At half-time, the Kangaroos had 56 fewer disposals and 40 fewer marks. It was eerily reminiscent of the season-opener against Essendon when the opposition was able to control the ball and the play.
However the game completely flipped upon resumption in the second half. The substitution of Majak Daw at the long break allowed more space in the forward 50, so when North did win the ball there was room to move and lead.
It was evident straight away that the plan had legs. Brent Harvey won a free kick for the first goal of the term following a one-on-one contest.
Bachar Houli simply couldn’t deal with the the veteran's pace and the lack of support from his team-mates deep in defence.
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It spoke to a larger advantage North had with the extra space. Coupled with the quick ball movement which was missing in the first half, it meant the majority of scoring chances in the third quarter came from gettable positions.
Only one of the 12 scoring shots for the term came outside the area classified as ‘the corridor’, and six of the eight goals came from within 30 metres out.
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The space inside the forward half would have meant nothing if North didn’t wrestle an advantage in and around the contest though.
The 56 disposal half-time deficit was almost wiped out in the space of 30 minutes. North had 40 more possessions than Richmond in the third quarter, but perhaps the most impressive statistic – apart from the eight goals – was the tackle count.
If a team has a significant amount more of the ball, it can only be expected that the opposition lays more tackles.
In the third quarter North had six more tackles than the Tigers, and finished with 13 more over the course of the second half.
| Third quarter | Disposals | Contested possessions | Tackles |
| North Melbourne | 104 | 38 | 23 |
| Richmond | 64 | 25 | 17 |
On an individual note, Todd Goldstein was a big part in the comeback, starting everything with dominance at the stoppages.
Once Daw was substituted, it meant the number 22 had to assume sole responsibility of the ruck. It was a challenge he embraced.
Goldstein had eight disposals and 16 hit-outs – five to advantage – in the third quarter alone. Taking all that into account, it’s no surprise North was +4 in clearances for the term and scored 20 of its 51 points directly from clearances.
