North Melbourne have held on for a dramatic five-point victory over West Coast to kick off the Alastair Clarkson period in profitable style and set off early alarm bells for the Eagles.
Last season’s wooden-spooners seized management of Saturday afternoon’s conflict with an unanswered six-goal burst within the first half and withstood a late Eagles surge to seal a 12.15 (87) to 12.10 (82) win in entrance of 21,274 followers at Marvel Stadium.
Spearhead Nick Larkey booted six objectives whereas midfield bull Luke Davies-Uniacke (32 disposals, 11 clearances) set the tone across the floor.
No.3 draft choose Harry Sheezel (34 disposals) impressed off half-back whereas recruit Griffin Logue and veteran Jack Ziebell marshalled the Kangaroos’ defence admirably.
Makeshift ruck duo Hugh Greenwood and Charlie Comben battled manfully within the ruck in opposition to Bailey Williams after Tristan Xerri was substituted out with an ankle harm late within the first quarter.
The Eagles left themselves with loads of work to do after a dire first half throughout which they lacked impetus across the contest, moved the ball slowly and at occasions seemed scattered when the Kangaroos surged ahead.
Were it not for key defensive duo Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass, the scenario might have been far worse.
The pair considerably restricted the harm down again whereas Liam Ryan (three objectives), Luke Shuey (27 disposals) and Dom Sheed (25 touches) had been essential to their third-quarter resurgence.
Larkey booted the sport’s first objective however it was the Eagles who took the early ascendancy, with Jack Darling threading a beautiful objective from the boundary to provide West Coast a 12-point lead.
But it solely appeared to spur the Kangaroos on they usually booted the subsequent six objectives, with solely North’s inefficiency round objective, plus McGovern and Barrass, protecting the lacklustre Eagles within the recreation.
West Coast trailed by 21 on the principal break and the Kangaroos then booted the primary two objectives of the third quarter to take a 33-point lead.
It sparked the Eagles into motion they usually kicked three of the subsequent 4 objectives to chop the three-quarter time deficit to simply 15 factors, earlier than including the primary of the ultimate quarter.
Cam Zurhaar’s second objective and Larkey’s sixth steadied the ship halfway by means of the final time period however the Eagles wouldn’t go away.
Ryan and Noah Long struck in fast succession earlier than skipper Shuey gained a excessive free kick to chop the deficit to a few factors.
Curtis Taylor spurned a late likelihood to ice the sport however the Kangaroos held on.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
