It was a performance that took most of the footy world by surprise, with North causing a 28-point upset over Hawthorn.
The intensity, pressure and willingness to compete against a quality opponent was the talk of the town, while the high-functioning forward line of Ben Brown, Jack Ziebell and Jarrad Waite also steered much of the conversation.
SEN
“There is one thing that you know when you play against North Melbourne, and I’m talking over the past 10-20 years, or if you play for them and it’s based on effort.
“You know when you play the 'Kangas' that they’re going to have a crack. They may not have the most skillful playing list, they may not be the prettiest to watch. They just have a fair dinkum crack.
“The way they played yesterday surprised me to be honest, but jeez they were impressive.
“Then they had to fight for it a little bit, which you take as a positive. When the Hawks challenged, they were right there with them.
“It was a fantastic performance.” - Nick Dal Santo
Herald Sun
“This season was meant to be a write-off for North Melbourne. Likely wooden spooners, we said. A development year, more than anything. But the truth is we have underrated them again, the Kangas.
“This team we thought was bottom-four material is sitting inside the top-four after posting one of their best wins over the past year over Hawthorn.
“For years it has punched above its weight, North Melbourne, and even with a list that looks genuinely light on for talent it has been one of the surprise packets of the year, giving its fan base something to cheer about. It’s mostly always competitive. Always having a crack.” - Jay Clark
The Age
“North Melbourne is third on the ladder. Third from the top of the ladder that is. That is heady space that even they doubted they'd occupy this year. Whether they can sustain it is questionable but the way they played Hawthorn gives some confidence.
"The Roos are rebuilding yet simultaneously winning with an older list. Their older players, like Higgins, are playing well and putting up the wall to shield the younger players.” - Michael Gleeson
AFL.com.au
“Predicting how far North Melbourne will fall had become a blood sport and the Kangaroos' stunning response at Etihad Stadium on Sunday – while tempered by the end – was equally brutal.”
The dynamic forwardline which produced four goals for Ben Brown, three from Jarrad Waite and two from Jack Ziebell and Cameron Zurhaar impressed many.
SEN
"I’ve been critical of Brad Scott across the journey but he got the system perfectly correct with the speed in that forward line to put the pressure on.
"Ziebell at full-forward changes the whole dynamic of that forward line.
"The Kangaroos had yesterday: Ben Brown, who in my opinion no-one leads at the ball carrier better than him right now. He gets bigger at the ball; he launches at the ball and takes it at its earliest point; it’s impossible to spoil.
"Waite’s just rolling and roaming around the ground; he was dynamic yesterday he could have had a huge day.
"And Ziebell now has a really good handle on forward craft.” - David King
AFL.com.au
“The Roos controlled play from the outset, winning the ball in close, spreading and delivering with precision and speed, and of course they boasted a multi-pronged attack comprising Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown (3.1), skipper Jack Ziebell (2.1) and Jarrad Waite (a wasteful 3.5).” - Ben Guthrie
“Ben Brown (four goals, by early in the second term), Jarrad Waite (3.5) and Jack Ziebell (two) wreaked havoc as the Roos' surprise clearance dominance was matched by their ability to deny the Hawks possession.” - Marc McGowan
Herald Sun
“He is a legit star of the competition, (Ben) Brown, who gobbles the ball at the highest point and, just as importantly, kicks straight.” - Jay Clark
Triple M
“Benny Brown must be starting to get his name into the conversation of the best forwards in the competition.” - Paul Roos
Led by Ben Cunnington, North’s midfield stepped up against the highly-fancied Hawthorn on-ballers, and were a key part of securing the win.
Herald Sun
“You had to admire the Roos’ blue collar midfield unit led by ruckman Todd Goldstein which upstaged the more highly-rated Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara.
“The Roos came into the match ranked 17th for clearances but they trounced the Hawks in that department 24-14 at half-time"
“Gun Roos’ onballer Ben Cunnington had 30 touches including 18 contested possessions and six clearances in a week he earned comparisons to Carlton legend Greg Williams.” - Jay Clark
Ben Jacobs’ role on Tom Mitchell throughout the game didn’t go unnoticed, with experts linking his presence with a strong win-loss ratio.
SEN
“In 2015, [Ben Jacobs] played 23 games and they had 14 wins. In 2016 he played seven games and they won all seven of them. He didn’t play at all last year and in the five games this year they’re three and two.
“There’s a great correlation there for success and he gives them structure.” - Garry Lyon
Herald Sun
“Yes, Ben Jacobs put the tag on Tom Mitchell, keeping him to only 11 touches at the main change and despite the Roos’ key injuries, the damage was done.” - Jay Clark
The tough, hard-nosed, stingy defence of North has been dominant all season, and Sunday afternoon was no different.
AFL.com.au
“Tarrant and veteran Scott Thompson (20 possessions and 11 marks) superbly led an otherwise inexperienced defence that kept Hawthorn to just three scoring shots in the first half.
“The Hawks had been averaging 105 points a game, but the Kangaroos restricted them to just 11.4 (70).
“The Roos have conceded, on average, just 64 points a match – easily the most miserly this season.
“Tarrant played a key role in the victory on Sunday, repelling the Hawks on numerous occasions and standing strong under enormous pressure in the second half as injuries caught up with his team.” - Ben Guthrie
Herald Sun
“What won it for the Roos was their big men. They dominated the airwaves, North, and Majak Daw appeared to grow in confidence in his new key defensive role.
They fought tooth and nail to keep Robbie Tarrant from a move to rivals a few years ago and the gun centre half-back stood tall and veteran full-back Scott Thompson stood up magnificently in the second half under fire.” - Jay Clark
