NORTH MELBOURNE has been denied its fourth win of the season after the fast-finishing Sydney Swans snatched a thrilling draw at Telstra Dome on Sunday.
The ball was deep in North’s forward line when the final siren sounded after a despairing lunge by Michael Firrito denied Brett Kirk’s shot on goal with just 66 seconds left on the clock.
The Kangaroos looked to have seen off the Swans’ challenge when a Corey Jones goal put them 17 points up in the final term, but two late goals to Michael O’Loughlin saw his side finish 8.16 (64) to North’s 9.10 (64).
It was an exciting finish to what had been a dour struggle with one-on-one contests across the ground. Brent Harvey was shadowed by Kieran Jack for much of the day, but came out on top to finish with 22 possessions, while David Hale, Nathan Thompson and Corey Jones each booted two goals.
Kirk was the leading possession winner for the Swans with 23 touches, with O’Loughlin finishing with three goals.
The day was soured for the Roos with Aaron Edwards being carried straight down the race shortly before half-time. The forward came down awkwardly in a marking contest on the Docklands wing and landed heavily on his left ankle to sustain what appeared to be a serious injury.
With both sides known for their accountable styles, it was little surprise that the first quarter was frequently punctuated by stoppages, with up to 32 players around the ball at some points.
The Swans, who were on the board with a goal to Darren Jolly inside the first minute, negotiated the heavy traffic better than the Roos early.
North Melbourne’s forwards had little space to work with inside forward 50 as the Swans got numbers back and then streamed forward after creating the turnover.
Craig Bird found space in his own forward line to mark and goal as the margin reached 15 points, but the Kangaroos managed to find a way through the red-and-white sea with less than a minute remaining when Corey Jones out-positioned Marty Mattner and sent his set shot from 50 over the umpire’s hat.
However, Nick Davis’ set shot was flying through the big sticks as the quarter-time siren sounded to re-establish a 15-point break.
Adam Goodes' goal after the restart pushed the margin further out, but Thompson got the better of his battle with Leo Barry and his teammates did well to create some space for him to lead into.
The big forward led strongly to mark and boot successive goals inside two minutes as his side began to get on top in the midfield battles.
However, neither side could muster another major for the remainder of the half, with North Melbourne trailing by six points at the main break.
Matt Campbell provided a highlight when he gathered a loose ball deep in the forward pocket, turned on the afterburners to blow past Craig Bolton, and then converted from close range early in the third.
The Roos hit the front for the first time when Leigh Harding snapped truly 10 minutes in, but the lead would change hands four times before Hamish McIntosh’s checkside on the run gave the home side a five-point advantage at the final change.
David Hale opened the scoring in the final term to edge his team further in front and Jones’ goal soon after was met with wild celebrations before the O’Loughlin-led surge set-up the thrilling climax.
North Melbourne 1.2 3.7 7.9 9.10 (64)
Sydney Swans 3.5 4.7 6.10 8.16 (64)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Thompson 2, Jones 2, Hale 2, Campbell, Harding, McIntosh
Sydney Swans: O’Loughlin 3, Goodes 2, Jolly, Bird, Davis
BEST
North Melbourne: Harvey, Firrito, Petrie, Rawlings, Simpson
Sydney Swans: Goodes, Kirk, O’Keefe, Bevan, O’Loughlin, Moore
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Edwards (ankle)
Sydney Swans: TBC
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McLaren, Ryan, Avon
Official crowd: 28,392 at Telstra Dome
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
