Midfielder Sam Gibson says he didn’t know he was being outnumbered three-to-one just moments before his big leap in the final quarter of North’s 11-point win over Essendon last Friday night.

The 28-year-old took the strong grab across half-back, with Bombers midfielders Jake Melksham, Martin Gleeson and Brett Stanton applying pressure after a risky kick out of defence.

It was a pivotal moment in the see-sawing battle, with the Roos holding a slender 11-point advantage with just over 12 minutes remaining in the last term.



Gibson said he was unaware he was being outnumbered when he took the contested mark.

"I thought I was in a bit of space and there was pressure coming so I jumped up and grabbed the footy," Gibson told NMFC.com.au on Tuesday.

"I guess you don’t really understand it until you see it on the footage and I thought, ‘Lucky I grabbed it because we were outnumbered’.

"It’s not something I’m particularly renowned for so it’s good to do every now and then."

Although assistant coach Darren Crocker said he would’ve preferred Sam Wright "to take an easier option" with his kick, he couldn’t fault Gibson’s endeavour.

"It was crucial that ‘Gibbo’ committed himself," Crocker said.

"He’s not renowned for his overhead (marking) but to be able to take what was coming, jump and mark the ball so cleanly, he prevented Essendon from being able to get a contest close to goal."

Gibson said his game against the Bombers was "a good step up" compared to previous weeks, where he collected 25 possessions and kicked a goal.

Crocker said the hard-running midfielder’s presence at the contest, particularly late in matches, is one of his greatest assets.

"You don’t notice it as much early in games but late in games, when players are under pressure and have fatigue setting in, he’s always the one who’s running the hardest," he said.

"There was a contest where (Dyson) Heppell was trying to go with him on the interchange side of the ground and Gibbo just ran him off his feet.

"That’s what you get – he can always give our players an outlet to go to when there are not many guys working hard into space."