In oppressive heat and humidity, the Kangaroos had an impressive first three quarters and cruised to a 13-point win. A late Suns charge made the margin closer than the general flow of play suggested.
Senior coach Brad Scott suggested the last quarter fadeout was due to different instructions from the coaches box.
“We probably flirted with our form late in the game, trying to experiment with a few things. It confused the players a little bit with some of the things we wanted to do but the things we put in place early in the game the guys did really well.”
Lachlan Hansen also played down back, collecting nine marks despite having played the first two NAB Cup games in the forward half.
Three wins from three games had North in a good position to reach the NAB Cup Grand Final if it managed to defeat Geelong at Simonds Stadium. However the task proved beyond the group, as another hot day took its toll. The Cats kicked four of the last five goals of the game en route to a 12-point victory.
With Dan Currie given sole responsibility of the ruck, he collected 38 hit-outs to just 16 from Mark Blicavs and Josh Walker combined.
A Grand Final berth was now out of the question, so a final practice match was organised between North and Hawthorn at Craigieburn Reserve. A young line-up took the field for the Roos against the 2012 runner-up, but it was the finish to the game which took the headlines.
As heavy rain and wind lashed the ground during the last quarter, Scott approached Alastair Clarkson and after consultation the match was called off early.
It meant with pre-season now out of the way, the build-up to the season opener against Collingwood could begin.
With North facing a big Victorian club for the second year in a row to start a season, more than 40,000 packed into Etihad Stadium. The Magpies were missing Heath Shaw and Dayne Beams, but a poor third quarter effectively lost the game for the Kangaroos. Despite a late comeback, the Roos slipped to 0-1 on the season.
