1. Wild winds
At times on Sunday afternoon, the only thing harder than predicting which way the next free kick would go appeared to be predicting when the next gust was going to blow the ball significantly off track. Such was the ferocity and sporadic nature of the north-westerly gale blowing across Blundstone Arena during the first half, just managing a consistent ball drop was difficult and led to numerous ‘shanks’ from players on both sides. Scott Selwood, Jarrad Waite and Lindsay Thomas attempted notably wayward shots at goal, but perhaps the most telling moment came during the opening term when West Coast’s Sam Butler tried to pump the ball inside the West Coast forward 50m arc. Despite aiming his kick for the top of the goalsquare, the Sherrin was picked up on the breeze and blown at almost 90 degrees from where Butler had let fly. Luckily for the visitors it landed safely in the arms of Elliot Yeo, but just when his set shot from 50m looked set to defy the conditions, it faded late and fell agonisingly short of the target.

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2. The scoring end
Yeo’s inability to score from the kind of range he would ordinarily expect to cover was symptomatic of the issues faced by both sides when kicking to the Church St end of Blundstone Arena. In a first half that reaped five goals for each side, just two goals had been kicked into the wind. Given the clear advantage of kicking to the southern end, North’s inability to break free of the Eagles during the third term looked likely to be telling. Although Shaun Higgins had booted his second to bring the Kangaroos back on level terms early in the quarter, the Roos conceded the next two goals and were seemingly headed for trouble. But late goals to Ben Brown and Higgins locked things back up before Brent Harvey gave his side a much-needed edge by taking advantage of the breeze with a booming goal on the run. A further four goals to the ‘non-scoring end’ in the final term sealed it for the Kangaroos in a much-deserved and meaningful victory.

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3. Cut down by ‘Razor’ Ray
Umpire Ray Chamberlain is never far from the action, but early in the second quarter on Sunday he quite literally found himself in the thick of things. Charging towards the mark in customarily urgent fashion, the diminutive official appeared to blindside North’s Trent Dumont, flooring the 19-year-old with a fairly solid hip and shoulder that would certainly come in for close scrutiny if the proverbial boot was on the other foot. Seemingly untroubled by the contact, Chamberlain carried on in his inimitable style, but didn’t exactly ingratiate himself with the Hobart crowd. At half-time, the Kangaroos trailed West Coast 8-15 in the free-kick count and punters at the southern end of Blundstone Arena made their feelings known as the umpiring contingent headed for the sheds.

4. Milestone men
North Melbourne small forward Robin Nahas didn’t have the kind of match he’d have hoped for to mark his 100th AFL appearance on Sunday, but he still walked away a winner. The former Tiger managed just three disposals in almost three quarters of football against the Eagles – none of which even hit the target – in a performance that wasn’t a patch on his four-goal effort against the Magpies last week. At the other end, Eagles forward Josh Kennedy was celebrating his 150th match and although he took a while to get going in the inclement conditions, finished with three goals. A botched mark in the final term may haunt Kennedy for some time, however, denying the Eagles a much-needed shot at goal during a tense finale.

5. Keeping their cool
Despite the howling gale, it was an unusually warm winter’s day in Hobart, but the Kangaroos managed to keep their cool wonderfully well during the closing stages. With a one-goal lead going into a final term during which the Eagles would have the advantage of the strong breeze, the Roos were always going to be under the pump. But rather than folding in the style that saw them drop last week’s match against Collingwood, the Kangaroos were resilient – and equally daring – in out-running and out-scoring West Coast during the closing moments. The final siren was met with a mixture of relief and joy, both on the field and in the grandstand, as North held on for a well-deserved 10-point win. Before they left the field the North players huddled tightly for several moments, Andrew Swallow no doubt imploring his side to play with that level of intensity every week in a bid to get their season back on the right track.