While Daw didn’t have a spectacular outing against the Dockers, he did bring a willingness to take risks, something which can prove invaluable against such a structured Ross Lyon coached side.
This was evident in his only goal of the evening early in the second quarter.
After a Joel Tippett spoil in North’s defensive 50 forces a turnover, Daw’s positioning drags Michael Johnson away from the play.
Once North wins the ball, the fact Johnson is away from the play allows Ryan Bastinac to take the first long option he sees without a worry of the ball coming straight back over his head.
While this didn’t happen so well throughout the whole night – Johnson still had three intercept marks on the evening, this is a small glimpse of how North could neutralise the threat of a sweeper in its forward line.
Once the ball falls just short of Zac Dawson and his flailing boot, possession is in dispute in the centre square. This is where Drew Petrie and Lindsay Thomas come into their own.
Petrie recognises it has to be his ball to win as Johnson peels off Daw to chase the Sherrin. Meanwhile, Thomas comes from a long way back to provide the interim captain an option once he grabs possession.
To complete the trio of smart plays, Daw recognises Johnson drawn into the ball and takes a calculated risk to run past the contest and into space, trusting the ability of his team-mates to win the ball.
As you can see, the play unfolds to perfection.
Petrie’s willingness to put his body on the line gets him clean possession. Thomas’ hard running puts him in the best position to receive the quick handball and then all that’s left is to put the ball into the path of Daw, who is by this stage now inside the forward 50.
Daw gladly takes the mark and strolls into an open goal, kicking the first goal of the second quarter.
