In North Melbourne’s win over the GWS Giants, one such passage of play involving Ben Jacobs in the third quarter stood out.
After winning the contested ball, the Giants had moved the ball from one side of StarTrack Oval to the other, freeing up acres of space to move into.
Jono O’Rourke looked set to be the main beneficiary. As the Sherrin came his way, he was about 60 metres out from goal and only had big man Todd Goldstein to beat.
Jacobs was just out of frame, and was faced with a split-second decision. Would he play it safe, and hope his ruckman could his smaller opponent? Or would he leave his man, take the risk and attempt to win the ball?
A moment like this can turn a match. North had kicked the first goal of the third term, but a quick response from the Giants could have evened play right back up.
Jacobs decided to take the risk and approach O’Rourke.
Thrown off by Jacobs’ pressure, the kick is just out of O’Rourke’s reach. With the Sherrin at ground level, the work was still only half done.
If Jacobs didn’t win possession, his opponent was still by himself, waiting for the handball over the top and a simple shot on goal.
It was here where the number five finished what could be a considered a gamble in spectacular fashion. He cleanly gathered the ball and broke the attempted tackle.
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All of a sudden North was off to the races. With plenty of room to work in, Jacobs finished off his excellent work by handballing out into space for Brent Harvey to run into.
Harvey found Aaron Black, and the forward then setup Ben Cunnington for an important goal. North extended its lead to 16 points and would go on to kick eight unanswered majors during the third quarter.
