As the North Melbourne players enjoy a well-earned break heading into the bye, NMFC.com.au is looking back at the season so far.
Today, we review rounds 9-11 of 2016.
RELATED: Rounds 1-4 | Round 5-8
Round 9 v Carlton
In: Firrito, Ray, Dumont
Out: Daw (omitted), Jacobs (foot), Wood (concussion)
With the Blues taking a four-game winning streak into the Round 9 clash at Etihad Stadium, there was plenty of pressure on North to maintain its undefeated start.
The loss of Ben Jacobs and Mason Wood only made things tougher, while Carlton was missing Matthew Kreuzer and Levi Casboult.
Dale Thomas kicked the first goal of the game, but it was Ben Brown who set North on its way, with two first quarter goals.
Todd Goldstein dominated in the ruck, giving his midfielders first use, as Brad Scott’s team opened up a 19-point lead by quarter-time.
North continued its momentum in the second term, with Jack Ziebell huge through the midfield, and Lindsay Thomas causing havoc in attack.
Farren Ray joined in with his first goal in the royal blue and white.
By half-time, the Roos’ lead was 35 points.
Robbie Tarrant was again getting the job in defence, repelling countless attacks, while Goldstein chimed in with two third quarter goals to stretch the lead 47.
Jarrad Waite celebrated in style with a late goal against his old team, as North moved to 9-0, its best start in its history with a 67-point win.
The coach said
"We were 35 points up at half-time and then it was pretty much a similar margin in the second half, so it was good to keep going.
"We got a good look at Trent Dumont, who we've wanted to get into the side for a while, who I thought stood up and looked like an AFL player today.
"Farren Ray played the role we knew he could and has been playing at VFL level.
"It was good. It was pretty dominant across the board." – Brad Scott
The player said
“We’ve got some really good self-belief of what we can do with our footy club and what we can do as individuals and as a team.” – Jack Ziebell
The media said
“Football can be a simple game when one team boasts the best ruckman in the league, and the Roos have this man in Goldstein. They dominated the clearances 15-9, including 7-0 at the centre bounce, in the first term, and this was pivotal in opening an early break the Blues were not able to breach.” – Jon Pierik, The Age
RELATED: Photo Gallery | Match Highlights | atch Report
NM 5.3 8.9 13.10 17.11 (113)
CA 2.2 3.4 6.5 6.10 (46)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Goldstein 3, Thomas 3, Brown 2, Harvey 2, Ziebell 2, Waite 2, Nahas 2, Ray
Carlton: Jones 2, Thomas, Walker, Simpson, Gorringe
BEST
North Melbourne: Goldstein, Ziebell, Tarrant, Dal Santo, Harvey, Brown
Carlton: White, Kerridge, Docherty, Thomas, Sumner
Coaches votes (NM): Goldstein 10, Ziebell 8, Tarrant 6, Harvey 3, Dal Santo 1
Official crowd: 38,419 at Etihad Stadium
Round 10 v Sydney
In: Wells, Wright
Out: Mullett (omitted), Ray (omitted)
A Friday night clash against Sydney at the SCG was always going to be a tough proposition.
The Swans had all the early running, and if not for some individual heroics from Lindsay Thomas, the game could have been over by quarter-time.
Thomas kicked his team’s first three goals, and when Ben Brown, Trent Dumont and Todd Goldstein chimed in with consecutive majors, the margin was just nine at half-time.
Sydney got on top through the midfield thereafter though, with the likes of Tom Mitchell, Josh Kennedy and Kieren Jack dominant in the contest.
Despite the Roos battling away all night, they were ultimately chasing a deficit all night too, eventually going down by 26 points.
Ben Cunnington was somewhat of a lone hand through the middle, with 32 disposals, while Robbie Tarrant did a good job keeping Lance Franklin in check.
But North’s perfect record was no longer intact.
The coach said
"We got beaten around the contest, they (the Swans) got their hands on the ball first.
"They transitioned really well and we gave away two sloppy high-tackle free kicks.
"They converted them and put us on the back foot early.
"We didn't play our best, but that wasn't the reason we lost, the Swans played well." – Brad Scott
The player said
“The first loss of the year is very disappointing.
“You don’t want to drop the bundle after the loss. We are on a clear path where we need to go, and tonight the performance was probably not acceptable.” – Jack Ziebell
The media said
“The Kangaroos were aiming for 10 straight wins for the first time this century, but Sydney triumphed with a mixture of brains and brawn, largely nullifying North Melbourne's tall timber forward line with another dominant midfield display, allowing them to set the terms through crucial periods.” – David Sygall, The Age
RELATED: Photo Gallery | Match Highlights | Match Report
SYD 6.1 8.2 12.3 14.7 (91)
NM 2.2 6.5 7.7 9.11 (65)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Franklin 3,McVeigh 2, Kennedy, Hewett, Heeney, Hannebery, Cunningham, McGlynn, Mitchell, Rohan, Jones
North Melbourne: Thomas 3, Brown, Dumont, Goldstein, Macmillan, Nahas, Wells
BEST
Sydney Swans: Mitchell, Hannebery, Kennedy, McVeigh, Grundy, Lloyd, Tippett
North Melbourne: Cunnington, Ziebell, Thomas, Gibson, Macmillan
Coaches votes (NM): Cunnington 2
Official crowd: 38,498 at the SCG
Round 11 v Richmond
In: Daw, Wood
Out: Goldstein, Dumont
Freezing temperatures greeted North in front of a packed house at Blundstone Arena in Hobart.
With Todd Goldstein ruled out, it was left to Majak Daw to shoulder the ruck duties. But perhaps the biggest change came in the coaches box, as Brad Scott remained in Melbourne, hospitalized with a virus.
Darren Crocker was left to take charge, as Daniel Wells opened the scoring with 42 seconds.
Wells’ brilliance through the middle set the tone for a dominant first term, as North booted five goals to one.
The Tigers hit back in the second quarter, but both teams’ inaccuracy in front of the big sticks proved costly.
Richmond was also three down on the bench, with Steven Morris (knee), Ben Griffiths (ankle) and Nick Vlastuin (concussion) all forced from the field with injury.
North took full advantage, with a five goal burst in barely ten minutes during the premiership quarter putting the game beyond doubt.
The Roos held their momentum to record a dominant 70-point victory.
Among the key contributors, Nick Dal Santo had 33 disposals, Jack Ziebell 30, Wells 29 and Swallow 28 in a strong display from the midfielders.
Brent Harvey booted four goals, while Wells capped off his big game with three.
Meanwhile, Daw held his own in the ruck with 10 disposals, 19 hit-outs and several crunching tackles.
North was back on the winners list, sitting pretty at 10-1 and on top of the table.
The coach said
"The leadership group was terrific, and the experienced players around the place, and the young players just got swept up in it.
"Obviously the curve ball was thrown at us this morning with Brad not being able to make the trip, but we’ve always been - and since Brad’s come to the club he’s always spoken about - a player-driven culture and environment, and they really stood up tonight." – Darren Crocker
The player said
“I thought it was really solid from the boys. It really started from the inside.” – Andrew Swallow
The media said
“There was no Todd Goldstein, no Brad Scott, no worries. Then there’s the Tigers, who are consumed by them.” – Sam Edmund, Herald Sun
RELATED: Photo Gallery | Match Highlights | Match Report
NM 5.4 7.9 13.13 18.16 (124)
RI 1.5 3.8 4.10 7.12 (54)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Harvey 4, Wells 3, Wood 2, Thomas 2, Atley, Brown, Daw, Petrie, Dal Santo, Cunnington, Macmillan
Richmond: Vickery 2, Riewoldt 2, Lloyd, Deledio, Miles
BEST
North Melbourne: Wells, Ziebell, Dal Santo, Cunnington, Swallow, Daw, Harvey
Richmond: Miles, Cotchin, Grigg, Hampson, Deledio, Rance
Coaches votes (NM): Wells 9, Swallow 7, Ziebell 5, Dal Santo 4, Harvey 4, Cunnington 1
Official crowd: 17,844 at Blundstone Arena
The entire 2016 season will be relived at the Syd Barker Medal on October 7 at Peninsula on Central Pier. Book your tickets now.
