As the North Melbourne players enjoy a well-earned break heading into the bye, NMFC.com.au is looking back at the season so far.
Today, we review rounds 5-8 of 2016.
RELATED: Rounds 1-4
Round 5 v Gold Coast
In: Kayne Turner
Out: Mason Wood
Heading into enemy territory on the Gold Coast, the Roos got the perfect start through Todd Goldstein within 50 seconds of the bounce.
Goldstein faced off against former teammate Daniel Currie, who was eager to put him to the test.
With Ben Jacobs keeping a tight rein on Gary Ablett, North gained the early ascendancy, booting six goals to four in the opening term.
The Suns fought back in the second term, with Tom Lynch and Peter Wright causing some headaches for the defenders, but Ben Brown was also hitting the scoreboard at the other end.
North’s pressure was keeping its opponents on their toes, but Rodney Eade’s team continued to push, reducing the margin to just three points in the third term.
From there, it was all North though.
Andrew Swallow and Nick Dal Santo lifted, winning plenty of the ball, while Shaun Higgins was dangerous around goal, booting three for the match.
Jarrad Waite joined in the party late with two goals to start the final term, while Brown booted the last goal of the match to take his tally to four.
The Roos continued their perfect start, with Dal Santo (28 disposals), Swallow (23) and Shaun Atley (23) all influential.
Big man Goldstein took the points against Currie, finishing with 18 disposals, 24 hit-outs and two goals.
The coach said
"I'm rapt with 5-0, you couldn't be happier with that. I feel that we're building into our season.
"We're playing good footy but not our very, very best. What has been very good is our pressure.” – Brad Scott
The player said
“It’s a really good place to start the season from (4-0).
“It’s only early days and it’s really nice to be on the winning side of the ledger at this time of year.
“In previous years we’ve been chasing our tails and really had to fight for it.” – Nick Dal Santo
The media said
"Jarrad Waite continued his brilliant form, with four goal assists, 18 possessions and 10 marks.
"Shaun Higgins was even better, his skills silky as ever, his three goals all coming at critical times. Nick Dal Santo provided all the outside class he was recruited for.”- Andrew Stafford, The Age
RELATED: Photo Gallery | Match Highlights | Match Report
GC 3.4 6.10 9.11 1.15 (81)
NM 6.4 10.8 13.10 18.11 (119)
GOALS
Gold Coast: Lynch 4, Wright 3, Ablett, Ah Chee, Grant, Rischitelli
North Melbourne: Brown 4, Higgins 3, Thomas 2, Waite 2, Petrie 2, Goldstein 2, Gibson, Macmillan, Ziebell
BEST
Gold Coast: Lynch, Rischitelli, Ablett, Saad, Wright
North Melbourne: Goldstein, Dal Santo, Higgins, Swallow, Waite, Ziebell
Coaches votes (NM): Goldstein 10, Swallow 6, Dal Santo 4, Atley 1, Ziebell 1
Official crowd: 13,351 at Metricon Stadium
Round 6 v Western Bulldogs
No change
The Friday night fixture had all the makings of a classic, with the top two sides facing off.
Over 47,000 fans packed into Etihad Stadium, and while many expected a shoot-out, it was a dour struggle for much of the night.
Shaun Higgins opened the scoring against his former team, and it was goal for goal for much of the first term, before Jarrad Waite brought the game to life.
Two goals for the in-form forward of the competition gave North a two-goal buffer at the first change.
While the Roos had gained a reputation for their ability to kick high scores, it was their defensive abilities that impressed most in a low-scoring game.
They held the Bulldogs goalless for more than a quarter from the 10-minute mark of the first term, despite the opposition’s advantage in inside 50’s.
For every dint Luke Beveridge’s team made in the margin, Brad Scott’s men quickly made amends down the other end.
Just 12 points separated the teams at the final change, but in a game where the teams booted just 15 goals between them, that was huge.
Waite’s goal at the 14 minute mark of the last quarter put the result beyond doubt, and North went to 6-0 for the first time since 1979.
Scott Thompson was brilliant, keeping Jake Stringer goalless, while Daniel Wells racked up 27 disposals to keep his early season form going.
The coach said
"It was pretty keenly fought and it was a good sign we can get the job done multiple ways, regardless of what the opposition throw at us.
"When it is hot in the contest you don't necessarily get really attractive spectacles and high-scoring games.
"But from a coaching perspective they're great wins, because when you can match it in the contest with a side that really values that, then you know you're going to be a chance in most games." – Brad Scott
The player said
“We’re really happy with the start of the year, but obviously it’s only round seven next week, so we just want to keep building momentum.” – Luke McDonald
The media said
“North was able to shut down the slingshot run of the Bulldogs, with the 16-point win coming off the back of a strong midfield, a superb defensive effort and the importance of power-marking forwards.” – Glenn McFarlane, Herald Sun
RELATED: Photo Gallery | Match Highlights | Match Report
NM 4.1 5.4 8.6 9.7 (61)
WB 2.1 3.4 6.6 6.9 (45)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Waite 4, Higgins, Brown, Ziebell, Thomas, Petrie
Western Bulldogs: Jong, Bontempelli, McLean, Dickson, Stevens, Dahlhaus
BEST
North Melbourne: Waite, Thompson, Wells, Swallow, Cunnington, Petrie
Western Bulldogs: Hunter, Biggs, Dahlhaus, Stevens, Boyd
Coaches votes (NM): Thompson 9, Waite 7, Wells 4, Swallow 1
Official crowd: 47,622 at Etihad Stadium
Round 7 v St Kilda
In: Robin Nahas, Aaron Mullett, Mason Wood
Out: Kayne Turner (hamstring), Lindsay Thomas (suspension), Sam Wright (ankle)
The Roos celebrated an amazing milestone for Drew Petrie, who lined up for game 300 against St Kilda.
Petrie kicked the second goal of the game, and North looked in control in the first quarter, taking a 14-point lead into the first change.
Ben Cunnington worked hard at the stoppages early, while the Roos’ midfield was dominant, winning the last 12 clearances of the opening term.
St Kilda hit back though, dominating possession in the second quarter, but struggling to make an impact on the scoreboard. The Saints had 18 inside 50’s to 11, but North’s defence, particularly Scott Thompson stood tall under siege.
It was a see-sawing battle in third, with Nick Riewoldt keeping his side in the game, while Jack Ziebell and Cunnington were feeding off Todd Goldstein for North.
17 points up at the final change, many could be forgiven for thinking the Roos would run away with an easy win. But it wasn’t to be.
North had stretched its lead to 26 by mid-way through the last quarter, before the Saints surged home.
Then four unanswered goals remarkably saw the scores level with barely a few minutes remaining.
A free kick and subsequent behind to Todd Goldstein put North back in front, but it was left to Mason Wood to lay a big tackle deep in attack to guide his team to victory.
Wood controversially wound down time with the shot-clock visible on the scoreboard, cooling slotting the goal on the siren for a seven-point win.
Petrie booted two in what was a milestone to remember, while Daniel Wells was key to the result, pushing through a corky to impact several contests late in the game.
The coach said
"'Wellsy' just willed himself to get back on and I spoke to him afterwards and he said he wasn't going to let [the game] slip.
"Whatever he had to do he was going to do and I think that again shows what they (the players) think of Drew." – Brad Scott
The player said
“We train for those situations, so you’ve got to try and be as cool and calm as you possibly can and just try and make good decisions.
“We got the win in the end.” – Daniel Wells
The media said
“And so the Roos have won their seventh game. Things are falling into place for them.” – Michael Gleeson, The Age
RELATED: Photo Gallery | Match Highlights | Match Report
STK 2.3 3.7 7.7 11.9 (75)
NM 4.5 6.8 9.12 11.16 (82)
GOALS
St Kilda: Riewoldt 3, Membrey 3, Bruce 2, Savage, Weller, Billings
North Melbourne: Brown 2, Petrie 2, Higgins 2, Wood 2, Cunnington, Harvey, Waite
BEST
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Montagna, Newnes, Savage, Geary, Gilbert
North Melbourne: Cunnington, Ziebell, Jacobs, Goldstein, Atley, Tarrant
Coaches votes (NM): Cunnington 9, Ziebell 5, Goldstein 4
Official crowd: 27,254 at Etihad Stadium
Round 8 v Essendon
In: Thomas, Daw, McKenzie
Out: Higgins (knee), Wells (quad), Firrito (managed)
North lost several key players for its Round 8 clash against Essendon, but it didn’t seem to have any impact early.
The Roos were rampant in the first half, keeping the Bombers to their lowest half-time score since 1915, four behinds, while kicking eight goals of their own.
Robbie Tarrant’s intercept marking was a feature, while the big forwards Drew Petrie, Majak Daw, Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown all hit the scoreboard.
How things changed after the main break.
Within two minutes of the restart, the Bombers had their first, then proceeded to kick five for the quarter.
Nevertheless, with a 35-point lead, North was in control at the final change.
But Essendon had other ideas. After somewhat of a stalemate early in the quarter, they came to life through Kyle Langford, who booted two goals in as many minutes.
Joe Daniher kicked another late, and by the final siren the margin was just 14 points in North’s favour.
It was a hard-fought win, but a win nonetheless, with Sam Gibson playing a huge role on the wing, picking up 36 disposals.
Brent Harvey had 31, while Todd Goldstein finished with 22 disposals and 35 hit-outs to dominate the ruck.
Tarrant was a rock in defence, and found plenty of the footy himself, finishing with 20 disposals and seven marks.
With another victory, North equalled its record for the most consecutive wins to start a season, with eight.
The coach said
"We kept Essendon to their lowest half-time score in 100 years so that clearly was a good part of the game for us.
"I think it's a real challenge for us in our progression as a football club that we don't just mentally, even subconsciously, think 'well this game's in hand so I don't need to do the things that got us into this position in the first place.” – Brad Scott
The player said
“They (the Bombers) started getting on top of us in the middle and getting the ball forward, so we’ve got a little bit to work on.
“Credit to Essendon, they worked played hard, but at the same time we got another four points and that’s the most important thing.” – Brent Harvey
The media said
“North won't be too fussed about the tardy finish. The Roos got the job done and are still unbeaten. Essendon, though, might even be more pleased.” – Rohan Connolly, The Age
RELATED: Photo Gallery | Match Highlights | Match Report
ES 0.2 0.4 5.5 8.12 (60)
NM 4.2 8.6 10.10 10.14 (74)
GOALS
Essendon: Fantasia 2, Langford 2, Daniher 2, Redman, Cooney
North Melbourne: Petrie 2, Daw 2, Waite 2, Wood, Jacobs, Thomas, Brown
BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Goddard, Fantasia, Cooney, Daniher, Kelly
North Melbourne: Jacobs, Thompson, Tarrant, Goldstein, Daw, Harvey
Coaches votes (NM): Gibson 10, Tarrant 4, Goldstein 3, Swallow 1
Official crowd: 30,321 at Etihad Stadium
The entire 2016 season will be relived at the Syd Barker Medal on October 7 at Peninsula on Central Pier. Book your tickets now.
