A five-goal third term from Ben Brown has inspired North Melbourne to a 43-point win over an understrength Greater Western Sydney in Hobart.
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Final score
North Melbourne Kangaroos 17.10.112
GWS Giants 9.15.69
The North Melbourne Kangaroos will return to a happy hunting ground in Hobart as they look to get back in the winners’ against an undermanned GWS Giants. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 1:45pm (AEST).
There couldn’t be a better time to play the Giants for opposition teams. They have an injury list which feels like it’s growing by the day and it’s starting to affect their form on the field.
With Phil Davis and Matt de Boer added this week, joining players like Josh Kelly, Brett Deledio, Toby Greene and Tom Scully among a host of others on the sidelines, things are unravelling for the Western Sydney squad.
Since their victory over the Brisbane Lions in Round 6, they haven’t looked remotely bordering on playing good footy.
A huge 61-point belting at the hands of the Geelong Cats followed, and while playing away from home at Kardinia Park is never easy, the Giants were atrocious. Last week didn’t improve things for GWS, as they lost at home to the West Coast Eagles by 27.
Their kicking across those two games has been atrocious, to put it bluntly. They kicked 12 goals and 21 behinds across the two games, with opportunities regularly ending in a single point, and while the quality across the league has been down, defences have been putting pressure on them far too easily.
North Melbourne weren’t supposed to be in the same class as the Giants this season and while at full strength they still wouldn’t be, the Kangaroos have put in a series of plucky performances to take four wins out of their first eight games.
Pool their will to keep fighting and stay in games alongside their record in Hobart – which currently reads 12 wins from 16 games – and they are more than just a chance here.
The biggest shock came in a Round 7 win away from home over the Sydney Swans, grabbing a two-point win at the death, but a win over Hawthorn a fortnight prior and losing to the Richmond Tigers by only ten points last week confirms they are in with a genuine shot of making the eight in 2018.
The Giants are only ahead of them on the ladder by virtue of having a draw instead of four losses and with the season gathering pace, the result of this one is pivotal for both teams to start building momentum and move in the right direction.
The key appears to be Ben Brown, with the Kangaroos forward leading the competition for goals. He has 26 to his name and if the Giants can’t find a way to win the battle in midfield, the 25-year-old could have a field day.
Prediction
The Giants have too many injuries and the Kangaroos like playing in Hobart too much. North Melbourne should pick up the win.
Kangaroos by 12.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the match from 1:45pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Bruce
Guest
Should the afl relocate gws to Hobart or Shanghai lol
kangajets
Guest
Just happy to see north Melb smack Gws by 50 considering north were tipped for wooden spoon and giants for the flag. lol
Swannies’
Guest
the giants are too fragile North are a much better team
Kangajets
Guest
giants are weak ,, the kangaroos are mentally tough and a damn good team
Kangajets
Guest
An absolute flogging for the giants
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for joining me on The Roar for our live coverage of the 2018 AFL season as the North Melbourne Kangaroos got the better of the GWS Giants by 43 points. Hopefully you enjoyed the call. Right now, I'm off to cover the Essendon Bombers and Geelong Cats. Be sure to join me for that one, right here on The Roar. Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thoughts on the game Roarers?
Kangajets
Guest
Gws. Need to be relocated to Tasmania
Scott Pryde
Expert
FULLTIME There will be no more action in this one, the bounce going up with just ten seconds to go. The siren goes off as a kick goes forward and the Kangaroos have hammered the Giants by 43 points at Blundstone Arena. It was an even enough first half, with the Giants fighting back with the breeze in the second quarter, but after the Kangaroos made things click in the third, they never looked back. It was a 33-point victory at three quarter time, with the Giants looking like they could pull it back, but the visitors put in an awful final quarter, slumping to yet another loss. Ben Brown the star with five goals during that third quarter and a couple of other pivotal plays during the fourth, while Jarrad Waite set things up early with four goals - including one against the wind - in the first half. Kangaroos 17.10 (112) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 0' - GOAL KANGAROOS, MASON WOOD This game is just about over here. Into the final two minutes and the Giants have lost the will to compete here. Waite to Brown, then he chips inside 50 for Wood who takes an easy mark 30 out. Wood won't miss from there either. Kangaroos 17.10 (112) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 2' - BEHIND KANGAROOS Ben Brown will have a shot this time. Great counter-attack from North Melbourne through to Turner who chips short for Brown who takes the mark about 35 metres out. He shoots for goal, but misses off to the left. Kangaroos 16.10 (106) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 3' Giants straight up field, but it's all too little too late now. Hartung takes it away, somehow keeps it in the field of play, then chips it across to the right with the Kangaroos clearing well out of their 50. Kangaroos 16.9 (105) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 4' - BEHIND KANGAROOS The Kangaroos clear, then win a free kick. They will keep pushing down the right-hand side, a ball going inside 50 now. Ben Brown has taken an absolutely superb mark right there! He just came over the top of the pack on the run, got the big mitts up there and held on. Brown will have the shot from about 50 metres out, off to the right of the posts... Or not! He lined it up, then found a teammate short. It was Dumont who snapped it off to the right for a point. Kangaroos 16.9 (105) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Cheers JB.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 6' Ziebell has played a great game today and off the clearance, he makes a smother on a shot from Tarranto. North Melbourne then clear it out of there and will run a bit more time off the clock. Looks like both Reid and Lobb are struggling with injuries for GWS now. Kangaroos 16.8 (104) Giants 9.15 (69)
JOHNYBULLDOG
Guest
Good call Scotty,cheers mate
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 7' - GOAL KANGAROOS, TODD GOLDSTEIN Great kick forward from Wood and Goldstein takes the contested mark in the goal square! How good is that? Todd Goldstein turns around, bangs home the goal and that should be all she wrote here with a 35-point lead established just seven minutes from fulltime. Kangaroos 16.8 (104) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 8' Time is starting to become the enemy for the Giants now. They lose possession, then Corr hits Wood with a shoulder in the air. Free kick for the 'Roos, probably just a little bit outside of goal scoring range. Kangaroos 15.8 (98) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 9' The Giants struggling to find any space inside 50 here. Daw with a good spoil here, but the Giants stay in control somehow before Mohr fires it inside. Waite is there next to the goal square to take the mark though. Great work from North. Kangaroos 15.8 (98) Giants 9.15 (69)
Scott Pryde
Expert
Q4 10' Himmelberg with some space now for the Giants. Good run, but a terrible kick at the end out in front of the pack, the Kangaroos clearance then going out of play. Lloyd bangs this back into the top of the goal square before the ball goes out of bounds and we have a ball up. Kangaroos 15.8 (98) Giants 9.15 (69)