Round 11 – North Melbourne v Gold Coast: My Three Sons

Round 11
North Melbourne v Gold Coast
Saturday 23 May 2026
Marvel Stadium

 

Initially I had no desire to make the effort to watch North Melbourne, given their pitiful performance against the Crows in Adelaide on the weekend prior. But son #2 announced that his boss had offered him four Medallion Club tickets. Son #1 suggested that he, his brothers, and their dad should take up the opportunity. And before I knew it, I was in transit to Marvel Stadium.

 

For many reasons, not the least being that son #1 lives in country Victoria and son #3 works weekends, it is rare indeed that the three boys and I are able to get to a game of footy as a foursome. We deduced that the previous such occasion was mid-2023, when the Swans infamously recorded a narrow win after a North interchange infringement in the dying minutes.

 

Son #2 and I are first to arrive at the venue. I am surprised that the upper deck is open, given the expected attendance. But there are a few noteworthy benefits to be enjoyed when the Marvel crowd is small: the bar queues are non-existent, there is room to stretch out in your seat and, most interestingly, the players’ voices are disarmingly audible. I bet that Pies fans have never been able to hear Pendles barking out instructions without him being miked up!

 

Son #1 arrives at the first break, when it appears that the Kangaroos are in the throes of offering up yet another horror show. “We shouldn’t have bothered,” I mutter, as North lose yet another clearance, resulting in another easy Gold Coast goal. Late in the second term, North are 43 points in arrears, with another spanking beckoning. If this continues, it is not only ‘season over’, but the mutterings about Clarkson’s methods and tenure will surely increase. A late goal to Konstanty sees the Roos go into the main break 38 points down. It is not an irretrievable margin, but it is well beyond a Roos cohort playing without any system or belief.

 

Son #3 arrives from work, and the four of us pessimistically settle in for the second half. Zurhaar, who will never be a defender, has been swung forward, and the classy McKercher is plonked at half-back. A more interesting move was Trembath taking the centre-bounces, and Xerri being positioned inside the forward-50 then taking the stoppages around the ground. The new centre-bounce ruck rule has not favoured the grappling Xerri at all. The third quarter sees a (thankfully) much-improved North.

 

My three sons are all keen students of the game, and they rapidly point out subtle tactical alterations before they become obvious, including North’s determination to kick the ball more regularly rather than handball. Thankfully the past seven years have not completely killed their enjoyment of the game. It is apparent that the tenor of this game has changed. And with a four-goal to one quarter, North are right in the game at the final break. There has been much discussion about the possibility of the Suns possessing sluggish ‘Darwin legs’, so we are more confident than we were only half an hour ago.

 

Uwland kicks the first of the term for Gold coast, and the initial stages of the final term see the teams trade goals. North are seemingly unable to edge closer than 3 and a bit goals. Trembath goals for the Roos, but Petracca – who has been enormous – replies. Time ticks on. North are now the better team, but the buffer created by the early damage is proving tough to overcome. And when Ben Long goals, it might just be curtains. Indeed, just minutes later, had a kick off the ground from Long gone through the goals, it would have been curtains.

 

But the Darwin legs are not just a myth. North are full of running, especially Wardlaw who gathers 13 possessions for the term. Duursma finds space and slots cooly, Spargo is aware enough to mop up a sloppy Larkey handpass, Duursma finds LDU. And all of a sudden the scores are tied and my three boys and I are on our feet. Roaring. And definitely no longer able to hear the players’ voices. The four of us check the AFL app and it tells us that there is less than a minute remaining.

 

Gold Coast win a sloppy final clearance. Petracca kicks it forward in hope. From a pack, the ball is fired out to Wardlaw who uses it beautifully. Parker bombs it forward and Zurhaar is dragged down by Adams. The umpires have been poor all day, but this one is rightly paid to North. However, I am still unsure why or what Nick Larkey was doing playing on comically, indeed missing the ball with his boot, but thankfully the umpire calls the ball back. The siren sounds, and Zurhaar puts it through.

 

The three boys and I are ecstatic, and we sing the song with gusto. The four of us being together at the footy is a rare enough occasion, but to witness a win like this is even rarer still. We don’t hurry out. Rather, we flop back into our seats, dissect the second half, and savour the victory. And I am hoping that it is not another three years until the four of us are again at the footy together.

 

 

NORTH MELBOURNE   4.1   6.1   10.5   17.9 (111)
GOLD COAST                  7.0   12.3  13.7  16.9 (105)

 

GOALS
North Melbourne: Darling 3, Curtis 2, Konstanty 2, Larkey 2, Trembath 2, Davies-Uniacke, Duursma, Simpkin, Spargo, Xerri, Zurhaar
Gold Coast: Walter 3, Long 2, Anderson, Gulbin, Humphrey, King, Miller, Moyle, Noble, Petracca, Powell, Rowell, Uwland

 

BEST
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Simpkin, Sheezel, Curtis, O’Sullivan, Darling, Logue
Gold Coast: Rowell, Petracca, Collins, Anderson, Noble, Walter

 

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil

 

Crowd: 16,260 at Marvel Stadium

 

Malarkey Medal votes: 3. Davies-Uniacke (NM), 2. Petracca (GC), 1. Simpkin (NM)

 

More Round 11 Match Reports Here.