The first half, with the roof closed, played out quite similarly to the Round 2 meeting and when the Cats made their charge in the third quarter, fans could be forgiven for sensing a case of déjà vu.
In a sign of how the team had grown over the season, the Kangaroos didn’t allow Geelong to get on top this time though. After a steadying goal late in the third term by Leigh Adams, the Cats didn’t get within a kick for the rest of the night. North ran out winners by 10 points.
The last interstate trip for 2013 followed the Geelong game, and it was also the final time North played an AFL game at AAMI Stadium.
Facing the Crows, Adelaide won the first quarter handily – only the fourth time North had been outscored in the opening term for the whole year.
The poor start continued in the second term, with the Roos heading into the rooms trailing by 23 points at half-time.
But the third quarter saw an unexpected comeback. After just four goals through the first two and a half quarters, North piled on four consecutive majors to briefly take the lead.
However it wasn’t enough. The Crows kicked away again late in the last quarter, defeating North for the second time in 2013.
In the lead-up to Round 21 against Essendon, Majak Daw was booked in for a posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, ruling him out of action for six months.
Scott Thompson and Jack Ziebell missed the game against the Bombers with injuries, however the team was able to cover for their absence.
Levi Greenwood came back into the side for Ziebell and proceeded to earn two Brownlow Medal votes for a 38-possession game, his best effort of the year. North steadily pulled away from the Bombers, again winning all four quarters en route to a 45-point victory.
However the real story was Nathan Grima’s first goal and his ensuing celebration.
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With finals still an outside possibility heading into the penultimate home and away game against Hawthorn, Sam Wright was one who used the memory of 2012’s 115-point loss to spur him on.
“Personally it motivates me. I’ll never forget that day. It was a bad day for the footy club. You move on but it still drives you.
“It’s always in the back of your head that we never want a loss like that ever again.”
In a quality game from start to finish, North had every chance to notch an upset win. However, Hawthorn’s class in key moments shone through and it ran out the victor by 14 points.
