Round 17 – Port Adelaide v North Melbourne: The North Melbourne Football Club and the Curse of Adelaide Oval

 

 

Round 17
Port Adelaide v North Melbourne
4:40pm, Sunday 5 July 2026
Adelaide Oval

 

Sometimes, you cannot escape a curse.

If I were ever asked which Pirates of the Caribbean movie is my favourite, I would say the Curse of the Black Pearl, hands down. In that movie, the “Curse” meant the pirates on the ship could not die. Pretty nifty most would say in a pirate movie.

What also cannot seem to die is a losing streak in South Australia for the Kangas. Adelaide Oval is a cursed venue for the Kangaroos, with Sunday’s 21-point loss marking the 15th consecutive loss at this venue. I might also compare this curse to the movie space jam (The Michael Jordan one, of course), where the talents and abilities of those boys from Arden Street, once they have crossed the border into South Australia and play at the famed Adelaide Oval, seem to lose said talents, along with the ability to play a decent brand of football.

Despite winning three games in a row (all of them in ugly fashions), the Kangaroos were heavy underdogs against a Port Adelaide team that the Kangaroos demolished in round one at Marvel Stadium this year. The difference in those two games spoke volumes. This was not the same Port Adelaide team that lost by 46 points in round one. This was a team that was desperate to keep its very slim finals chances alive, especially coming off the back of winning the showdown last week against the Adelaide Crows.

Yesterday’s game was not a thing of beauty when compared to the round one clash. In fact, yesterday was quite the opposite. It paired well with the previous two games North Melbourne played against Richmond and Essendon respectively, where Triple M footy was quoted when speaking about the North/Essendon game on Facebook “If you have eyeballs and you were at Marvel Stadium yesterday you may be entitled to financial compensation”, as well as Nathan Brown quoted saying during the Triple M broadcast after watching a horrid passage of play from both teams, “In the bin, the lot of you!” and “This stinks so much”.

Even my lovely girlfriend, who will sit through most sporting events I either take her to or put on the TV, as long as she is provided with warmth, an aisle seat (if at the game) and a milo cup, asked if it was a better choice to watch the TV show “Squatters” on Disney Plus last night while we ate our homemade taco dinner, than having to watch both teams turn the ball over, as well as giving up a combined 70 free kicks, in a game which stopped and started more than when I was learning to drive my dad’s 2008 Mitsubishi Triton.

To North Melbourne and Port Adelaide’s credit, the second half of the game was a much better viewing.

Down by 25 points early in the third quarter, North fans were hoping for another “Miracle at Marvel”, like the one they had when they stunned the Gold Coast Suns. The third quarter was much better from the Roos, who looked poised to surge past the Power. As they started to play a faster paced game in the second half, North Melbourne kicked five unanswered goals, to wrestle the lead back, and looked about ready to blow the game wide open, just as they had in round one.

With the game locked up at 51-51 at the end of the third quarter, the game was there to be won. For a moment, I thought “This hoodoo is about to end.” I expected the Kangaroos to steam past the power, but that does not happen when you kick just one behind in the last quarter, compared to the Power’s three goals which ensured that the Adelaide Oval hoodoo lives on.

Speaking of curses, George Wardlaw and his dodgy hamstring struck again. At this stage, you almost feel bad for the guy. On one side of the equation, he is a bull, tough, gives full effort regardless of the scoreboard, and draws comparisons to other hardened North Melbourne icons, such as Ben Cunnington and Glenn Archer, along with being one of the best midfielders that the Kangaroos have. However, the injuries have consistently plagued him in his career and North fans (and me) will be hoping that this is not another long-term injury.

If the Kangaroos are any chance of making the wildcard (still a very weird concept for the AFL purists), they must beat a Collingwood team that is also desperate to hang on to their own wildcard spot on Friday night at Marvel Stadium. This game is also pivotal for the Kangaroos, as they are now 11^th and on the outside of the wildcard race. Win, and you keep yourself alive. Lose, and it becomes a mountain of a task.

Unlike the Curse of the Black Pearl, which only seemed to linger for approximately 2 hours or so, North Melbourne’s troubles in Adelaide remain intact for another year.

One last note on curses. This one goes to professional wrestler Danhausen. If you are the one who placed this Adelaide Oval curse on us, please do every North Melbourne fan a favour and uncurse us. Everyone saw how uncursing the New York Knicks went.

Surely it is our turn next.

 

PORT ADELAIDE                  1.3     5.6   7.9    10.13  (73)
NORTH MELBOURNE        1.3     2.5   7.9    7.10   (52)

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Whitlock 3, Georgiades 3, Sweet, Mead, Horne-Francis, Durdin
North Melbourne: Darling 2, Simpkin, Sheezel, McKercher, Larkey, Davies-Uniacke

BEST
Port Adelaide: Horne-Francis, Butters, Byrne-Jones, Georgiades, Burgoyne, Sweet, Lai
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Parker, Sheezel, Comben, McKercher, Harvey

INJURIES
Port Adelaide: Nil
North Melbourne: Wardlaw (Hamstring)

 

Crowd: 33,105

 

Read other Round 17 match reports HERE

 

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