At the MCG on Sunday, much of the focus was on Travis Cloke in the first half, as he caused North Melbourne's defence all sorts of problems.

Going into the rooms at the long break, he had seven scoring shots for 4.3 from nine disposals and six marks and threatened to win the game off his own boot.

With Ben Reid playing, Collingwood looked to go to the left footer (when Cloke wasn’t the first option) to keep his opponent Lachlan Hansen accountable and stop him from flying third man up in a contest.

As the below image illustrates, this ploy gave Cloke the space required to lead into through the first two quarters. The job for Michael Firrito was a daunting one given the circumstances.  
 

But with some clever tactical moves from Brad Scott and his coaching teams, things quickly changed after the main break. Cloke had just one mark and a goal in the second as North adjusted its setup to shut him out of the game.  

With Luke Delaney moved onto Reid, Hansen had room to take up the role he’s perfected this season, as loose man.

The effect was immediate, as Cloke barely got a free run at the ball to start the third term and indeed for the rest of the game.

While the delivery of the pass illustrated below was nowhere near perfect, it gives a good indication to what Scott and the match committee did to counter the Collingwood powerhouse's influence.

If Cloke was able to shrug off Firrito, he still would have likely had to jump over Hansen to take a contested mark.
 

North's number six grabbed four of his five marks for the game in the second half, but his personal stat-line doesn’t tell the full story of how he was able to assist Firrito. 

It was part of a larger team effort after Collingwood was almost able to score at will when entering its forward 50 in the first two quarters.

North was able to dramatically reduce its opponent’s efficiency going forward.
 

For 2013, North ranked essentially right on the competition average for scores and goals conceded from inside 50’s.
 

All stats courtesy of Champion Data