1. Jacobs isn’t a one-trick pony
Ben Jacobs has been good this season, but the challenge of completely nullifying Nat Fyfe’s impact proved too much. Not many taggers have the repertoire to follow Fyfe wherever he goes, let alone the body size to stop him. The Fremantle skipper was influential in the midfield, forward line and on the few occasions he deputised in the ruck, showing poise and class on a day that lacked any shade of subtlety. Fyfe finished with 31 disposals, 24 contested possessions, eight tackles and a goal and may well have banked another three Brownlow votes. And that’s not to say Jacobs played badly – in fact, he’d mount a pretty serious case for best-on-ground honours with 29 disposals, 18 contested possessions, nine tackles and a goal. Jacobs also limited the quality of Fyfe’s clearances, which had a significant effect on Fremantle’s ball movement. 

ROOS RAID FORTRESS Full match coverage and stats

2. Fremantle to sweat on Sandilands’ fitness
It’s hard to imagine a worse time for Fremantle to lose its premier ruckman. Aaron Sandilands stumbled from the field early in the final term after a head clash with Kangaroos utility Sam Durdin. At that moment, the Dockers had the edge at clearances and looked every chance to pull off a spirited final-term comeback. Sandilands didn’t return and 200-gamer Todd Goldstein cashed in, monstering deputy Brennan Cox at centre bounces and around the ground. The prospect of facing Collingwood – and Brodie Grundy – without its 35-year-old stalwart will scare Fremantle brain's trust, which – short of the injured Sean Darcy – has a limited pool of rucking options to choose from. His fitness will be monitored throughout the week. 

3. Right call?
With less than 13 minutes remaining and his team leading by four points, Jack Ziebell skewed a ball from the wing and inside 50 towards a one-on-one contest between Ben Jacobs and Joel Hamling. The Fremantle player took front spot and appeared to be thrown out of the way. The home crowd appealed for the free kick, before watching in disbelief as the umpire – who momentarily had his whistle in his mouth – allowed Shaun Atley to pounce on a loose ball and slot an easy goal from 30m. From that moment, North never relented and clinched a well-earned 28-point win.  

SHOWREEL Tall forwards dominate for Roos

4. North Melbourne is tracking for the top eight
The Kangaroos look bound for finals football in 2018, but will want to tighten their ball use before September comes around. The conditions weren’t great at the best of times, with fluky winds and intermittent rain quashing any chances of a free-flowing shootout. But there’s no valid caveat for the poor decision-making and skill execution that both teams were guilty of when in space. Several 50m penalties were also handed out while a shot on goal was reversed when it needn’t have been. Thankfully, premierships are decided by sustained form and North has proven itself more than capable of matching the best teams. Brad Scott’s men eventually played to their potential in the last quarter and looked every bit the determined unit they have been so far this year. 

5. McCarthy takes strides towards improvement
Cam McCarthy would be among the first to admit his form hasn’t been up to scratch this season, but the athletic forward took a step in the right direction on Sunday. McCarthy wasn’t overly prominent inside 50 but still willed himself to contests he might’ve otherwise missed. The 23-year-old generally kicked the ball well and assisted Michael Walters’ first-quarter goal with an inch-perfect pass. A few minutes later, McCarthy halved a contest on the wing against Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson, before sending the ball forward for another scoring opportunity. David Mundy cost him a golden opportunity in the second term when a shot from 45m was reversed for high contact off the ball. The former Giant eventually finished with just nine possessions and a goal, but looked more likely than in weeks past.

Cam McCarthy celebrates a goal. Picture: AFL Photos