After almost 30 years of campaigning, North Melbourne hosted the first ever AFL match on Good Friday.
Despite the result, the game was able to raise awareness for the Good Friday Appeal and added funds towards the Royal Children’s Hospital.
AFL.com.au
"The Good Friday Appeal has been around for 86 years and people are devoted to it. The match is making a significant donation, which is what makes it widely welcome.” - Good Friday Appeal director Anne Randall.
The Age
"The appeal this year raised a record $17.6 million. The AFL reportedly handed over $100,000 to the appeal.” - Jon Pierik
Fox Footy
"Doing their bit for the annual Good Friday Appeal, the Kangaroos spent much of the week raising funds and visiting young families across the state to shine light on the work of the Royal Children’s Hospital.”
Wide World of Sports
“The key factor is the link with the Good Friday Appeal and how well it drives donations.” - Carl Dilena
On the field, the encounter started out tight and tough, with goals hard to come by in the first half.
The West Australian
"The Easter milestone match was shaping to be a low-scoring affair before North went on a third-quarter run, sparked by Ben Brown booting two of his four goals.” - Michael Ramsey
AFL.com.au
"North, which had campaigned for about 30 years for the right to play on Good Friday, was not about to turn up its heels on the big occasion.
“Ben Cunnington (33 possessions and 10 clearances) and Jack Ziebell (27 possessions, eight clearances and one goal) did everything they could to get the Roos over the line, while Ben Brown held North's forward line together with four goals.” - Nick Bowen
AFL.com.au
“Todd Goldstein is the tried and true at North Melbourne. The star ruckman regained his standing as the Kangaroos' No.1 big man on Friday with a strong performance in the middle.” - Nathan Shamrock
While the result went the Bulldogs’ way, there were still positive signs for the Kangaroos.
The Age
"As for the Roos, well, they showed enough to say that they will rise again. Luke Beveridge summed it up best. "I thought we were outstanding at the end of the game," he said. "I thought North Melbourne were almost as outstanding.” - Greg Baum
The Courier Mail
"The first Good Friday game delivered everything the AFL would have wanted – a good crowd, bumper TV audience and a cracking game with five lead changes in the final quarter.
"And just as importantly it had no negative impact on the very important Good Friday appeal for the Royal Children’s Hospital.”
