It took a full half of football for North Melbourne to hit top gear, but when it did the Giants were blown out of the water. The Kangaroos kicked eight unanswered goals in the third quarter to set up a thumping 75-point win.
Ben Cunnington had an impact on all fronts. His 29 disposals (14 handballs and 15 kicks) was complemented with a handy 3 goals and 6 tackles.
Cunnington top scored with 130 fantasy points, his best haul for the season. He was well supported by Ryan Bastinac (117) who took 9 marks, collected 28 possessions and also slotted a goal.
Up forward, it was all about Drew Petrie (114). He punched through the Giants’ defence time and time again, ending up with 5.3 for the afternoon.
Petrie also stormed his way around the ground, grabbing 18 disposals and 9 marks. He was rarely challenged by Phil Davis and only really slowed down when the game was won.
Brent Harvey (97) had a very slow start by his standards. He was on just 25 at half-time, but came out of the rooms swinging, ending up with 28 disposals, 4 tackles and 2 goals.
Full credit to both Tomas Bugg, for countering Harvey’s influence early, and to the veteran for breaking the shackles in the third quarter.
Several other Roos had good games, namely Jack Ziebell (96) and Todd Goldstein (93), but a few others were down on their usual efforts. Nick Dal Santo (30) in particular was very quiet, as he was all tied up by Rhys Palmer.
Finally, it was a dream debut by joey Kayne Turner (59). He kicked a nice running goal, delivered the footy sweetly, and gathered 12 disposals and 5 marks. There’s a lot to like right there.
Around the Grounds
Brisbane came away without a win against Adelaide, but that didn’t stop Tom Rockliff from staying on his fantasy game. 180 points was his final tally, including 40 possessions, 10 marks, 10 tackles and a goal.
Rory Sloane went toe-to-toe with Rockliff, himself reaching 160 points.
Sloane collected 28 possessions, took 8 marks and laid 11 tackles, while steering 2 goals home for the victors.
Matt Priddis (146) continued on his merry way, leading the Eagles to victory against Collingwood, as did Jordan Lewis (144) for Hawthorn against Melbourne.
Travis Boak (144) and Michael Barlow (137) were also impressive, but they couldn’t inspire their teams to victory this week. Any of the quartet would be a valuable midfield upgrade target in AFL Fantasy Classic if you’re looking to fill a spot.
