NORTH Melbourne just fell short in its round-one NAB Cup clash in the heat and humidity of Darwin, losing to the Western Bulldogs by 11 points on Friday night.
A super goal from Bulldogs defender Lindsay Gilbee with less than three minutes left sealed the game at TIO Stadium, 1.6.9 (54) to 1.4.10 (43), although the Roos had their opportunities.
The game was played in extremely humid, slippery conditions, with the teams given two extra interchange players and extended breaks between quarters.
The Roos will also be sweating on key midfielder Daniel Wells after he went off nine minutes into the second term with a thigh injury and did not return.
Two goals either side of three-quarter time meant the Bulldogs led by 20 points early in the last term, but the Roos didn't wilt in the low-scoring affair.
A nine-pointer to Drew Petrie and a goal to Territorian Matt Campbell meant the Kangaroos suddenly were in with a big chance.
Leading by four points at half time, the Bulldogs had plenty of scoring chances in the third term as the tempo of the game lifted.
They had kicked five behinds to the Kangaroos' two in the term before Adelaide recruit Scott Welsh kicked his first goal for the club on the three-quarter time siren.
Young midfielder Lachlan Hansen sparked a late flurry for the Kangaroos, which saw Leigh Adams bend in a goal from the boundary, but Petrie missed a gilt-edged chance to take the lead soon after.
Petrie also kicked a six-point goal and team-mate Leigh Adams kicked two while Michael Firrito and Leigh Harding were staunch in defence.
Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley later clarified that Wells had an injured groin and not a corked thigh as first reported.
"Only minor but probably a week or two which will probably upset his preparation," he said.
"We were probably a little slow to start ... it was a pretty tough game, you train all pre-season to work on things and you come up against those types of conditions early."
Laidley talked up the return of big forward Nathan Thompson and an outstanding first half by young Lachlan Hansen.
It took until the third quarter for Thompson to notch up a possession, but the Roos' coach was just pleased to have him on the park after he missed all of 2007.
“He got through. That’s the most important thing. Coming back from a knee reconstruction is a tough gig, let me tell you.
“He’s a key position player and he’s going to need to get some footy into him.”
Hansen was not just the pick of the many young players blooded on Friday night but, for at least one half, outshone his more seasoned teammates in the midfield.
“I thought he was probably our best player in the first half. He ran on the wing hard and long. That’s why we’ve played him there.
“Eventually he’s going to play key position, but right now he’s probably a bit skinny.”
But Laidley wasn’t singing the praises of Matt Campbell, the young Territorian who almost made himself a hometown hero in the dying stages of the match.
“I was really disappointed with Matty for three quarters,” Laidley said.
“He probably didn’t have the focus that he should have coming up.
“You see what he did in the last quarter and you think ‘Where has he been?’.
“It’s not a talent thing. It’s a mind thing.”
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 0.2.0, 0.4.1, 0.5.6, 1.6.9 (54)
KANGAROOS: 0.1.1, 0.3.3, 0.3.5, 1.4.10 (43)
Supergoals:
Western Bulldogs: Gilbee. Kangaroos: Petrie
Goals:
Western Bulldogs: Boyd, Akermanis, Street, Eagleton, Welsh, Tiller. Kangaroos: Adams 2, Petrie, Campbell
Best:
Western Bulldogs: Cooney, Cross, Lake, Lake, Eagleton, Akermanis, Boyd. Kangaroos: Hansen, Simpson, Petrie, Harris, Firrito
Injuries: Western Bulldogs: Higgins (tight back) replaced in selected side by Stack
Kangaroos: Wells (groin)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, Head, Fila
Official crowd: 8256 at TIO Stadium
