Match result
Williamstown 19.16 130 defeats North Melbourne 10.7 67
In action
AFL-listed
Luke Davies-Uniacke (23 disposals, 8 clearances), Mitch Hibberd (22 disposals, 6 marks), Nick Larkey (11 marks, 5 goals), Ben McKay (13 disposals, 4 marks), Dan Nielson (11 disposals, 8 marks), Braydon Preuss (11 disposals, 43 hit-outs), Tom Murphy (14 disposals, 6 tackles), Gordon Narrier (11 disposals, 1 goal), Oscar Junker (13 disposals, 4 marks)
VFL-listed
Tom Hotchin (6 disposals, 5 tackles), Nick Rippon (19 disposals, 4 clearances), Ty Leonardis (8 disposals, 2 marks), Nash Holmes (29 disposals, 5 tackles), Steve Stroobants (10 disposals, 4 marks), Chris Jansen (25 disposals, 5 tackles), Fraser Cameron (14 disposals, 3 marks), Koe Ngawati (7 disposals, 1 tackle), Louis Cunningham (13 disposals, 3 marks), Quintin Montanaro (9 disposals, 1 mark), Nick Hogan (10 disposals, 2 marks), Matt Northe (22 disposals, 2 marks), Jordan Mangan (6 disposals, 2 marks), Lachlan Mirams (6 disposals, 25 hit-outs)
Story of the game
A first-half onslaught proved too big to overcome as North Melbourne fell to Williamstown at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Two goals in as many minutes from Nick Rodda and former Roo Joel Tippett gave the visitors an authoritative start in the crunch fixture.
Despite the early blitz, a low-scoring quarter followed with Oscar Junker providing the first of only two other majors before the first break, where North trailed 14 points.
Although it was an arm-wrestle early, the game was blown open in the second term, with Williamstown booting five goals to one, giving the Seagulls a comfortable 39-point lead at half-time.
To their credit, the Roos showed grit to work their way back with five goals shortly after half-time.
Despite that, the third quarter rally was matched by Williamstown, which also booted five, effectively sealing the result.
The game’s second half provided a handful of highlights for the North faithful, including another highlight-reel goal from Gordon Narrier, who continues to make a habit out of the unthinkable.
Granted little space and minimal opportunity for disposal, Narrier dribbled a left-foot shot from the tightest of angles, leaving his surrounding defenders in their wake.
That effort was only bettered by key forward Nick Larkey, who kicked a bag of five, including an impressive team effort that was built off a Nash Holmes intercept.
North is mathematically still in the hunt for a finals berth, but will need to win its remaining games by considerable margins, along with some favourable results to those in surrounding positions.
VFL coach David Loader was left to rue a disappointing first-half, where ball-handling errors proved commonplace.
“We got a lot wrong early,” Loader told North Media.
“We had a really clear plan coming here today about what was going to work for us. Unfortunately, we probably weren’t able to do that from stoppages and work away from how we wanted to set up.
“The effect of getting it a bit wrong around the ball early led on our defenders being towed around a little bit … then our forwards tried to come up and adjust.
“[They] got pulled out of where we wanted to be forward of the ball. All of a sudden it started to look a little bit messy.
“Full credit to Williamstown, they used the ball really well today. They play a really good consistent brand of footy and we learnt a bit from it.”
Best of AFL
Nick Larkey
In the midst of a rare barren run, the key-forward responded in emphatic fashion.
Having booted just two goals in as many games, the 20-year-old carried the goal-scoring burden for North against credible opposition, finishing his afternoon with a bag of five from as many efforts.
“They were a bit undersized down back,” Larkey told North Media.
“It was good to take advantage of that. It helped when we got inside 50, the kicks were to advantage. A couple of weeks [I was] a bit quiet, it was good to hit back this week.
“I’ve just got to keep trying to play my best team footy and play my role for the team. Now with Mase (Mason Wood) and 'Waitey' (Jarrod Waite) back … if they're all fit, there’s not much I can do.
“I’ll play as good as footy I can and just wait for my turn.”
Best of VFL
Nick Rippon
The mark of an all-rounder is consistency on a weekly basis.
In the former JJ Liston Trophy winner, North has exactly that. The 24-year-old is in the midst of a genuine purple patch, playing a month of high-level footy while proving to be a handy acquisition.
Rippon carried a heavy work-load against a fast-finishing Williamstown engine room, which were first to the footy for the bulk of the afternoon.
Despite operating against the tide, the hard-working rover continues to be a prolific ball-winner.
Talking points
Larkey storms back
The hours spent honing his technique have paid dividends for the key forward.
Entering the afternoon just three goals shy of outright first on the VFL goal-scoring charts, Larkey dominated the aerial exchanges, earning his place atop of the competition with a five-goal haul.
Larkey admitted post-game that his attempts to mirror the playing style of North forwards Ben Brown and Jarrod Waite are paying off.
“I model my game off a mixture of both of those guys,” he told North Media.
“I’m pretty lucky to work alongside those two blokes, with the experience they have and the form they’ve been playing this year.
“With 'Waitey', I take his work-rate up and around the ground, his ability to hang in the air longer.
“Obviously 'Browny' with his contested marking, forward craft and his ability to up and down the ground.
“They’re similar players, but they're different as well. I try to model my game off them both.”
McKay and Nielson shine
Ben McKay and Dan Nielson continue to underline their collaborative value as one of the best defensive pairings in the competition.
In the absence of key defender Sam Durdin, Nielson has fulfilled his individual role within North’s defensive six with expert precision, seamlessly transitioning from contest to contest.
Alongside the AFL-bound McKay, the pair worked in tandem to secure the best marks of the day.
“Both [were] pretty good down back. Dan especially had a really good game,” added Loader.
“But Benny again, his aerial work is A-grade stuff. He’s doing some really good things. We were pleased with both of our key defenders and how they played today.
“Unfortunately, structure stuff around supporting those guys, or letting them do what they want to do every chance we got was taken away from them from some of the stuff happening up the field.”
McKay moves forward
In an attempt to offer a different avenue to goal, McKay moved forward in the final term.
Given his background playing in a higher role, McKay looked at home, highlighting his ability to provide clean hands at a contest at both ends of the ground.
Although he didn't register a goal in his brief stint in North’s forward six, Loader liked what he saw from the dexterous 20-year-old.
“We had to score to win the game,” said Loader.
“We were just looking to see where we could get an advantage. Because he’s so good overhead, he started to take a couple of catches.
“We looked a little bit better down forward and we know Ben has the ability to play up back and forward. It was an opportune time to give him a bit of a run forward of the ball.
“He looked quite dangerous and took two or three really good marks and got some shots on goal. If nothing else, a little bit of a freshen up and something new for Ben to have a look at.”
Davies-Uniacke shows strength
The immensely talented midfielder highlighted his ability to adapt to varying styles of play, increasing his running capacity against Williamstown.
Davies-Uniacke continues to show a willingness to pursue the footy in high-pressure circumstances, breaking lines while winning possession in and around stoppages.
“He had some great moments,” Loader said.
“Luke’s only a very young player. We see from week to week some of the stuff that Luke can bring, especially around contested ball and inside the stoppage.
“He had some really good stanzas of play, where Luke was influential for us. Another really solid game from Luke today and one we can build on going forward.”
