North Melbourne will head to the AFL bye with slowly growing confidence despite being overpowered by the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
The Kangaroos showed grit to stay with the Bulldogs until the closing stages of the third quarter, before fading to lose by 21 points, 15.15 (105) to 13.6 (84).
KANGAROOS v BULLDOGS Full match coverage and stats
Spearhead Nick Larkey and Jaidyn Stephenson kicked three goals apiece for the Roos, while young gun Harry Sheezel had 19 touches to half-time and 32 for the game.
Bulldog livewire Cody Weightman kicked six goals in his 50th game for the winners.
The Roos started the game full of run and caught the Dogs napping. Harry Sheezel's outstanding debut season continued (32 disposals, five clearances), finding the footy at will, and Hugh Greenwood emerged as an unlikely target in front of the big sticks, kicking two first-quarter goals.
By contrast, the Western Bulldogs were blowing chance after chance despite plenty of footy in attack, and went into the first break 14 behind despite a lead of six in the inside-50 count.
Having already replaced Josh Bruce with O'Brien at selection, the Dogs were down another first-choice defender just nine minutes into the game, when the in-form Jones was subbed off with a forearm injury.
O'Brien himself suffered a hamstring injury in the second term, meaning key target Aaron Naughton was swung to full-back for the second half, and Rory Lobb pushed to full-forward.
While North Melbourne continued its pace and efficiency in attack, the weight of numbers eventually won out, the Dogs finally hitting the front for the first time after Caleb Daniel's snap with 16 seconds left in the second half.
From there, the ‘Cody’ chant took over Marvel Stadium, as the Roos proved to have no answer for the entertainer.
Tom Powell kicked two goals in two minutes to bring the margin back to 22 points, and it hovered around that mark for the final 10 minutes.
The Western Bulldogs were particularly strong at centre bounces, where Tom Liberatore held sway, while the North Melbourne defence had very little chance to hold the inside 50 tide, which sat at a lead of 36 by the game's end.
What will also be of concern to caretaker coach Brett Ratten will be the tackle count, which the Dogs dominated 77 to 49.
Did you see that?
Goalsneak Paul Curtis might have thought himself unlucky not to win a free kick after he was cleaned up in a first quarter contest by Bulldog Oskar Baker. Instead, the small forward combined bravery with brilliance. Bouncing back to his feet after the crunching collision, Curtis was ready when the ball spilled at the top of the goal square. Facing away from goal, he cleverly improvised by tapping the ball between his legs, setting up the simplest of goals for co-captain Jy Simpkin.
The future is bright
To understand the value of Nick Larkey's five-year contract extension to North Melbourne, look no further than the closing stages of today's third quarter. The Dogs had kicked four in a row before Jaidyn Stephenson's second goal had given the Roos renewed hope. Larkey marked strongly inside 50 to cut the gap to four points, then after the Dogs hit back, won a one-on-one contest to kick his second. The game would slip away, but not before Larkey had demonstrated the combination of power and poise that makes him a genuine spearhead.
NORTH MELBOURNE 4.1 5.2 8.5 13.6 (84)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.5 5.8 10.9 15.15 (105)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Larkey 3, Stephenson 3, Greenwood 2, Powell 2, Curtis, Simpkin, Zurhaar
Western Bulldogs: Weightman 6, Bontempelli 3, Naughton 2, Daniel, English, Lobb, Treloar
BEST
North Melbourne: Sheezel, Phillips, Goldstein, McKay, Scott, Stephenson
Western Bulldogs: Weightman, Treloar, Bontempelli, Liberatore, Macrae, English
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Jones (forearm), O'Brien (hamstring)
SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Bergman (replaced Spicer in the fourth quarter)
Western Bulldogs: McNeil (replaced Jones in the first quarter)
Crowd: 23,829 at Marvel Stadium
