Don’t Cry For Me Argentina

By Josh Barnstable

When the fixture comes out for the season, the team that is named first is the home team who will wear the home jumper and home shorts. Tonight it is North Melbourne vs. Collingwood. North Melbourne is the home team. They run out on the ground. White shorts, White socks. But worst of all, they are wearing a clash jumper. A white jumper with powder-blue stripes. Supposedly based on the Argentinian Soccer Team. Collingwood run out on the ground and are wearing the home jumper and home shorts. Collingwood has been given their way once again. I wonder how big the Magpies would be if even 10% of things in the AFL did not work in their favour. I am hoping North can defeat the Pies, they have won the past two against Collingwood which gives them a slight chance.

The game begins and the Pies start strongly, kicking the first three goals through Leon Davis after he snapped a ripper, Nick Maxwell on his return and Brent McCaffer kicked a good goal over his head in just his second game. I start to think the Maggies by how far? The Roos get back into the match though with a brilliant goal out of mid-air by Drew Petrie in the goalsquare, followed by goals to Aaron Edwards, Lindsay Thomas and Leigh Harding. The Roos are in front. Good on them. My hope is restored. Not before a goal to Jack Anthony before the siren. The Pies lead by 5 points at quarter time, 4.6 to 4.1. Scott Pendlebury has racked up 11 disposals for the Pies while Gavin Urquhart and Hamish McIntosh have 8 touches each for North. The Roos seemed to have taken in the Argentina game style, with plenty of soccer skills in that opening quarter. A header by Scott Thompson, a kick off the ground towards goal by Edwards and the brilliant goal by Petrie would have seen any Soccer team envious.

The second quarter began and the Pies started with goals to Anthony, Tarkyn Lockyer, Anthony Corrie kicked a ripper from 50m out in his first game in the Black and White, and Nathan Brown kicked a rare goal. The Roos responded with Edwards booting 3 goals, each shot highlighting his excellent goalkicking. Those would be the only goals the Roos would kick for the quarter as the Pies skipped away with goals to Paul Medhurst, Lockyer, Travis Cloke and another goal to Lockyer to give Collingwood a lead of 36 points at half time, 12.8 to 7.2. Dane Swan has racked up 19 disposals while Pendlebury is on 17 touches for the Pies. For the Roos, Adam Simpson is on 18 touches while young Urquhart has gathered 16 possessions. The Roos lost key defender Daniel Pratt to a knee injury that quarter. He would not come back onto the field.

The third quarter saw the scores dry up a little. The Pies started with goals to Corrie and Lockyer before McIntosh marked close to the boundary line. He ran around and snapped it through to keep the Roos in the match. A late goal to Anthony saw the Pies out to a 47 point lead at three quarter time, 15.11 to 8.6. Pendlebury is on 23 possessions while Simpson has collected 28 for North. A notable statistic is the running bounces. The Pies have had 25 to North Melbourne’s 3. That highlights the importance of Daniel Wells, Matt Campbell and Brent Harvey who are missing from the game.

The final quarter began and the Roos kicked the first goal through Michael Firrito before Sharrod Wellingham threaded the goals on an angle. Ben Warren kicked a good goal after a nice, courageous mark in the goalsquare before Davis kicked a nice goal from a tight angle. This was followed by a goal to Dale Thomas. McIntosh took a strong mark and kicked a goal for North before, fittingly, Swan kicked the final goal of the game after receiving from Davis. Swan ran in and put it through from close to the boundary line. The Pies had won by a massive 52 points, 19.13.127 to 11.9.75. Simpson finished with the most touches on the ground, collecting 34 while Urquhart had a career-high 28 possessions for North Melbourne. For the Magpies, Swan and Pendlebury had 33 and 31 disposals respectively.

In future, I would like to see North Melbourne stand up to the AFL. I know they are a bit tight with money but I’m sure the rest of the league would get behind them if they would be fined for standing up to Collingwood, something the AFL and the other 14 teams are afraid of doing.

North Melbourne 4.1–7.2–8.6–11.9.75
Collingwood 4.6–12.8–15.11–19.13.127

Goalkickers:

North Melbourne-Edwards 4, McIntosh 2, Petrie, Thomas, Harding, Warren, Firrito

Collingwood-Lockyer 4, Anthony 3, Davis 2, Corrie 2, Wellingham, Cloke, Medhurst, N. Brown, Maxwell, McCaffer, Swan, Thomas

Best:

North Melbourne-Simpson, Urquhart, McIntosh, Edwards

Collingwood-Lockyer, Swan, Pendlebury, Corrie, Fraser

Crowd:

40,087

Votes:

3 Votes: Tarkyn Lockyer (3 Votes)
2 Votes: Dane Swan (2 Votes)
1 Vote: Scott Pendlebury (1 Vote)
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Comments

  1. Pamela Sherpa says

    The alternative jumpers in general for AFL teams are a fiasco. Why have we all suddenly gone colour blind?. As for the changing fashion statements that teams are trying to presesnt i.e that dippy little bib look on the neck. Get rid of all the variations and let teams wear their originals. So what if there is a slight clash? It’s quite exciting to see who comes up from the bottom of the pack with the ball.

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