One team has had a week off, its opposition hasn’t. In theory it should be the former that has the advantage … not in Round 13.
There were four matches involving teams coming off a Round 12 bye, against teams which had played the week prior. The results tell the story of how the sides without the rest dominated.
Hawthorn (no rest) 16.18.114 defeated Essendon (Round 12 bye) 11.10.76
Western Bulldogs (no rest) 9.8.62 defeated St Kilda (Round 12 bye) 7.14.56
Richmond (no rest) 14.11.95 defeated Sydney (Round 12 bye) 11.11.77
Carlton (no rest) 14.19.103 defeated Gold Coast (Round 12 bye) 9.15.69
North Melbourne finds itself in the same situation when it travels to Metricon Stadium. It had Round 13 as its designated bye, while Gold Coast was in action against the Blues.
But delving deeper into the stats can provide some more insight; there was one common thread in the losses of Gold Coast, Sydney, St Kilda and Essendon in Round 13 – inaccuracy at important times.
The Bombers missed several gettable shots in the first half, missing a chance to capitalise on momentum against Hawthorn. St Kilda was arguably the better side for the majority of the night against the Bulldogs, but failed to capitalise, kicking 7.14.
When Sydney made a push in the final term against Richmond, it kicked 1.3 in a 10-minute period. Meanwhile Gold Coast blew any chance of a comeback against Carlton, kicking 1.6 in the last quarter.
Considering North’s up and down goal kicking record over the six week period before the bye, this area of the game becomes a key plot to Saturday’s match.
The last time the two sides met, the Kangaroos were jumped early, conceding seven first quarter goals en route to a 43-point loss.
As Sam Wright told NMFC.com.au this week, all steps are being taken to make sure North comes out firing from the outset on Saturday.
"There's always a risk (of dropping off after the bye) but I think we're better prepared for it this year than any other year," he said.
"We need to take that next step and that comes from our training and the way we prepare."
