Match result

North Melbourne 11.12.78 defeated Williamstown 8.11.59 at Arden Street, North Melbourne.

In action

Majak Daw, Jordan McIvor-Clark (VFL-listed), Jed Anderson, Luke McDonald, Jy Simpkin, Trent Dumont, Paul Ahern, Mitch Hibberd, Nick Larkey, Matthew Northe (VFL-listed), Ben McKay, Sam Durdin, Daniel Nielson, Will Walker, Tom Hotchin (VFL-listed), Braydon Preuss, Mason Wood, Liam Whelan (VFL-listed), Josh Williams, Max Hayes (VFL-listed), Tristan Xerri, Tom Murphy, Gordon Narrier, Quintin Montanaro (VFL-listed), Tom Jeffries, Cameron Zurhaar, Oscar Junker

Story of the game

21 AFL-listed players took the field as the North VFL side lined up for its inaugural practice match at Arden Street under the scorching Melbourne sun.

Despite it being a practice game, there was no shortage of intensity from both sides, who gave it their all from the opening bounce.

By half-time, North held a narrow lead over their opponents thanks to Nick Larkey who kicked two opening half goals, and Paul Ahern, who continues to grow in confidence after missing two years of football.

The match really tightened up in the third quarter, with neither side willing to give an inch and ensure they went into the final term with a chance at victory.

Despite kicking against the wind, North managed to extend their lead thanks to contributions from the six VFL-listed players who found their feet in the high-intensity game.

Jed Anderson showed no signs of that thumb injury which sidelined him for a large part of the pre-season, finding plenty of the ball, going in hard at the contest and even kicking a goal for his efforts.

AFL draftees Tristen Xerri and Gordon Narrier were also strong contributors, while the likes of Tom Hotchin and Max Hayes did their part to ensure North got the win.

Best of the AFL

Jed Anderson

In his first hit-out of the pre-season, there was no stopping Jed Anderson who starred in North’s midfield in what was a hotly-contested game.

His hard-nosed attitude and awareness in the contest ensured he was not only able to win the ball on the inside, but also escape the pack and create an offensive charge.

“Jed was super around stoppages and certainly in contests, he really willed himself into the contest,” Coach David Loader said.

“His intensity around the ball was terrific, and he’s always played like that. He’s a really hard inside midfielder, but he also did some good work at half-forward coming up and supporting us around the ball.”

Best of the VFL

Tom Hotchin

At just 18-years-old, Tom Hotchin certainly didn’t show his age out on the field, matching it with Williamstown’s experienced players and fitting in seamlessly with his AFL teammates.

“Tom did some really nice things. He’s a young player that hasn’t been exposed at this level before, but he took some really nice intercept marks today and was relatively smart with the way he used the ball,” Loader said.

“He’s still a really young, developing player, but we were really pleased with the way he went.”

Talking points

Wood’s pre-season continues

Having only played one JLT Community Series game heading into Saturday’s match, Mason Wood came in with the intent of building on his match fitness ahead of the AFL’s season-opener.

Playing in a forward-line with four key-position players was no easy task, but Wood used his unique athleticism and strength to find the ball many times higher up the ground, and create scoring opportunities for his team.

Xerri’s first outing

Tristan Xerri was given his first opportunity to show what he’s capable of after being drafted in November, partnering with Braydon Preuss in the ruck for much of the day.

Despite his age, Xerri looked more than comfortable against his stronger opponents, getting his hand on the ball at stoppages and giving his teammates first use around the ground.

The 19-year-old was also a presence as a forward, kicking two majors.

Hayes’ composure

One of the VFL-listed players who made their mark in the match was defender Max Hayes.

Hayes only featured in the second-half, but made a positive impact from the word go, taking strong intercept marks and using his impressive ball skills to turn defence into attack.  

A strongly-built player, Hayes found himself on a variety of different opponents and managed to hold his own with each of them.

Daw in defence

Majak Daw continues to develop his defensive game, spending the entirety of the match across half-back.

Daw’s athleticism and strength was a strong asset to his side, with the 27-year-old managing to take plenty of strong marks, and even making an eye-catching run down the wing to kick an early goal from beyond the 50 metre arc.

Larkey hits the scoreboard

Emerging forward Nick Larkey was a dangerous presence in the front, especially early, with his contested marking and smarts to get to the right spots a feature.

Larkey finished the game with three goals.

The North boys run out for their first practice match of 2018.

Paul Ahern.

Gordon Narrier.

Nick Larkey.

Tristan Xerri.

Sam Durdin.

Jed Anderson.

Jordy McIvor-Clark.

Quintin Montanaro.