A scrappy and uninspiring game in testing conditions didn’t allow either side to get on a role, and despite showing plenty of spirit the visitors couldn’t overrun the Crows in a low-scoring affair, losing 9.14 (68) to 3.6 (24).
In his milestone game, Simpson collected 19 touches, Michael Firrito the top possession winner for North with 22 disposals
Corey Jones, Aaron Edwards and Lindsay Thomas were North’s only goalkickers on a tough day for forwards.
North Melbourne’s day was made worse when Jack Ziebell was carried off with a suspected leg injury and sent to hospital for x-rays, and Thomas failed to see out the game with a hamstring.
For Adelaide, Scott Thompson and Michael Doughty had 31 possessions each, and forward Jason Porplyzia kicked three crucial goals.
Having kicked the least amount of goals by any team in the last month, the arrival of driving rain and wind in the opening throws didn’t help North’s cause as it failed to muster a single point in the first quarter.
At the other end, Tyson Edwards and Chris Knights kicked goals for the Crows who led by 16 points at quarter time. It was a fair reflection of Adelaide’s dominance up forward, creating 18 entries into the forward-50 compared to North Melbourne’s seven, despite the visitors winning the clearances 17-8.
Dean Laidley’s words must have hit home during the interval as Corey Jones got North up and running with a goal from an Adelaide turnover inside a minute.
But the Roos could not maintain the pressure.
Slippery conditions and heavy zones from both sides weren’t conducive to attractive footy with just four behinds scored in the next 25 minutes of the quarter.
Porplyzia ended the deadlock, kicking truly to send the Crows into half time with a 16-point lead.
The pattern of the game did not change after half time with 12 goalless minutes until Porplyzia spun and snapped for his second goal.
Lindsay Thomas missed a golden chance to narrow the gap for North, but good forward pressure enabled Aaron Edwards to kick their second soon after.
It was Porplyzia again, though, who halted North Melbourne’s momentum with a cool set shot to bring up his third.
The lead for Adelaide was 22 points at the final change, the Crows smashing their opponents in forward 50 entries (53-25) and hit-outs (46-32), but North still dominating at clearances (40-29).
Thomas gave the Kangaroos an early glimmer of hope with a goal inside the first minute, but after missing a couple of opportunities, the first 50m penalty of the game allowed Nathan Bock to convert and effectively seal the game for Adelaide.
After his heroics last week, Kurt Tippett got on the scoresheet following a strong mark, while fellow forward Taylor Walker was on the end of a slick Crows move to put the icing on the cake.
Bernie Vince goaled late in the piece to blowout the scoreline as North faded, unable to create a fairytale finale for Simpson.
Adelaide 2.4 3.6 5.9 8.13 (61)
North Melbourne 0.0 1.2 2.5 3.5 (23)
GOALS
Adelaide: Porplyzia 3, Knights, Edwards, Bock, Tippett, Walker, Vince
North Melbourne: Jones, Edwards, Thomas
BEST
Adelaide: Thompson, Porplyzia, Bock, Doughty, Mackay, Otten, Symes
North Melbourne: Firrito, Thompson, Simpson, Rawlings, Grima
INJURIES
Adelaide: Reilly (hamstring), Johncock (respiratory illness) replaced in selected side by Shirley, Douglas (virus) replaced in selected side by Petrenko.
North Melbourne: Ziebell (leg), Thomas (hamstring), Hale replaced in selected side by Harris.
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hay, Ryan, Avon
Official crowd: 30,173 at AAMI Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.
