While North Melbourne celebrated the man of the moment with a victory in Brent Harvey’s 400th game, it was Drew Petrie who led the way up forward.
A haul of four goals, 16 disposals and a couple of goal assists saw Petrie widely regarded as one of the best players on the ground - a regular occurrence during big team milestones.
Consider the following in addition to Saturday’s performance.
- In Harvey’s 350th, Petrie kicked 4.4, had 22 disposals and took nine marks
- In Harvey’s 312th (club game record), Petrie had 20 disposals, 12 marks and kicked 1.3 for a Brownlow vote
- In Harvey’s 250th, Petrie kicked three goals from 13 disposals and had two Brownlow votes
- In Brady Rawlings’ 200th, Petrie kicked four goals and was the best forward on the ground
- In Glenn Archer’s 300th, Petrie kicked seven goals and single-handedly broke the game open
From the forward line to the midfield, Ben Jacobs turned in another quality tagging performance.
Leading into the match, NMFC.com.au highlighted Jacobs’ last five weeks, arguably all victories against quality midfielders. The late withdrawal of Dayne Beams and Pearce Hanley meant his focus turned to Tom Rockliff.
Jacobs came out the clear victor in the battle, restricting the Brisbane captain to only 16 disposals and two clearances.
Not only did Rockliff have minimal influence with the ball, he also had four frees against and six clangers. Meanwhile Jacobs had 10 tackles of his own, a career high.
The hoodoo in Brisbane was finally snapped - North won at the Gabba for the first time since 2005.
Only three Roos who played in the last win ran out with the side on Saturday night – Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito and Brent Harvey. For the remaining 19, it was their first win at the GABBA in the royal blue and white.
There were more coaches active back in 2005 than Roos on the field. The quartet of Brad Scott, Josh Drummond, Justin Leppitsch and Simon Black all played for Brisbane on the night.
Back in the present day, the victory against the Lions meant North notched a third successive win for the first time this season. In his post-match media conference, Brad Scott sensed the team was improving since the low point of the last trip to Queensland.
“I think we've been steadily building. We're starting to get some continuity in personnel and also style of play,” he said.
It’s reflected in the AFL form ladder. Although the Kangaroos haven’t played a team inside the top eight during the winning streak, they’ve been able to control the majority of matches.
North has spent almost 80 per cent of the last three games in front, a mark bettered by only Hawthorn, West Coast and Richmond, with no other team higher than 64 per cent.
Next on the calendar is Carlton, away from the normal timeslot. The two teams have faced each other on Friday nights in each of their last six encounters, dating all the way back to 2009.
To find the last time North met the Blues on a Saturday night, one must go back to Adam Simpson’s 250th match, in 2007. The Kangaroos ran out victors by 17 points, with Shannon Grant kicking five goals.
