The Kangaroos held the Eagles to their third-lowest score ever at the venue in 281 matches. If it wasn’t for a Matt Priddis goal after the final siren, it would have made history as their lowest.
North’s ‘points conceded’ this season fall into two very distinct categories. On five occasions it has held the opposition to 61 points or less – all of which have resulted in victories. The remaining five games have seen the Kangaroos concede 90 points or more. Only one of these games has seen a victory – against Port Adelaide in Round 3.
| NMFC points conceded, 2014 | Wins | Losses |
| 61 or less | 5 | 0 |
| 90 or more | 1 | 4 |
Another sign North is switched on defensively is how it copes with opposition inside 50’s. If the midfield has worked back hard enough to offer support, the team is generally able to rebound extremely well.
This wasn’t the case in Round 10 against Geelong with the Cats scoring on 61.2 per cent of their inside 50’s. However North rebounded brilliantly against the Eagles, holding the home side to a score on only 21.2 per cent of their forward 50 entries.
It was its second best effort of the season so far, beaten only by the performance against Brisbane. As a point of comparison, the Kangaroos defended inside 50’s better on Sunday night than in its win at the SCG against Sydney.
| Round, Opponent | Scores conceded per inside 50 % |
| Round 9 v Brisbane | 16.2% |
| Round 11 v West Coast | 21.2% |
| Round 4 v Sydney | 22.7% |
Coming into the match, NMFC.com.au illustrated two things for West Coast winning games – it capitalised on the oppositions turnovers, and it kicked very accurately.
North allowed neither to happen at Patersons Stadium, defending strongly after turning the ball over and forcing tough shots on goal.
The Eagles were forced well below the league average during the game as North was able to get numbers back quickly after losing possession. In the end, Adam Simpson’s team was converting at well below league average during the evening.
| Round 11, 2014 | West Coast | 2014 AFL average |
| Points per 100 turnovers | 48.7 | 76.6 |
North also completely shut down the corridor inside West Coast’s forward 50. The Eagles only managed four scoring shots from the area for the whole game.
It goes a long way to explaining how North was able to force its opponents’ inaccuracy.
West Coast’s shots on goal v North Melbourne
