38 points down at one stage in the third quarter, the Roosters rallied despite wet and windy conditions at North Port Oval.
Development coach Josh Drummond credited the back six, led by the Delaney brothers, for resilience under fire against the Borough.
“All our defenders really stood up late and pretty much won the game for us,” he told NMFC.com.au.
“In the third quarter when they got a roll-on and won a lot of footy, the defensive group kept them goalless over a 10 or 15 minute period which was crucial.
“The boys had 43 tackles in the last quarter which just shows how much they wanted it. It was great to watch.”
Several North Melbourne-listed players described the win as ‘one of their best of their careers’.
Drummond analysed the performance of each of the Roos’ involved in the match.
Liam Anthony
34 disposals, 4 clearances, 8 one percenters
“He was terrific. He had about 13 (disposals) and kicked two goals in the first quarter.
“Then they (Port Melbourne) put a pretty tight tag on him through the second and third quarter and that limited his influence a little bit, given the sort of day it was. It was tough to win any clean any footy.
“I thought he worked through his tag pretty well but he wasn’t getting the space he was in the first quarter understandably. In the last quarter they dropped off the tag and he ran them ragged again and had 11 or 12 possessions. It was good to see him playing really well at the pointy end of the game.
“He’s been a bit stiff with being a travelling emergency and then sub and had a few setbacks. For him, the last couple of weeks have just been about getting a run-in.”
Cam Delaney
9 disposals, 5 spoils, 3 tackles
“He didn’t get a huge amount of the footy but I thought his bodywork and defensive work was generally very good.
“His man got a couple on him early days. He played on a good player in (Daniel) Hughes and kept him goalless.
“His spoiling and defensive positioning was really good.”
Luke Delaney
17 disposals, 7 marks, 7 spoils
“He was terrific, he really was. Anytime the ball went down there in the last quarter it came straight back…his spoiling and positioning, he was really proactive in the way he went about it and he was able to turn the footy over a fair bit and got a fair bit of the footy himself.
“It was a very good defensive performance.
“The last six or seven weeks he’s been very good every week. I know before this week he’s knocking on the door, but obviously our defenders at senior level have been very good for us as well. All he can do is just control what he can control and that’s playing well for North Ballarat and putting his hand up.
“The coaches were there on the weekend and I know Brad (Scott) was very happy with the way he went both offensively and defensively.”
Taylor Garner
12 disposals, 5 tackles, 3 goals
“His preparation’s been a bit all over the shop with an ankle injury and he hasn’t had a huge amount of game-time this year, so he’s still finding his way in terms of match fitness.
“When he’s around the footy he always has an impact because he’s aggressive around the contest. He tackles well.
“Possession-wise he didn’t have a huge influence, but he’s ended up kicking three goals. He kicked the last two goals of the game, one with a couple of minutes to go which was a clutch set shot to put us in front and then another one off the ground late to seal the match.
“His set shot goal-kicking; given his ankle injury means he hasn’t been able to do much kicking on that leg because it’s been quite painful for him. He hasn’t been that straight with his kicking this year, so to kick three (goals) straight and to kick one under that pressure with a wet, slippery footy was terrific. It’s a great confidence booster for him.”
Ben Jacobs
23 disposals, 9 clearances, 10 tackles
“He’s moved inside having played as a half-back, winger for the last few years. It is a huge change in the way you go about it. As opposed to holding out and holding position we’re trying to get him to come back to the ball and attack the footy.
“He’s had 23 touches, 9 clearances, 10 tackles which is a terrific mix in the game. He’s developing that really good mix between inside and outside ball.
“We know he can run really well and receive the ball on the outside, but from a stoppage point of view in terms of him playing on someone and working off them, he continues to improve.
“The exciting thing is he was really good for us on the weekend but he’s got a hell of a lot of improvement still to come which is exciting from a coaching point of view, but also for himself. I think he can really help the senior team in the future, hopefully near future.
“With the type of player he is I think he can really give us something if he can keep working on those little things.”
Ben Mabon
9 disposals, 5 clearances, 46 hit-outs, 6 spoils
“46-hitouts was a season high. He just gave us a real physical presence.
“Three or four of his efforts really stood out as setting the scene for us. He was really aggressive.”
Brad McKenzie
17 disposals, 3 clearances, 3 tackles
“He played his role really well. He was clean on a wet day.
“He kicked a really big goal from 50 to put us within a couple of points late.
“He’s really taken a step forward this year from a maturity point of view. He’s filled out, he’s running over the ground a lot better.
“I know Brad and the coaches have a fair bit of confidence that if he got asked to play seniors he could fill that wing void, because he’s played really well there.
“He’s just got to chip away and bide his time and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity at some stage this year. I’m excited by the way he’s been tracking.”
Cam Richardson
12 disposals, 4 inside 50’s, 3 goals
“Not huge numbers, but he’s ended up having five shots on goal which is terrific from 12 touches.
“I thought his last 10 minutes of the third quarter when we were down by 38-points, he had three shots on goal, kicked two and really was the ignitor of it all.
“We went into three-quarter time with a lot of energy and hope and some of us his play late in the third really got us going.
“His influence on the game was extreme given the way he went about it.”
Max Warren
15 disposals, 5 tackles, 3 spoils
“Maxy was again very good. He played on (Shane) Valenti who’s been a quality player for a long time and kept him in check.
“In the second half he gave us some real run and drive and took the game on. At one stage he got done holding the ball, but we just love the way he attacked the game and looked to have a crack.
“Defensively I thought he was really good. He didn’t give away any easy marks or any easy hit-ups. He made Valenti earn everything he had.
“I’ve been excited by his progress this year.”
Mitch Wilkins
13 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 spoils
“Mitchy was very quiet in the first half and didn’t really have any impact. He seemed to be sitting out, not influencing.
“To his credit, when the game was on the line in the second half, he really lifted his game and I thought he was terrific.
“Hopefully that’ll give him a lot of confidence going forward, that when he brings that intensity he can be a bloody good player.
“We love to see him start like that going forward, but it was good to see him fight through it and become a good player for us late.”
