North Melbourne’s week from hell continues in AFL’s Gather Round as Brisbane torches the Roos by 75
North Melbourne’s week from hell continues in AFL’s Gather Round as Brisbane Lions fire Alastair Clarkson’s side with 13 goals
- Lions beat Kangaroos by 75 points
- Comes after a week of scandals for Kangaroos
- Exposes the work ahead in the reconstruction
The honeymoon period is over for North Melbourne and coach Alastair Clarkson will have some serious work to do after the Kangaroos are thrashed by the Brisbane Lions.
The Lions delivered a decisive 75-point thrashing to North Melbourne in their round five clash at Mt Barker in the AFL’s Gather Round, piling seven goals to two in the third term at 22.20 (152) to 12.5 ( 77) to end on Saturday afternoon. .
The loss will serve as a stark reminder of the work it took to rebuild the Rose for four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Clarkson.
The win marks Brisbane’s back-to-back wins for the first time this season as it extends North Melbourne’s horror week after a new scandal involving Tarryn Thomas surfaced.
Lions coach Chris Fagan and North coach Alastair Clarkson, who worked together at Hawthorn, shared the love for the game
Clarkson’s smile was quickly cut short after his side was pumped by 75 points by the rampant lions in Gather Round
Thomas was expelled from the club last month after allegations of inappropriate behavior towards women.
He then posted a video on social media, which has since been deleted, of himself driving a Mercedes dangerously in the middle of a highway with his feet on the dashboard.
The video has put his career on life support, creating new controversies around him.
On the pitch, Brisbane enjoyed the best playing surface of the Adelaide Hills ground in Gather Round where they achieved their highest score since round three last season.
Brownlow medalist Lachie Neale made 37 disposals in midfield, while key forwards Joe Daniher, with five goals, and Eric Hipwood, with four goals, amuck.
Daniher’s draw contained a bomb in the second term about 70 yards inside the center square.
With Brisbane flexing their muscles, North Melbourne’s defense struggled and they lost co-captain Jy Simpkin at half time with a suspected broken hand.
Daniher was virtually unstoppable in the first half, booting his side into a lead that was never headed
Cameron toiled hard against the great defenders of North Melbourne throughout the match and was eventually rewarded on the scoreboard
North were solid in their first four games, winning the first two and coming on the back of two losses under four goals on Saturday.
However, the Kangaroos were overwhelmed by Brisbane’s dominant performance, with Daniher and Hipwood a combined nine goals.
Small forward Charlie Cameron also joined the scoring celebration with three goals, and he kicked his fourth in the final term.
Mt Barker contributed to the success of the Gather Round, with a sell-out crowd of 7,329. The site was constructed just two years ago from paddocks, with temporary grandstands and other infrastructure trucked in from the Adelaide Supercars race.
Clarkson will have plenty of work to do after the Kangaroos had a good start to the season before being flogged by the Lions
The AFL’s work on the playing surface paid off, and the weather cooperated too, holding up the persistent rain earlier in the day for most of the game.
Brisbane midfielders Josh Dunkley and Dayne Zorko and defenders Harris Andrews and Jack Payne also shone for Brisbane.
North Melbourne’s Harry Sheezel continued his impressive debut with 31 possessions at half-back, while Jaidyn Stephenson scored four goals.
The win prepares Brisbane to face Greater Western Sydney in Round 6 as North Melbourne face Gold Coast.