Can't view the videos? Visit the NMFC YouTube channel
THE HEADACHES North Melbourne's 'triple towers' can cause opposition defences was underlined in its impressive 30-point victory over Collingwood at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
While Magpies defenders Nathan Brown and Ben Reid (both 195cm) were fighting in the same weight division as their respective opponents, Drew Petrie (197cm) and Robbie Tarrant (196cm), their backline colleague Heath Shaw (184cm, 86kg) was conceding 13cm and 8kg to Lachlan Hansen.
Understandably, North tried to isolate Hansen on Shaw whenever possible - with good results.
After Collingwood opened Saturday night's game with four straight goals, Hansen helped kickstart North's rival, kicking its second goal of the match after marking a Liam Anthony pass at the 17-minute mark of the first quarter.
But the Hansen-Shaw mismatch was best encapsulated when the pair found themselves alone at the top of North's goalsquare at the 12-minute mark of the second quarter.
In fairness, Shaw made a fierce contest, grappling with Hansen as a long ball came in. But, ultimately, Hansen was too tall and too strong, marking overhead and subsequently converting from 15m out dead in front.
The Hansen-Shaw match-up would soon work to North's advantage in another way.
Conceding he was asking too much of the undermanned Shaw, Magpies coach Nathan Buckley moved Chris Tarrant - Robbie's elder brother - from attack to man Hansen.
Tarrant had kicked the Pies' second goal of the match and looked dangerous early as Collingwood went with its own three-pronged forward line - Tarrant, Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes.
So North coach Brad Scott presumably breathed a sigh of relief when Tarrant moved to the Pies' backline, especially given one of his best key defenders, Nathan Grima, was out injured.
After the game, Scott said the fact Collingwood had felt compelled to move an elite defender like Tarrant onto Hansen had been a win for North and a compliment to Hansen.
"I think that's a great scalp for Lachie Hansen that Chris Tarrant had to be moved from the forward line to play on him," Scott said.
"I thought that may have given us an advantage upsetting Collingwood's forward structure a little bit. That's the ultimate accolade for Lachie."
At the final siren, Hansen had not added to his two first-half goals but he continued to provide a strong target throughout the game.
Besides, Scott has been at pains in recent weeks to say his three tall forwards should be judged as a unit. And as a unit they had another strong game, finishing with a collective eight goals, with Tarrant and Petrie kicking three each.
Speaking to AFL.com.au in North's buoyant changerooms after the game, Hansen gave an insight into the workings of North's 'team within a team'.
"Every week one of us will get a mismatch and I got one early today on Heath Shaw and we just try to isolate whoever has the best match-up and try to get them the footy," Hansen said.
"We were able to do that and we all got on the scoreboard. We've been working really well the past ten weeks and hopefully we can keep that going for the next few weeks."
If North's recent form hasn't been ominous enough for opposition clubs, Hansen says his teaming with Petrie and Tarrant can only improve.
"We're just getting better and better every week, getting to know where each other leads," Hansen says.
"Every week it's just a lot of fun being out there with the boys and I'm looking forward to it continuing."
With North's place in the finals now all but assured, Hansen admits it's hard not to look ahead to September.
"We just know that we've got a good team at the moment. Our confidence is growing and we could do anything," Hansen says.
"We've just got to keep going the way we are and hopefully it turns out well for us."
Nick Bowen covers North Melbourne news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick
