North Melbourne 5.4 9.6 15.10 19.13 (127)
Melbourne 1.2 5.5 7.5 11.7 (73)
North Melbourne have consolidated their grasp on finals footy after beating Melbourne by 54 points yesterday.
Melbourne’s chances were quickly ended, with the Kangaroos jumping out of the blocks, kicking the first five goals of the contest. The Demons remained competitive afterwards, but the damage was already done.
Brad Green kicked three goals in his 250th game and was key to the Demons continually fight, but the fact of the matter is that North Melbourne are simply superior to the struggling Demons.
Drew Petrie continued his stunning form with another four goals to make it 18 in three weeks, but it was his captain Andrew Swallow who really stole the show.
Swallow had 32 disposals, 17 of which were contested yet still managed to use the ball at 81% efficiency. He kicked a goal and set up a few others whilst being instrumental in the congested clearance work, finishing with an incredible 17 tackles – two shy of the record set by Swan Jude Bolton last season.
It wasn’t all good for the Kangaroos however, with Leigh Adams suffering a shoulder injury which will cause concerns for the Roos medical staff over the coming days.
Votes
3 Swallow
2 Harvey
1 Petrie
GOALS
North Melbourne: Petrie 4, Tarrant 4, Adams 2, Thomas 2, Harvey 2, Bastinac, Macmillan, Anthony, Swallow, Harper
Melbourne: Green 3, Sylvia 3, Blease, Howe, Garland, Martin, Jones
BEST
North Melbourne: Harvey, Gibson, Wells, Cunnington, Swallow, Goldstein, Atley
Melbourne: Jones, Green, Moloney, Howe, Macdonald
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Adams (shoulder), Scott McMahon (soreness)
Melbourne: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Scott McMahon (soreness) substituted for Matt Campbell in the third quarter
Melbourne: Neville Jetta substituted for James Strauss in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Armstrong, Harris
Official crowd: 20,816 at Etihad Stadium
