In the lead up to North Melbourne’s elimination final against the Tigers on Sunday, NMFC.com.au will relive several of the club’s most memorable and entertaining wins. Check back every day for another addition to the list.
Saturday (1995 qualifying final)
Exactly four weeks after North Melbourne defeated Richmond, the two sides met again in a qualifying final.
Richmond was third and North was sixth. Under the finals system at the time, the Tigers would have earned a week off with a combination of a win + a Carlton or Geelong loss, while the Kangaroos would have been eliminated with a combination of a loss + a Footscray or Brisbane win.
Unlike the Round 19 encounter, there was no substantial early lead for North to reel in. The game was tight and tough right up until early in the last quarter. The Tigers had just taken the lead through Paul Bulluss and as Bruce McAvaney said on the TV coverage, ‘the Tigers roaring here’.
What followed was a trademark Kangaroo burst which decided the game. Robert Scott and Brett Allison kicked two goals amongst the side’s six for the quarter. The end result was a 30-point victory and a date against West Coast in the following week’s semi-final.
WATCH the video above | YouTube
Friday (38-point comeback)
On a Friday night at the MCG, North Melbourne entered its clash against Richmond as underdog.
The Tigers were flying high in second place at the start of Round 19, having only lost four games for the year. Meanwhile, the Kangaroos had struggled for consistency and sat in sixth place, almost three games behind their opponents.
For the first two and a half quarters, it appeared the form line would hold true. Richmond was the better side and held a commanding 38-point lead. Then, out of nowhere, the Kangaroos came storming back.
The deficit was almost wiped out by the three quarter time siren, North only trailing by 12 points. John Longmire was swung forward in the final term and kicked crucial goals as the Roos ran over the top of the favoured Tigers.
Six goals to two ultimately resulted in a 10-point win to North. However it would end up being the entrée, as the two sides would meet again just a few weeks later.
Thursday (1999 kick-started)
Coming off a heart breaking Grand Final loss the year before, North Melbourne’s 1999 campaign started shakily.
Leaking high scores, Geelong and Essendon kicked 141 points each in the first two rounds, condemning North to successive losses.
It made the Round 3 encounter against the Tigers a critical one, the Roos recognising a 0-3 record would be a large hole to climb out of.
However it was Richmond who had the running in the first half, leading by 15 points at the long break.
North lifted in the third quarter, with the late Gary Dhurrkay kicking two quick goals and the midfield getting on top. It set the scene for a close finish, the Roos triumphing by 10 points in the end. Shannon Grant earned the three Brownlow votes for his 26 disposals.
Wednesday (McCartney's return)
On June 6, 2003, Jason McCartney made one of the most inspirational AFL comebacks of all time.
Just eight months earlier, McCartney suffered severe burns to his body during the Bali bombings. Despite his condition, he continued to set about saving others around him.
The rehabilitation process was long and exhausting, but McCartney's resilience was remarkable. After seven weeks in the VFL, he donned the North Melbourne guernsey again in Round 11 of 2003.
Heavily bandaged and wearing a long sleeve top and gloves, he had the numbers '88' and '202' on his guernsey, representing the amount of Australians who perished in Bali, as well as the total number of deaths.
Fittingly, he had a fairytale finish to his career, kicking a goal and setting up another in the final quarter as North defeated Richmond.
Minutes later he announced his retirement, capping one of the most memorable stories of courage in Australian sporting history.
WATCH the video | YouTube
Tuesday (Mick Martyn's tribute)
2002 was a tricky year for the Kangaroos. Battling against the odds after the off-season departure of Wayne Carey, an aging core was doing their best to keep the side in finals contention.
One of those was full-back Mick Martyn, also dealing with his own personal pain. His father Bryan, a Syd Barker Medalist in the 1950’s, was in failing health.
On a Friday night at Etihad Stadium, the younger Martyn paid tribute to his Dad. Wearing Bryan’s number 30, Mick turned in a trademark performance and spoke about its importance after the game.
“It’s probably (Dad’s) last game. That many things have been happening this year but we keep on fronting up every week,” he said.
“He’ll get told that we’ve won and he might not have a smile on his face, but he’ll have a smile in his heart.”
