Match result

Footscray 14.17 101 defeated North Melbourne 9.6 60

In action

AFL-listed
Luke Davies-Uniacke (18 disposals, 4 tackles), Ryan Clarke (22 disposals, 3 tackles), Mitch Hibberd (25 disposals), Nick Larkey (6 disposals, 2 goals), Alex Morgan (11 disposals), Ben McKay (7 disposals), Sam Durdin (0 disposals - left field), Dan Nielson, Will Walker (19 disposals, 2 goals, 6 marks, 6 tackles), Braydon Preuss (15 disposals), Kyron Hayden (13 disposals), Tristan Xerri (10 disposals, 6 marks), Gordon Narrier (7 disposals), Cameron Zurhaar (11 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 goal), Oscar Junker (13 disposals, 2 goals), Josh Williams (19 disposals, 7 marks)

VFL-listed
Nick Rippon (11 disposals), Ty Leonardis (15 disposals, 4 tackles), Nash Holmes (22 disposals, 5 tackles), Chris Jansen (19 disposals 2 goals), Fraser Cameron (20 disposals, 5 marks), Louis Cunningham (1 disposal), Quintin Montanaro (7 disposals) 

Story of the game

An injury riddled North Melbourne fought bravely, before succumbing to Footscray at Etihad Stadium.

Playing in its fourth and final curtain-raiser for the year, North came out determined to enter the winners' circle after last week’s bye and a disappointing performance against Geelong a fortnight earlier.

Fresh from a three week injury-forced layoff, midfielder Nash Holmes burst out of the blocks, finding an unmanned Will Walker inside of a minute. The fast start and subsequent quick response from the hosts, who pulled one back courtesy of Will Hayes, set the tone for a thrilling first half, which validated the one spot difference on the ladder.

Both sides continued to trade forward entries, and goals, in a first term that provided plenty of excitement for the fans that braved the cold to witness the curtain-raiser.

There was only a two-point buffer at the first break with the Roos getting the better of the earlier exchanges.

The tide began to turn in the second quarter, with Nathan Mullinger-McHugh, who ended with four majors, proving to be the game-breaker for the Bulldogs, as they clawed their way to a one-point lead at half-time.

The highlight of the quarter for the Roos was a tremendous team goal, which was started by Nick Rippon in defence, gaining a two further possessions before finding key tall Tristan Xerri. Xerri was able to spot Nick Larkey on the run, and the in-form forward made no mistake from his set-shot.

After losing key defensive pairing Sam Durdin (eye) and Ben McKay (knee), North was forced to reshuffle with several players adopting unfamiliar roles, highlighted by Oscar Junker’s move to defence after a promising afternoon in North’s forward line.

A dominant fourth quarter sealed North’s fate, with Footscray kicking four of the last five goals.

Despite the defeat, VFL coach David Loader praised the resolve of his young side.

“It was an interesting day, no doubt about it,” Loader told North Media.

“I thought the boys did some really good stuff today, especially in the first half. We were a little bit hamstrung due to a couple of injuries. That challenged us a little bit with rotations. There were some positive signs out of the group of players today. I thought they battled well late.

“We can talk about it being a tough day, but that’s the nature of the beast.

“I thought there was, once again, plenty of positives to come out of the game. We’ll look at them and move forward.”

Best of AFL

Dan Nielson
The versatile 22-year-old was a big influence in North’s defensive third, playing large patches of the game without rest due to limited defensive options.

Without his familiar flankers in Durdin and McKay, Nielson showed polish in indifferent circumstances, taking several intercept marks while marshalling his younger teammates.

“All the backline were trying to fight really hard,” Nielson told North Media.

“Especially with everyone else, as well. We were just trying to give it our best shot, with limited rotations and try to play our brand of football.

“I just tried to play my role, as everyone else does. Whether we have a full backline with Benny [McKay] and Durds’ [Durdin] there, or we don’t. We’ve just got to play our role and help the team.”

Best of VFL

Chris Jansen
In the absence of Michael Close, North’s co-captain looked in sparkling touch, providing drive through the middle of the ground.

Leading by example, Jansen kicked two goals from his familiar roving role in North’s engine room and tirelessly pursued the footy, laying tackles at will, particularly at the stoppages.

Given his experience and ability as a true inside midfielder, Jansen has had limited opportunities to push forward in the season proper.

However, Jansen broke the mould at Etihad, finishing the game with a performance that will go down as one of his best yet in the royal blue and white.

Talking points

Shuffling of positions
The game looked destined to go down to the wire after two quarters of end-to-end footy.

However, the match lost its competitive edge after North suffered several key injuries in the second half, forcing the young and emerging Roos to play outside of their familiar roles.

“When you lose two defenders in five or six minutes, it makes it pretty hard,” said Loader.

“Straight away there’s guys going back and filling roles they probably haven’t prepared for and they’re not quite accustomed to. That’s always going to be a little bit of a challenge for them.

“We found a way to adapt and played some pretty good footy.”

VFL brigade stand tall
Playing on the big stage is something every footballer aspires to do.

Being aligned with an AFL side has granted many of the developing players on North’s list an opportunity to play on some iconic turfs, including the MCG and Etihad.

Without many of its dependable AFL-listed players, it was the VFL-listed Roos that made themselves known, including co-captain Jansen, Nick Rippon, Ty Leonardis, Fraser Cameron and the returning Holmes.

Leonardis shone in his deeper than usual defensive role, saving two goal-bound efforts inside of a minute with clean hands.

“We love playing curtain-raisers for our AFL team,” added Loader.

“I think it’s great for the fans to come along and look at their young group coming through and those types of things.

“I think everyone is benefiting from being exposed on the boutique grounds. That’s a positive for us and I know the boys love playing here. It’s been really good.”

Spread of goal-scorers
Talk of Nick Larkey potentially filling in for the injured Jarrod Waite created uncertainty around the goal-scoring responsibility of North’s forward line.

However, the duties were evenly spread with Larkey, Oscar Junker, Will Walker and Chris Jansen booting two goals each.