Australian Football

Match Report

North Melbourne has moved to within a game of a place in the top four, overcoming a slow start to earn a hard-fought win over Essendon at the MCG on Friday night. In a close tussle, the difference between the two sides was never more than three goals for the entire match, with the Kangaroos prevailing by 11 points in the end. The final score, 93 to 82, was almost identical to that of last year's Elimination Final, when North defeated the Bombers 93 to 81.

Essendon started the match off with a bang, with Travis Colyer, Jobe Watson and Dyson Heppell all getting goals on the board in the first 12 minutes. North slowly edged its way into the match after that, with a goal to Drew Petrie followed by a string of behinds bringing the Kangaroos to within six points of the Dons. Colyer kicked his second at the 23-minute mark but Sam Gibson responded for North two minutes later before Watson's second gave Essendon a 12-point buffer at the first break.

After an early behind from Dustin Fletcher to start the second quarter, North Melbourne got right on top. The Kangaroos kicked the first five goals of the term via Petrie, Brent Harvey, Jarrad Waite, Lindsay Thomas and Jack Ziebell to take an 18-point advantage before a late goal from Brendon Goddard reduced the half-time difference to an even two goals and giver the Bombers some confidence going into half time.

That confidence carried through to the beginning of the third quarter, with Patrick Ambrose and Joe Daniher goaling within the first six minutes of the commencement of the second half. Essendon could have taken further advantage of that confidence and control, but kicked five behinds through Heppell (two), Martin Gleeson, Goddard, and Zach Merrett, and the Dons' four-point advantage going into time-on could have been greater. Thomas finally kicked the Roos' first for the quarter at the 21-minute mark and when Ben Cunnington followed up with a major two minutes later, North Melbourne had restored a nine-point lead, which they took into the last change of ends.

The last quarter saw the match on a knife's edge for much of the time with one side and then the other holding sway for brief periods. Tom Bellchambers opened the term with a goal for the Bombers, reducing the margin to three points but goals to Robin Nahas and Waite saw North reassert its authority and take a 17-point lead at the 12-minute mark. Essendon was not to be denied, however, and majors to Jack Melksham and Ambrose saw the difference once again less than a goal as the final quarter entered time on. A beautiful, long, set-shot goal from Shaun Higgins saw the Kangaroos back out to an 11-point lead and when Ziebell followed up with his second at the 26-minute mark, the match appeared safe in North's keeping. The Bombers continued to attack, a goal from Jackson Merrett cutting the margin to under two goals once more, but the Kangaroos defended grimly to record a gusty 11-point win.

North's best included Ziebell (29 disposals, two goals), Petrie (12 marks, 19 possessions) and Lachie Hansen (14 marks, 24 touches), while Essendon was well served by Heppell (29 touches and six marks), Michael Hurley (23 possessions) and Mark Baguely, who did a good job in restricting Harvey's influence. 

Ninth on the ladder with a 4-3 three record, North's next assignment will be taking on the undefeated Fremantle at Subiaco on Saturday afternoon, while Essendon (11th, 3-4) will host Brisbane at Docklands later that evening.

GOALS
Essendon: Colyer, Watson, Ambrose 2; Heppell, Goddard, Daniher, Bellchambers, Melksham, J.Merrett
North Melbourne: Petrie, Thomas, Waite, Ziebell 2; Gibson, Harvey, Cunnington, Nahas, Higgins

BEST - THE AGE
Essendon: Heppell, Hurley, Watson, Goddard, Hooker, Baguley, Melksham, Dempsey
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Hansen, Petrie, Gibson, Cunnington, Bastinac, Wright, Waite

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Essendon: Hurley, Baguley, Heppell, Goddard, Colyer, Z. Merrett
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Petrie, Hansen, Nahas, Cunnington, Harvey

INJURIES
Essendon: Langford (quad)
North Melbourne: Brown (knee)

SUBSTITUTES 
Essendon: Kyle Langford replaced by Ben Howlett at half time.
North Melbourne: Ben Brown replaced by Shaun Atley in the third quarter.

REPORTS: Jarrad Waite (North Melbourne) reported for striking Zach Merrett in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Findlay, Harris

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Wayne Carey, Cameron Ling, Tim Watson