conquering opposition firing on all cylinders and dictating terms.
Instantly we see a change in North’s ball use. The handballing largely disappears. 71 kicks and 88 handballs in the first half become 64 kicks and 28 handballs in the third quarter.
The kicks get shorter too. Suddenly a Gold Coast defence comfortable sitting long behind the line of the ball has to move. Move up, move side to side, move on angles, move to cover hit up leads.
The ruck change is clear. Trembath takes as many centre bounces as possible and then immediately gets forward, taking zero non-centre bounce ruck contests in the third quarter. Xerri’s attendances are synced, whether accidentally or on purpose, against Jarrod Witts. Whatever remains goes to Wil Dawson.
Just as clear as the ruck change is the effect it has at ground level. Gold Coast still get their centre clearances but they’re not clean anymore, North’s midfield bunkering down and defending far better.
15 Gold Coast third quarter inside 50s result in just 1.4 on the scoreboard, two of those behinds rushed. Seven of those entries are also direct turnovers. Charlie Comben steps up after a disappointing first half – and few weeks leading in – to make the most of better defence up the field, asserting himself. Meanwhile Griffin Logue continues to shut Ben King out of the game, even while his choices ball in hand continue to have a 50-50 chance of causing heart attacks.
Off the back of the defence and shift in ball use method, suddenly North’s rebound looks good. The short kicks have movement behind and around them as multiple options present. Two of North’s four goals for the quarter start from defensive 50. The Suns’ only goal for the quarter comes from a ridiculous piece of Noah Anderson skill, the type of play only a handful of players in the competition are capable of.
It’s 20 points the difference at three quarter time. Enough of a deficit where the last quarter doesn’t have to be perfect to complete a comeback. Most notably, space is opening up when North move the ball. The legs of the Suns are weary.
40 seconds into the last quarter, Adam Simpson asks the question: “How have you seen the umpires today?” The type of question where the answer is obvious, but no one takes the bait. An afternoon where most of the time someone has more chance of winning Powerball than guessing the correct decision when a whistle blows. And for the record, no one won the $40 million draw last Thursday.
Zeke Uwland kicks a beauty on the run from the boundary. North respond through Trembath after smooth ball movement. Jy Simpkin makes just about his only mistake of an excellent day and Christian Petracca capitalises. From the next centre bounce there’s not enough time for Trembath and Xerri to switch ruck duties, so the latter remains forward and is on the end of an entry to mark and goal.
A quarter of the last quarter is gone. It’s still 20 points the margin. The fuel light is flashing red for Gold Coast and their movement is slowing by the second.
The game situation demands Caleb Daniel takes an incredibly risky kick inboard. The ball spills and if the Suns pick it up, it’s probably a goal and the back breaker for North. Instead it’s Curtis who hits the turbo button, toe pokes it past three Suns and keeps running forward as Trembath picks it up.
George Wardlaw receives the handball and not for the last time in the quarter, lowers his eyes. Curtis marks, goals, and cuts the margin to 15 points. Suddenly North are the closest they’ve been since late in the first quarter and there’s still 13 minutes left.
The goal proves crucial because from the next centre bounce it’s Noah Anderson who, again, is unbelievably good in gathering, spinning, and tumbling one forward to a diving Ben Long who kicks the quick reply. 21 points, which becomes 22 moments later when a rushed Long kick off the ground just misses.
One more Gold Coast goal means curtains for North.
But in every state of the game it’s set up exactly how North want it. The ball movement is there. As is the general contest setup. It’s only pieces of individual skill keeping an exhausted Suns outfit tantalisingly out of reach.
Just after the halfway point of the last quarter, Gold Coast take a kick in. It’s a symbolic moment. There is zero player movement and the ball stays entirely on one side of the ground. It makes an easy kill for North’s defence, taking it over for a boundary throw in slightly on the defensive side of the wing. The Suns have shifted completely into prevent offence. The fuel tank is empty.
From the ensuing boundary throw in, Zane Duursma sets up just ahead of the ball as an outlet. While North win the ball and shift it to the outer side, he’s able to float inside 50 unchecked, take the mark after noted behemoth Jacob Konstanty’s contested mark, and make it 14 points with a little more than eight minutes to go.
It’s not North Melbourne v Gold Coast anymore. It’s North Melbourne v the clock.
A little less than eight minutes to go. Zurhaar gets collected high 15 metres out from goal. The umpire says holding the ball.
Oscar Adams has some thoughts.
Under five minutes to go. It’s still 13 points the difference. Luke Parker attempts a kick that gets you screamed at in any other situation. Finn O’Sullivan is surrounded by four Suns and if Parker’s kick isn’t centimetre perfect, it’s probably game over.
The kick is centimetre perfect though and it breaks the Gold Coast defence. A defence too exhausted to have multiple layers set up at this time of the game, legs screaming after two weeks in Darwin and a second half at Marvel forced to move.
Larkey finds some space from Collins for the first time, and then not for the last time in the game almost comically butchers a golden opportunity.
But it’s through. Seven points. 4:22 to go.
Under two minutes to go. Playing your role is never more important than right now. Trying to be the hero will hurt your team more often than help it.
As Petracca blasts the ball as far away as his weary legs will allow, Harry Sheezel is on one end of the centre square. Sheezel knows if North win possession from that kick, it’s his running lane that bears responsibility as the next option in the chain.
So Sheezel runs. And as he’s running, Comben marks. And then Comben looks inboard at that running lane to see Sheezel straining everything he can to provide an option at the other end of the centre square.
North are now outside Gold Coast’s shell and there’s so much room. Once again it’s Duursma as the next option. This time instead of marking it in range, he’s just outside of range. But he makes the best decision of the game and finds Davies-Uniacke nearly directly in front.
Tie ball game. 46 seconds to go.
46 seconds to go. The most important centre bounce of the game. For the first time in the second half, Xerri looks across the centre circle to see Ned Moyle. The same Ned Moyle who spent most of the first half jumping over him.
Moyle gets the tap, as expected. But then Wardlaw tackles Rowell, forcing a rushed handball. O’Sullivan tackles Anderson, forcing a rushed handball. Davies-Uniacke puts pressure on Petracca, forcing a rushed kick. The clean centre clearances of the first half are no more.
The kick tumbles forward and it’s all one-on-one battles. Luke McDonald is the standout and as he gathers, he needs an option. Without one the best-case scenario is a stoppage on the Gold Coast 50. More than likely he’s getting tackled and coughing up a Suns free kick to win the game.
There are 32 seconds left as McDonald looks around for his option. Of the six midfielders involved in the centre bounce scramble 10 seconds ago, one has managed to get to the next contest.
It’s George Wardlaw.
George Wardlaw lowers his eyes once again and the rest is history.
Oscar Adams drags Zurhaar down. A penny for Adams’ thoughts at this point.
North Melbourne in the first half v North Melbourne in the second half
Team
– 71 kicks & 88 handballs v 125 kicks & 70 handballs
– 23 inside 50s for 8 turnovers v 31 inside 50s for 7 turnovers
– 15 rebound 50s for 3 inside 50s v 15 rebound 50s for 8 inside 50s
– 10 centre clearances conceded for 5.1 v 9 centre clearances conceded for 1.2
Individual
– Xerri: 13 centre bounce attendances and 36 ruck contests v 4 centre bounce attendances & 29 ruck contests
– Trembath: 1 centre bounce attendance & 1 ruck contest v 10 centre bounce attendances & 11 ruck contests
Today’s post was written in a slightly different style to normal, mainly because the game warranted something slightly different to normal. Hopefully it was as fun to read as it was to write.
A note for the next five games: Coverage will be spotty as best while I’m on holidays over the other side of the world. Funnily enough it’ll be the first time I’m overseas during a North Melbourne game, but hopefully it’s a deep Socceroos run at the World Cup to make up for it.
Rounds 13-17 will be affected; some more than others depending whether I’m on the west coast or east coast. Whether it means posts are shortly after or a long time after the respective games remains to be seen. What isn’t in doubt is that for completionist purposes there will be posts up at some stage as a historical reference, even if they take weeks.