North triumph in Tassie

I wasn’t feeling too good about this game at all. North hadn’t beaten Hawthorn since Round 13, 2008, and the last time these two sides played at Aurora Stadium, the Roos had a three goal buffer going into the last term in freezing conditions, only for Luke Hodge and Lance Franklin to steal the four points.

On this ANZAC Day, after witnessing Collingwood thrash a helpless Essendon, I grabbed the radio and went into the computer room. I heard the siren as I tuned into the ABC.

Three hours later, I knew the result. The game was being replayed on Channel 7 at 11:00, so I stayed up to watch it. Luckily, I didn’t have to put up with any of the Channel 7 antics (showing repetitive ads, poor commentary etc.) as the game was on Foxtel. I was extremely excited to see our first round draft pick, Ben Cunnington, make his debut (finally!), and I’m sure I, along with many journalists in Australia, will be writing about him in a couple of years time.

The match started and with a great sunset in the distance, David Hale kicked the first goal after a mark on the lead. Andrew Swallow received a free kick from 45m out and converted, before Hale got onto the end of a great transition from the backline to kick his second, the Roos leading 20-0. The Hawks hit back, Franklin kicking the first for Hawthorn, before Jarryd Roughead cleaned up Scott McMahon’s fumble in the goalsquare, clumsily putting through his first. Ben Warren was aided by a terrific tap-on by Daniel Wells, helping him grubber through a great goal, but a late one to Campbell Brown cut the Roos lead to nine points at the first break, 4.4 to 3.1.

The second quarter began and Franklin kicked the first, but Leigh Adams gathered and snapped his bread and butter to take the lead back out to nine points. Franklin kicked a trademark grubber goal from deep in the forward pocket, but Hale replied after a free kick just before half time, the Roos in control 6.5 to 5.4.

With the time creeping up to 12:30, I was feeling quite tired and considered going to bed, but I stood firm with myself to watch the game out. The second half commenced and Brent Harvey was terrific, running and passing the ball superbly to Daniel Wells, who went back and kicked the first goal of the quarter. Harvey was at it again, snapping a ball across the goal face to Wells, deep in the pocket. He ran into the field and snapped a great goal to extend the lead out to 19 points. When this happened on the radio, I started feeling nervous, because last week Wells kicked two goals in succession in the third quarter against the Swans, and they were the last goals North would kick the rest of the day. Ironically, Wells kicked the 7th and 8th goal for the Roos last week, as he has done now. The Hawks replied with Franklin kicking his fourth, followed by Michael Osborne kicking a goal after Cyril Rioli got a hand onto Gavin Urquhart’s kick-in. Aaron Edwards was rewarded with a 50m penalty, he went back and goaled to give the Roos an eight point lead at the last change, 9.6 to 7.9.

The last quarter was set to be a ripper. It didn’t disappoint. Rioli almost took a great mark, but kicked a goal instead when he landed, cutting the margin to four points. Jarrod Kaylor-Thomson, the late, very late replacement for Brent Renouf today, missed a shot on goal, only to get the ball back from Urquhart’s kick-in, kicking the major to put Hawthorn in front by three points. Franklin marked in the forward pocket, and on the wrong side for a left-footer he somehow put the ball through with a swirling wind, as Buddy can always manage to do. The Hawks led by eight points, and this was the same thing that happened last year in Round 15. Hodge dominating, Franklin unstoppable, the Roos unable to go forward. When they did go forward however, Wells received a free kick and kicked his third, cutting the margin to two points. Then Adams, combining with Harvey, kicked the ball into the open forward line, with one man running onto it. Brady Rawlings, the last person anyone would predict to mark and kick a crucial goal, ran a hundred metres to take the mark. It was one of the greatest transitions from the backline to inside 50 I’d seen by North, and Rawlings capped it off with a goal, putting his side back in front by four points. The Hawks challenged again, with Rioli and Franklin frantically fighting for the ball, but they got the fumbles and the Roos cleared, moving the ball down field swiftly and Tom Murphy couldn’t hold his feet, stumbling onto Edwards, who was given the free kick. He went back, swallowed the whole pressure-cooker and kicked the sealing goal. Roos by ten points. A couple of Harvey behinds, and they had the four points in the pouch, 12.10.82 to 10.10.70.

Finally, as the clock ticked past 1:45, I turned the TV off, and started to go to sleep, happy that the Roos were back on track.

Hawthorn 3.1—5.4—7.9—10.10.70

North Melbourne 4.4—6.5—9.6—12.10.82

Goalkickers:

Hawthorn-Franklin 5, Kaylor-Thomson, Roughead, Brown, Osborne, Rioli

North Melbourne-Wells 3, Hale 3, Edwards 2, Swallow, Warren, Adams, Rawlings

Best:

Hawthorn-Hodge, Franklin, Kaylor-Thomson, Birchall, Guerra

North Melbourne-Wells, Rawlings, Harvey, Goldstein, McIntosh, Firrito

Crowd:

TBC at Aurora Stadium (12,000 is my guess)

Votes:

3: Daniel Wells (NM)

2: Luke Hodge (H)

1: Brady Rawlings (NM)

About Josh Barnstable

21 year old North Melbourne supporter from country Victoria. Currently living in Melbourne studying a Bachelor of Sports Media. Dreams of becoming a sports journalist and broadcaster.

Comments

  1. Barney, I admire your tenacity and internal fortitude in staying up to watch the match despite already knowing the result. A couple of points though:

    -His name is KayLER-Thomson, not Kaylor. I’m correcting you before Steve does (I bet he will notice when reading this, then see this comment and think “DAMN Adam noticed it first”)

    – The fact that Wells kicked the 7th and 8th goals two weeks in a row is not at all ironic, merely coincidental. A lot of people misuse the word.

  2. Thanks Adam, I knew I should have double checked the name, I was actually worried that it was Kayler-THOMPSON. Luckily I got one half of his name right.

  3. Steve Healy says

    You certainly read my actions well, Bulman.

    Good report Josh,and don’t worry, I think I once called him Kaylor-Thomson as well.

    And I got turned down by the Melbourne Football Club for work experience, which was pretty unfortunate, the only thing I could’ve done better in my application was paint a portrait of Jim Stynes.

  4. 3- Steve don’t worry, they obviously don’t know what they are doing…if u remember i was also rejected by Collingwood b/c they only take in people who have relatives that alreasy work there…..great reason that is.

    Good job Joshy…wiat this is Joshy’s piece right? LOL :p

  5. Steve Healy says

    Thanks, Danni.

    Yeah this one’s definitely Josh’s, hahah

  6. 5- Just out of curiosity what did u talk about in your application?

  7. 3: Danni, they are a family club. Haha. Nah they should be open to absolutely anyone.

  8. josh, look at this

    Comment 53
    http://footyalmanac.com.au/?p=6340

  9. 8: I always knew I could predict the future. Now may I utilize my crystal ball once more..

    Danielle Alan Toovey.

  10. 9-

    …..

  11. Steve Healy says

    Have a look at comment 54, that really highlights my passion for the game.

    And danni, i talked about my love for the club and I talked about Jim Stynes when it said “talk about a hero you admire”

  12. 10: Does your love for the number 9 leave you speechless?

    Gosh, it feels weird talking on the Almanac again..

  13. 11- hmmmm did u add stuff like the activities u do at school?
    With my app, i had the who drama club, debating 3 years, seeds of justice team, 40 hour famine, class captain 09…and it STILL did NOTHING for me!
    As for your choice of hero i think Jimmy would have been the perfect choice….oh well i guess when we are big jurnos we can exploit their choices to reject us when we were teens, in our newspapers. lol

  14. 12- speechless and in that sense a tad scared….

  15. Steve Healy says

    13- No we didn’t really need to mention any of that, to be honest i dont do many activities at my school at all lol.

    Yeah, wait till we are the people running these places- no disrespect to the melbourne football club of course, go dees!

  16. 15- yes fast forward a few years and ill be working for RALPHY!!! :)

  17. Steve Healy says

    No way, if you go to the Herald Sun Ralphy will be working for you

  18. HAHAHA lol.
    i highly doubt that.
    Anyway it would be a dream just be in the the same room as Jon Ralph. :)
    If only SLANE and RALPHY worked at the same paper…

  19. Who would you want to be stuck in an elevator with Danni?

    Ralphy, Sam Lane, Nathan Brown, Jack Anthony, Steele Sidebottom, Dale Thomas, Justin Bieber or Aaron Edwards? And don’t say all of them, they won’t all fit.

  20. Steve Healy says

    And that’s not gonna happen, Ralphy isn’t good enough to write for the Age

  21. 19- Oh come on im sure Steele and Superman can fit together with me!!
    lol
    i wonder what id say to Steele…lol

    20- Steve..you can’t say that!
    Out of all the journalists i feel thar Ralphy has the style most like mine so in saying that you are also saying that im not good enough to write for the Age. SO mean!!
    lol

  22. Damian Watson says

    Great dedication in ploughing through the early morning until 2am, Josh.

    The Hawks were severly depleted in the ruck department and that obviously contributed to their loss, taking nothing away from North.

  23. I think Renouf wouldn’t have been a chance in the last quarter against McIntosh, Goldstein and Hale anyway Damo, but it sure contributed to the North win with him out.

  24. Steve Healy says

    21- I never said Ralphy was better than you!

  25. 24- Ralphy is better than me DUHH!!!
    LOL

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