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It took everything they had but North Melbourne finally got a win for Brad Scott to kick off their season. It was a wonderful game of footy: physical, intense, skillful, dramatic. The key statistics were remarkably even across the board and that was reflective of the game which see-sawed in momentum.
REPORT: ROOS GET A ROUND 1 WIN
With opportunities so even (time in forward half: NM – 49%, Adelaide – 51% and inside 50s NM – 56, Adelaide – 57) it was about who took their chances and which individuals stood up at crucial moments.
Brent Harvey had a quiet first half but (along with some help from Drew Petrie getting the ball to ground) broke the game open with 3 rapid goals in a row.
North Melbourne didn’t take the lead in the second or third quarter but turned a 24 point deficit into a positive margin when it mattered most.
Todd Goldstein was huge in the final term, taking 4 crucial, crunchtime, contested marks and booting an excellent goal. Sam Jacobs battled dutifully against him in the ruck but in the end couldn’t match his impact around the ground.
Ben Cunnington was key in the tough situations with 23 of his 27 disposals being contested ones. He, Jack Ziebell, Daniel Wells and Nick Dal Santo accounted for 29 of North’s 45 clearances in the match.
Wells (18 touches, 11 score involvements, 8 inside 50s, 7 tackles) made a wonderful return to senior footy while Robbie Tarrant and Jarrad Waite were strong down back and up forward respectively.
Josh Jenkins took his chances and used his strength to great effect as he booted 5 goals while Taylor Walker also provided a real presence in attack.
Daniel Talia was excellent in defence – clean with his disposal, quick and effective with his interceptions and spoils.
Mitch McGovern showed some real exciting signs up forward for a debutant. Scott Thompson, Matt Crouch and Brodie Smith worked hard and set up a lot of the play but it just wasn’t to be for Don Pyke in his first game as senior coach.
A big win for North Melbourne to kick their season off on the right foot for the first time in quite a while. The only real downer is a hamstring injury to new recruit Jed Anderson.
Goals:
North Melbourne – Waite 3, Harvey 3, Brown 2, Petrie 2, Garner 2, Dal Santo, Goldstein, Thomas, Higgins
Adelaide – Jenkins 5, Walker 2, M.Crouch, Seedsman, Douglas, Jacobs, Lynch, Mackay, Betts
Best:
North Melbourne – Goldstein, Waite, Wells, Cunnington, Tarrant, Harvey
Adelaide – Jenkins, Walker, Talia, Thompson, Smith, M.Crouch
Final score
North Melbourne 16.11.107
Adelaide 14.13.97
The Adelaide Crows begin life after Dangerfield while the North Melbourne Kangaroos look for a maiden first round victory under Brad Scott in their debut game of the 2016 season. Join The Roar for live scores from the game and a blog of the match, starting at 7:25pm AEDT.
The Crows made light work of North in last year’s opener, smacking them by 77 points at Adelaide Oval. The venue has changed but Adelaide have good cause for confidence – they’ve beaten the Kangaroos in 4 of their past 5 meetings.
It’s not quite at the ‘hoodoo’ stage but Brad Scott will be desperate to kick the season off with a victory. His team have lost their past 6 first round matchups under his tutelage.
It should be an exciting battle of the big men with two of the competition’s premier ruckmen going head to head in Todd Goldstein (playing his 150th game) and Sam Jacobs, along with the likes of Taylor Walker and Drew Petrie in the forward lines.
Walker had a day out in the corresponding fixture in 2015, booting 6 goals. North Melbourne will be hoping with the home ground advantage and a strong finish to last season that they’ll be able to keep both him and the Crows quieter this time around.
Former Hawk Jed Anderson will wear the blue and white for the first time tonight, while 2014 draftee Mitch McGovern and 2015 draftee Wayne Milera will debut for the Crows. Paul Seedsman will also play his first game for Adelaide after being traded over from Collingwood – it’s also his 50th career game.
Prediction: North by 11
Join The Roar for live scores from the game and a blog of the match, starting at 7:30pm AEDT.
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