Richmond Tigers vs North Melbourne Kangaroos: NAB Challenge live scores, blog

Match result:

North Melbourne have ended their NAB Challenge campaign with a 14 point win over Richmond at Etihad Stadum.

NORTH 3 13 15 120
RICHMOND 2 12 16 106

After blowing away their opponents in the first quarter, North would survive each comeback from the Tigers, to record their second win of the preseason.

The first quarter, between the two teams, was a great advertisement for the game with fast flowing football and plenty of goals.

North, in particular, came out with a point to prove.

They would kick four goals in a row – including a super goal to Andrew Swallow – to jump to a 26 point lead.

Two goals to Richmond would steady the ship towards the middle of the quarter, but North would respond with two more super goals.

One to new recruit, Shaun Higgins, and another to Jack Ziebell would give North a 31 point lead at quarter time.

In the second quarter, Richmond responded again, with a super goal to Dustin Martin and another goal to youngster Kayden McIntosh.

They would get to within 16 points before North kicked away again.

The Kangaroos would kick four straight goals, to four behinds to Richmond, to extend the lead to 36 points.

Three late goals to Richmond would once again reduce the margin with North leading by 17 at half time.

It could have been closer for the Tigers if they kicked straighter.

They scored 1.4.6 during the quarter.

After half time, North would respond again to the challenge, by kicking 3 of the first 4 goals of the quarter.

Two late goals to Richmond would keep them in the contest, as they reduced the margin to 21 points in the final change.

In the final term, North would kick the first goal, to extend the margin to almost 5 goals.

Richmond would challenge one final time for the win but fall short.

3 goals – to Shane Edwards, Sam Lloyd and Kane Lambert – would not be enough for the Tigers to win.

North – who kicked 9 behinds in the final quarter – doing enough to win the contest.

The win by North was soured by an injury to Jack Ziebell during the second quarter.

First up, he injured his shoulder in a clash, during the term.

When he came back on, he would then be knocked out after running into a contest with Dylan Grimes head on.

Ziebell was forced off the field in a stretcher and was subbed out of the game.

Thank fully for Kangaroos fans he was on the bench and in a good condition late in the game.

He should be right for round 1.

Until then, he played well, with 11 disposals and a super goal.

Daniel Wells, who led the Kangaroos with 26 disposals, was one of the best players for North.

Brent Harvey and Andrew Swallow would have 23 and 22 disposals as well to also be amongst the best.

For Richmond, Jack Riewoldt kicked 3 goals, to keep them in the contest.

Dustin Martin would be the leading disposal winner on the ground with 28 with Trent Cotchin – in his first match – playing well with 20 disposals, 3 marks and 3 tackles.

Richmond will now focus on Round 1 and starting the season with their traditional match against Carlton.

North, full of confidence, will face the Crows at Adelaide Oval.

Match preview:

After winning their first matches of the pre-season in the last round, Richmond and North Melbourne will be looking for a win today at Etihad Stadium today to prepare them for Round 1. Join The Roar for a live blog of the match from 1:10pm AEDT.

In recent contests between these two teams, North Melbourne has had the edge.
The Kangaroos has won the last four matches and have not lost since 2011.

In the NAB Cup/Challenge they have been undefeated in the last 25 years against the Tigers in competitive hit-outs.

From 1990, to today, these two teams have played three competitive matches in the NAB Cup/Challenge.

In all three matches, the Kangaroos have won, with victories in 1997, 2012 and 2013.
North will be looking to continue that good record today after impressing last round against Hawthorn.

After losing to the Crows in Round 1, the Kangaroos defeated the defending premiers, Hawthorn, by 13 points in Shepparton.

Two goals to Lindsay Thomas and 24 disposals to Andrew Swallow were vital in the Kangaroos win.

With a tricky first round match against the Crows coming up, they will want a good hit out against the Tigers today.

The Tigers, who will be looking to break their hoodoo against the Kangaroos, also had a good win last round against Port Adelaide.

Playing in Albury the Tigers won by 66 points over a Power team missing plenty of its first team players. Sam Lloyd starred for the Tigers with four goals with Dustin Martin getting 28 touches.

For this clash today both teams have named a full strength line up. The only players missing for both teams are ones who are out with injury concerns.

Richmond have included Trent Cotchin, David Astbury, and Ben Griffiths for the clash with Anthony Miles, Liam McBean and Todd Elton out for the match.

For Cotchin it is his first match of the season after dealing with hamstring injuries throughout preseason.

In the opposing sheds, North Melbourne have made plenty of changes to the team that played Hawthorn.

Shaun Higgins, Daniel Wells, Nick Dal Santo and Luke McDonald are into the team. Robin Nahas, Jarrad Waite, and Majak Daw are out.

I expect this match to be a close one between the two teams. Both are evenly matched and are close to full strength today.

Predicting who will win is a tough proposition.

With the game at Etihad Stadium, I lean towards the Kangaroos, who play better at the venue.

Regardless of who wins today though, one thing is certain, both teams will provide each rival with a perfect preparation for the season opener in two weeks’ time.

Prediction: North Melbourne by 3 points.