Source : the age
By Peter Ryan
North Melbourne star Harry Sheezel said the players have finally embraced premiership coach Alastair Clarkson’s method and trust in each other is building after a match-saving mark from unheralded defender Toby Pink gave the Roos their first win at the MCG since 2017.
In a scrappy encounter that left coach Clarkson comparing his day to a trip to the dentist, the Kangaroos were four points up when the siren went, having led for most of the game after jumping to a 24-point lead in the first quarter.
Toby Pink was the last-gasp hero for the Kangaroos.Credit: Getty Images
“It was hard work,” Clarkson said.
In a tense final term between teams filled with players who have little experience winning, the Kangaroos made plenty of mistakes but somehow got the win – 12.6 (78) to 11.8 (74).
Adding merit to the victory was the backdrop of personal grief and injury. Captain Jy Simpkin’s nanna passed away during the week and Jack Darling wore a black armband to honour former Eagles’ teammate Adam Selwood, who died at the weekend.
Forward Cam Zurhaar, who kicked four goals, also played with a swollen foot due to a burst artery suffered during the week that got worse when it was stood on in the second half.
Clarkson praised his players for their resilience, saying Zurhaar set a great example to his teammates that sometimes you have to perform under duress.
“He just managed his mind really, really strongly today and made a contribution to the team that was pretty important for us,” Clarkson said.
It was a must-win match for the Roos following the disappointment of their draw with the Brisbane Lions a week earlier and losses in the previous two matches by a combined margin of 12 points.
Sheezel said Clarkson’s coaching was starting to have an impact, noting the Roos restricted their opponent to under 100 points for the fourth match in a row.
“In the last month of footy we have really just brought into what ‘Clarko’ and the coaches have been teaching us for the past two years. We were really inconsistent with it prior [to that], and that was reflected on the scoreboard and leaking a lot of goals, but we are playing way more of a system now and trusting everyone to get it done, and we are seeing the rewards,” Sheezel said.
“We are nowhere near perfect yet but the last month has definitely been a step in the right direction.”
Richmond missed two set-shots to gain the lead within the final five minutes of the game, and the Kangaroos had a slice of luck late when the controlling umpire was unwilling to pay a free kick against Luke Davies-Uniacke for insufficient intent. The North star appeared to deliberately fumble the ball over the boundary line in the back pocket but got away with it, helping to run down the clock as North held onto their slender lead.
Richmond coach Adem Yze speculated whether a different decision might have been forthcoming earlier in the game.
“Whether it is because it is a tight game … it’s always a hard one,” Yze said. “I reckon ‘Clarko’ might have heard me yell out. You get frustrated with that sort of stuff because if it was early in the game they might have paid it. It is what it is as it is. [It’s] a hard one to umpire the best of times; that rule.”
Yze’s real disappointment was directed at the Tigers’ start, which saw them fall four goals behind in the first quarter.
“Our start wasn’t good enough. The first quarter we got smashed in inside-50s, smashed in clearance, they dominated territory and kicked six goals in 16 entries,” Yze said. “We just didn’t start the right way.”
North Melbourne entered the match with just 16 wins from their previous 116 matches and nine consecutive losses at the home of football. Fourteen players in the team had never won at the MCG in their career, with Luke McDonald the only player in their team to have won at the venue in North Melbourne colours.
It took three moments of inspiration after they lost the lead in the final quarter to give them the two final-quarter goals they needed. The first came when Pink left his man to take an intercept mark before the desperate George Wardlaw gained a ground ball to set up Nick Larkey for a goal. The second was when Davies-Uniacke was strong over a loose ball and the Kangaroos earned a downfield free kick which Jack Darling converted.
Despite a late goal from Tom Lynch as the Tigers tried to lift in front of former star Dustin Martin – who dropped into the rooms pre-game to celebrate premiership teammate Kamdyn McIntosh’s 200th game – the Kangaroos were able to hang on.
Eagles finally on winner’s list
Justin Chadwick
Jamie Cripps was among the players to pay an on-field tribute to Adam Selwood as West Coast posted an emotional 28-point win over St Kilda at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Harley Reid and Oscar Allen in the thick of West Coast’s celebrations.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
The death of 2006 premiership Eagle Selwood at the age of 41 on Saturday sent shock waves through West Coast, and a minute’s silence was held before Sunday’s match in front of 42,860 fans.
West Coast players, fuelled by the emotion of the previous 24 hours, unleashed their best pressure display of the season to lead from the outset on the way to the 16.12 (108) to 12.8 (80) win, despite five goals from Jack Higgins.
The result marked West Coast’s first victory of the season, snapping an 11-match losing run that stretched back to last year. It also gave Andrew McQualter his first win as West Coast coach.
The victory came against Ross Lyon, who coached McQualter at St Kilda for the bulk of the tagger’s 94-game playing career.
For St Kilda, the loss leaves them with a 4-6 record and huge question marks about their finals credentials.
Brady Hough was influential for West Coast with 24 disposals and the first goal of his AFL career, while Harley Reid (15 disposals, two goals, four clearances) took a mark-of-the-year contender when he sat on skipper Oscar Allen to reel in a ripper grab.
Rowan Marshall (27 disposals, 40 hitouts, one goal) stood tall in the ruck for St Kilda, while Higgins was exceptional.
West Coast’s Liam Duggan basks in the adoration of Eagles fans after the club’s first win of the year.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
West Coast made a strong start to the match, with contested marks in attack to Jake Waterman and Matt Flynn leading to early goals before Cripps paid tribute to Selwood by tapping his black arm band after sidestepping an opponent to kick a clever snap.
The lead ballooned to 34 points midway through the term when Allen kicked his second goal, and the Eagles still held a 70-42 edge heading into the final quarter.
Higgins kicked two goals in the last term to close the margin to 17 points with nine minutes remaining.
But a settling goal from Bailey Williams followed by two majors in the space of a minute to Liam Ryan ensured West Coast would snare the win.
– AAP
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