- Rebuilding Kangaroos has suffered some narrow losses
- Had to endure a huge comeback from Gold Coast in the final quarter
- Rewarded for effort with emotional four-point victory
North Melbourne continued their AFL nightmare away to Gold Coast by beating them by four points in a thrilling match at Marvel Stadium.
The Kangaroos’ impressive win on Saturday (13.9 (87) to 12.11 (83) is their second win of the season and their first in Melbourne since round one last year.
Apart from their two home wins in Darwin, Gold Coast have not won a single match outside Carrara.
Since his infamous criticism of Marvel Stadium while coaching Richmond in 2021, Suns coach Damien Hardwick has suffered eight losses and one draw at the stadium.
The Suns, who are in 11th place, could have moved into the top eight with a win, but they lost Touk Miller and Sam Day to injuries during the match.
North star Luke Davies-Uniacke played a great role in the chaotic last season, showing great confidence and almost scoring a beautiful goal in the closing stages of the game.
A goal from Paul Curtis 17 minutes into the final period proved to be the deciding factor.
After Wil Powell had reduced the margin to five points after 25 minutes, Mac Andrew cleared the ball from the halfway line and passed the ball to Ben Ainsworth with 90 seconds left.
But Ainsworth’s shot missed and North desperately held on and won.
North Melbourne players celebrate their thrilling win over the Gold Coast Suns
In his first game since a foot injury in round 9, Kangaroos newcomer Colby McKercher had a game-high 37 possessions on defence, with Harry Sheezel also shining, while Nick Larkey kicked three goals.
Crucially, North won the passes 45-29 against the Suns’ talented midfield in a thrilling match that belied expectations of 11th versus last place in the standings.
The story of Gold Coast’s troubles on foreign soil this season was further fuelled when North scored the first three goals in the space of six minutes.
The highlight of their opening barrage was a clever long-range shot from Tom Powell, which set up Liam Shiels for their third goal.
But the Suns quickly came back, scoring the next five goals to give them a 12-point lead at halftime.
A quick run down the outside wing from Roos youngster McKercher resulted in Larkey’s second goal and North led by 14 points midway through the second period.
A goal from Ben King and a corner kick kept the score at seven at half-time.
But Gold Coast suffered a huge setback early in the third period when Miller (wrist) was forced to leave the game.
Day, who scored two goals in the first half, was also out of action for the final quarter due to a lower leg injury.
After North Melbourne’s Kailan Dawson scored his first AFL goal in the second period – a blistering shot from outside the 50-metre box – Suns’ Andrew also came forward from defence and did the same in the third period.
Andrew played a key role for the Suns and Noah Anderson had 30 disposals.