It must be something about the royal blue and white stripes.
North Melbourne great Wayne Carey holds the record for contested marks in a match since Champion Data began taking statistics in 1999.
Carey took 10 in the Roos' 32-point victory over Collingwood in round six, 2000.
Drew Petrie, the current target in the Roos' forward line, leapt on to the second tier of rankings for contested marks in a game when he took a whopping nine in the Roos' 45-point victory Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.
His tally was just one fewer than Port Adelaide managed for the game.
Petrie had an overall tally of 11 marks, including eight inside 50—a standard that, although high, is three marks behind this season's record for marks inside 50.
West Coast forward Josh Kennedy took 11 marks inside 50 against the Bulldogs at Patersons Stadium in round nine.
Petrie kicked 4.3 against Port Adelaide, capping his resurgence since returning from the feet problems that sidelined him in 2010.
Goldstein nears hit-out mark
Another player in royal blue and white stripes achieved a benchmark at the weekend, with ruckman Todd Goldstein getting 54 hit-outs against Port Adelaide.
His tally ranks him second behind Bulldogs ruckman Will Minson, according to Champion Data figures.
Minson holds the record with 56 hit-outs, which he earned against Collingwood in round six this season. Minson's reaction to his achievement was less than over the moon.
“Hit-outs is one of the most useless statistics in football,” he told afl.com.au. “If you win the hit-out but the opposition gets the ball, there's no point.”
Minson said a more accurate reflection of effectiveness would be coupling hit-outs with clearances.
Goldstein, too, kept his feet on the ground when asked about competing in the skies.
“As long as the boys are getting the clearances—that's the main thing," Goldstein told kangaroos.com.au.
“I'm just glad to give a contest and get my fair share of hit-outs.”
The third-ranked players on the hit-out table, with 53, are Darren Jolly, who was then playing for the Sydney Swans (round 12, 2009, against Collingwood), and Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands (round 13, 2010, against Carlton).
Port get plenty of it
Port Adelaide had 352 disposals against North Melbourne on Sunday, a figure that is high when you consider the margin of defeat.
North, by the by, also had 352 disposals.
The Roos have conceded an average of 330 disposals a match during its four-game winning streak, a figure that would not be unexpected.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
