To a large extent this was rectified against Geelong, despite the evening ultimately ending in a loss. Right from the beginning it was noticeable how often North looked to play on and move the ball quickly. It was reflected in the statistics when compared to the previous match.
| North Melbourne | Mark-play on % |
| Round 18 v Carlton | 30.1% |
| Round 19 v Geelong | 48.9% |
The 48.9 per cent was a lot higher than normal, but considering how Geelong had been exposed by quick ball movement in previous losses, it was an astute tactic to enter the match with.
It also allowed North to hit the scoreboard regularly, registering a scoring shot from 50 per cent of its entries. The conversion was both well above the league and the Kangaroos’ average, but inaccuracy cost them dearly.
Overall the home side had 31 shots at the big sticks for 10 goals, 13 behinds and 8 failing to register a score. 26 of those 31 shots came via the corridor - a high amount which showed North was moving the ball well.
If those numbers are repeated in coming weeks, it’s likely there’ll be some big scores.
| Shot location | Angle | Corridor |
| North Melbourne | 3 (1.2) | 20 (9.11) |
| Misses shots | 2 | 6 |
While North moved the ball quickly and earned its desired shots on goal, the flip side was that Geelong was able to hit on the counter to devastating effect.
Of the 111 points the Cats scored, 69 came via Kangaroos’ turnovers. More important than the total points was how efficient they were, reflected in the comparative strike rates.
| Round 19 | Total points via turnovers | Points per 100 turnovers |
| North Melbourne | 36 | 62.1 |
| Geelong | 69 | 111.3 |
North also conceded a total of 43 points in time-on of quarters.
At the beginning of 2014, the side was excellent in this area; for example in the first six weeks it only conceded one total goal in time-on of the last term. However this has slipped slightly in the last two games, with the Kangaroos conceding goals at crucial times.
Against Carlton, the Blues kicked two goals just before half-time to earn a handy break. With less than a minute to go in the third term on Saturday night, Geelong took the ball from one end of the ground to the other to kick a vital goal.
It’s an area North will be looking to rectify in the lead-up to a potential finals campaign.
