Rewards come for Roos Rohan Connolly
The Age
July 7, 2013 NORTH MELBOURNE 3.3 11.6 15.8 19.14 (128)
RICHMOND 2.2 2.7 4.15 8.18 (66)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Tarrant 4, Black 3, Mullett 2, Harvey 2, Ziebell 2, Bastinac 2, Cunnington, Petrie, Greenwood, Gibson.
Richmond: Riewoldt 2, White 2, Morris 2, Ellis, Jackson.
BEST
North Melbourne: Greenwood, Adams, Hansen, Ziebell, Thompson, Hine, Harvey, Swallow.
Richmond: Morris, Foley, Cotchin, Grigg, White.
INJURIES
Richmond: Ellis (concussion), Jackson (ankle), Houli (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Dea.
UMPIRES Donlon, Margetts, Bannister.
CROWD 45,966 at Etihad Stadium.
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North Melbourne had worked very hard for not much reward by quarter-time at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, leading Richmond by only seven points, its intent obvious, its commitment to blocking up the Tigers' forward line then striking on the rebound enviable, but the return still only three goals to two.
Coach Brad Scott would have been annoyed at quarter-time, too, Richmond's late second goal the result of a free kick at a centre bounce following a North goal, the Roos' concentration lapsing momentarily as Daniel Jackson slipped out on his own in at least 50 metres of space to give his side plenty of hope headed into the first break.
But Scott also would have been smart enough to tell his men that if they continued to work to that level, the rewards would eventually come. And come they did, pretty much immediately.
The Roos had played some patches of great football this season, despite their 5-8 record, but none as complete as Saturday's second term. It had all the same defensive steel of their first quarter, but now with the attacking forays paying off in spades. The dividend was a decisive 8.3 to just five Richmond behinds, the half-time lead 53 points, bigger than those earlier season leads North had built up over Geelong and Adelaide, and one the Roos, this time, were never going to blow.
Seven of the eight goals came within 18 minutes as Richmond, both its players and sizeable contingent of supporters, looked completely shellshocked. The Tiger army at one stage offered a round of bronx cheers after the goal assault as the Tigers actually managed an inside 50.
The first of the seven was scored just 44 seconds into the second quarter, as Robbie Tarrant, giving Alex Rance all sorts of grief, marked strongly at the tip of the goalsquare. Then Aaron Black, dangerous in attack, got on the end of a lovely chain of handballs and chip from Brent Harvey to make it two. Aaron Mullett had the third after a free kick and 50, Tarrant another after a clever snap, Drew Petrie his first, Tarrant a third, standing unattended in the square to pounce on the crumbs of a contest, then Jack Ziebell thumping one on his left foot to make the gap eight goals.
That last goal pretty much said it all, Levi Greenwood, who played a fine defensive job on Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin, busting through a pack to thread a handball out to the Roos' midfield gun. North had racked up the uncontested marks and possessions and handballs as it ran chains out of the Richmond forward line, but the longer this game went the more it won the harder indicators as well.
Its defence reigned supreme as the Richmond brains trust failed to adequately counter North's spare men behind the ball. The result was a picnic for the likes of Lachie Hansen, Nathan Grima and Scott Thompson, and barely a sniff for Tiger spearhead Jack Riewoldt, who finished with two meaningless last-quarter goals, and just five touches. But he wasn't the only Richmond star shut out of the equation. Little known beyond Arden Street, Taylor Hine performed a consummate lockdown job on Tiger heartbeat Brett Deledio.
Indeed, Richmond had trouble finding a winner anywhere, or even a burst of inspiration for that matter. There was a tiny flutter of a heartbeat at the start of the third term, when Steve Morris crept forward to boot the first of the half. But normal transmission resumed soon enough, Harvey dribbling through a ruck clearance to cancel out Morris' goal, then 10 minutes or so of nothing football before Greenwood and Mullett banged through two goals to push the lead out beyond 60 points.
This was close to the perfect performance from the Roos.
Their plan was smart, and executed to the letter. Their leaders, like skipper Andrew Swallow, Ziebell and Harvey, stood up. Their defence blocked, smothered and spoilt, but at the same time, turned resistance into attack, their forward set-up was potent, Petrie not needing to fly the flag so much with Tarrant and Black on song, and their skills much, much sharper than their disappointing opponent.
In a sense, this win will only increase the Roos' frustration about that string of half-a-dozen losses by 16 points or less, because there's not much doubt their best, delivered consistently, is enough to match it with most sides.
Richmond, meanwhile, will probably still make the finals, but it certainly won't be able to afford any more performances as sloppy and uninspired as this one if it is to provide anything more than September novelty value. If a team which more than likely isn't going to be there can pull them apart like North did, imagine what could happen against one which will be.
A KICK IN THE BEHIND (1) Lachie Hansen was outstanding in defence for the Kangaroos, but there's one moment he wouldn't mind taking back, and it came early in the second quarter when, after marking strongly next to the behind post, he went back to kick along the boundary and smacked his attempted clearing kick right into the post. The ball was thrown in, and Hansen was left a little red-faced.
A KICK IN THE BEHIND (2)Fans have become used to the seemingly inevitable call of ''vision inconclusive'' from upstairs this season when a scoring decision has been referred by the umpires. But they got one right on Saturday, when Tiger Brett Deledio, midway through the third term, snapped from the boundary line. The goal umpire thought it a goal, but had missed a deflection off the far goalpost that, this time, a replay managed to pick up.
KANGAROO'S BLUEThe umpires have been clad in blue this round for a good cause, but it didn't pay off for North Melbourne momentarily in the second term, when Nathan Grima, under pressure coming out of the back line, appeared to kick in the direction of one of the field umpires, almost at right angles. Fortunately, the Roos managed to avoid paying a big price, still rushing the ball to safety.
THE KEY STATSLachie Hansen grabbed a career-high 15 marks for the game. Six of these were intercept marks - equalling the most he has recorded in any game.
Richmond finished with season-lows of 302 disposals, 170 uncontested possessions and 60 marks. - CHAMPION DATA
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