In NMFC.com.au’s Scouting Report leading up to the clash against Gold Coast, the value of an effective clearance was detailed.

It was this area of the game which proved important at Metricon Stadium; North was unable to use the ball well and take advantage of Todd Goldstein’s presence.

As usual, Goldstein dominated his direct opponent, making another case for his All-Australian candidacy. The ruckman had 62 hit-outs – a number which would have been a career-high if not for his AFL record of 80 against the Giants in Round 12.

He is averaging an astounding 45 hit-outs per game this season, on track to shatter the all-time record.

However, at ground level it was a different story. To begin with, the Suns’ midfielders were able to outwork their North opponents, actually getting first hands on the ball more often than the Roos, despite Goldstein’s dominance.

Turning those first possessions into clearances depends largely on a midfield’s ability to be clean in close and also deal with the pressure from the opposition. Before Round 14, North ranked equal first in the statistic – Gold Coast in 15th. On Saturday, the script was completely flipped.

So from an overall hit-out edge of 67-33, the clearances were essentially dead even.

Touching on the Suns’ midfield once more, their pressure had two further results – when North had the ball it struggled to clear effectively or score when it did retain possession.

Although the Kangaroos had scored relatively well from clearances in the past few weeks, they were unable to have the same advantage against the Suns.

The difference in effective clearances played a large part in Gold Coast’s main advantage – scoring from opposition turnovers. The Suns scored 78 points from North’s mistakes.

Down back the Roos’ defensive unit was excellent in holding up under the pressure which came from the turnovers in the first half.

When a side gains possession from an opposition error, it often has all the space it could desire in front of the players. Taking that into consideration, it was an outstanding effort to only concede five first-half goals from 33 inside 50 entries.

However the back six could only hold up for so long and the dam wall burst in the second half through the pressure from the Gold Coast midfield.