The North Melbourne Kangaroos got their pre-season started the right way, winning by two points against the Sydney Swans in Coffs Harbour.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Sydney Swans 0.8.15.63
North Melbourne Kangaroos 0.9.11.65
Join The Roar for the first JLT match for the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne Kangaroos as they go head to head in the unfamiliar territory of Coffs Harbour! We’ll be following the game live from 2:05pm AEDT with all the scores and a live blog.
Let’s be honest – AFL pre-season games aren’t the most exciting thing in the world… but that’s not to say they’re not somewhat exciting!
Wins might not carry any meaning, but what a great chance it is to get an early look at your team’s progress, witness the on-field debuts of plenty of young talent, and just bask in the knowledge that season 2017 is just around the corner!
North Melbourne will go in very short of big men (pun intended), with Todd Goldstein, Majak Daw and Ben Brown all sitting out, leaving majority ruck duties to 3rd year rookie Brandon Preuss.
Alongside Jarrad Waite, forward targets will come in the form of youngsters Nick Larkey, Ben McKay and Cameron Zurhaar, who will all be fighting to take the spot of the recently departed Drew Petrie.
Marley Williams will also play his first game as a Roo after crossing from Collingwood, and will certainly be looking to impress.
Alongside him in defence will be some other fresh faces to watch out for, including the highly rated Declan Watson and impressive tall Sam Durdin. Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson will not take part in the game.
Sydney are also leaving some huge names on the sidelines, including Jarrad McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Kieran Jack and perhaps their biggest name of all, superstar forward Lance Franklin.
Pick 11 from last year’s draft, the supremely talented Oliver Florent, will be showcased, as will other newbies Jack Maibaum (defender) and Darcy Cameron (ruck/forward). Plenty of rookies have also been named, including Irish Gaelic convert Colin O’Riordan.
New captain Josh Kennedy will lead from the front and will have plenty of first-rate support, with the likes of Dan Hannebery, Isaac Heeney and Luke Parker ready and raring to go.
Prediction
It should be a great hitout between the two sides but the Swans should be too strong for the undersized Roos.
Sydney by 32.
Join The Roar from 2:05pm AEST for all the live action!
Wendy
Guest
Hi Shannon are you live streaming the women's game on after men's game
RooBoy17
Guest
Roo beauty! Downing the Swans by 2 points...it doesn't get better than this! Go North!
Perry Bridge
Guest
Winning or losing doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things - both teams will be glad for the hit out but...... Yeah Roos!!! #generationalchange
Swanny
Guest
Any win for north over the bloods is worth a cheer . Good old north Melbourne
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
A thrilling finish at Coffs Harbour has seen the North Melbourne Kangaroos claim victory over the Sydney Swans by two points. The Swans started the better of the two teams, leading at the first break by 20 after two magnificent goals from last year’s pick 11 in the National Draft, Oliver Florent helped them dominate a very rusty Kangaroos outfit. However, it was not long until North kicked into gear and off the back of goals from Mason Wood and Kayne Turner found themselves well and truly back in the contest. The margin from there never exceeded three goals for either team, with some very poor kicking from the Swans in front of goal letting down their dominance in general play. The Kangaroos were much more efficient, and slowly but surely began to get the upper hand. Nathan Hrovat kicked two important goals in his first outing for his new club, playing a big role in taking the win in the low-scoring affair. With scores remaining tight in the final quarter, the Swans had the last chance to pinch the win but were beaten by the siren, just as youngster Jordan Foote bombed the ball long into their forward line. Inexperienced Kangaroos big man Braydon Preuss impressed in the role of no.1 ruckman, racking up 29 hitouts and eight disposals. His counterpart, Sydney’s Darcy Cameron, also showed plenty of good signs, finishing with 16 disposals and 12 hitouts. Apart from Florent, new recruit Shaun Edwards also impressed in his first game at his third club, showing strong hands and working hard in a dynamic forward role. The Swans best players were rising superstars Callum Mills and Isaac Heeney, who showed just why they are rated so highly, finding the ball 52 times between them and showing plenty of toughness and composure around the ball. Heeney also registered nine tackles, second-most to Zak Jones’ 11 – Jones was also certainly one of the Swans’ best players, showing that he could be in for a monster season. Untried senior players Robbie Fox and Nic Newman also looked comfortable and will be pushing for selection sometime this year. Shaun Higgins was one of North’s best, registering one goal to go with his 21 disposals and six tackles. Jamie Macmillan and Shaun Atley were also very impressive in their new roles, finding plenty of the ball through the midfield in the absence of players such as Nick Dal Santo, Daniel Wells and Brent Harvey. Maybe the most impressive Kangaroo was defender Ed Vickers-Willis, who competed fantastically all day and has certainly thrown his name into the ring for Round 1, along with fellow untried defender Sam Durdin who also put in a very decent showing. Preseason hype machine Mitch Hibberd was relatively quiet, as were developing talls Nick Larkey and Ben McKay. Still, all showed signs of their talent and will be watched intently in weeks to come. Next up in the JLT Series for the Kangaroos are the Hawks, while the Swans will take on crosstown rivals the GWS Giants. Thanks for joining the Roar today!
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
NORTH MELBOURNE WIN! An absolutely frantic finish as the Swans send the ball deep inside 50 with 3 seconds to go! Unfortunately the clock beats everyone, and the Kangaroos walk away victors by a meager 2 points. Match report to come shortly. FULL TIME Sydney Swans 8.15.63 North Melbourne Kangaroos 9.11.65
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
GOAL SYDNEY Jordan Foote brings it back to two points with a wonderful goal from inside 50! Set up by Zak Jones who continues to impress. Q4 25' Sydney Swans 8.15.63 North Melbourne Kangaroos 9.11.65
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
BEHIND NM Mountford marks about 25m out in an easy position, looking for his second goal in a row. Shanks it badly to the right! Disappointing finish from there. Q4 23' Sydney Swans 7.15.57 North Melbourne Kangaroos 9.11.65
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
GOAL NM Declan Mountford earns a shot at goal by catching Marsh holding the ball about 30m dead in front. He converts nicely and the Roos look good from here! Q4 22' Sydney Swans 7.15.57 North Melbourne Kangaroos 9.10.64
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
BEHIND SYDNEY Sam Fisher in front of goals tries to slam one through to take the lead but it's been touched! One point the margin. Q4 20' Sydney Swans 7.15.57 North Melbourne Kangaroos 8.10.58
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
GOAL SYDNEY Macmillan is caught holding onto Robbie Fox in the Sydney goalsquare and a free kick is awarded! Fox slots it no problem, bringing the margin back to two points. Q4 18' Sydney Swans 7.14.56 North Melbourne Kangaroos 8.10.58
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
BEHIND SYDNEY Shaun Edwards is taken high in the forward pocket, and uses his free kick to pass backwards to Callum Mills in a better position. He shoots for goal - and misses everything! Not a great day in front of goal for Cal. Q4 16' Sydney Swans 6.14.50 North Melbourne Kangaroos 8.10.58
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE Ben Cunnington breaks the deadlock, converting a set shot from about 35m out on a slight angle. Nice pass in from Ziebell. Q4 14' Sydney Swans 6.14.50 North Melbourne Kangaroos 8.10.58
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
BEHIND NM A long kick in to the Roos goalsquare comes to ground and is roved nicely by Wagner, but his snap at goal comes off hands for a behind. Q4 13' Sydney Swans 6.14.50 North Melbourne Kangaroos 7.10.52
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
BEHIND NORTH MELBOURNE 30m out, Ben McKay misses to the right. Not ideal. Handy point though. Q4 11' Sydney Swans 6.14.50 North Melbourne Kangaroos 7.9.51
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
Ben McKay will have his first shot on goal after being held by Melican. Q4 11' Sydney Swans 6.14.50 North Melbourne Kangaroos 7.8.50
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
BEHIND SYDNEY Sensational handball chain from the Swans from the boundary to the centre, with the ball winding up with Nic Newman. He fires from long range but the ball bobbles through left for a behind. Scores tied up! Q4 9' Sydney Swans 6.14.50 North Melbourne Kangaroos 7.8.50
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
GOAL SYDNEY Big smother close to goal from Hannebery! He pounces on the loose ball and slams it through from close range! Q4 7' Sydney Swans 6.13.49 North Melbourne Kangaroos 7.8.50
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE Brilliant teamwork from Higgins and Hrovat, who handball back-and-forth to each other all the way from halfback at full speed, until Hrovat pulls the trigger from 35m out and bangs a low one through for his second! Q4 5' Sydney Swans 5.13.43 North Melbourne Kangaroos 7.8.50
Shannon Russell
Roar Guru
BEHIND SYDNEY Looong shot from Sam Reid looks like it might bounce through the middle but takes a turn and it's just a minor score for Sam. Q4 4' Sydney Swans 5.13.43 North Melbourne Kangaroos 5.9.44