Match result

Frankston Dolphins 20.9.129 defeated North Melbourne 17.14.116

In action

AFL-listed
Taylor Garner, Paul Ahern, Mitch Hibberd, Sam Wright, Nick Larkey, Alex Morgan, Ben McKay, Sam Durdin, Daniel Nielson, Braydon Preuss, Josh Williams, Tom Murphy, Tristan Xerri, Gordon Narrier

VFL-listed
Nick Rippon, Ty Leonardis, Mitch Rodd, Jordan Harper, Nash Holmes, Chris Jansen, Fraser Cameron, Louis Cunningham, Michael Close

Story of the game

It was almost a case of déjà vu for North Melbourne, which fell just short to Frankston in a thriller at Avalon Airport Oval.

Winless in its first two games of the VFL season, a determined Dolphins' outfit was unrelenting in its attacking pressure early.

However, the visitors were unable to capitalise on their dominance with inaccurate kicking proving to be the story of the opening term.

This changed in the second quarter as both sides began to find the goal square with alarming regularity.

Goals from Nick Larkey, Mitch Rodd and Fraser Cameron helped ease the pressure for North, but Frankston continued to break away whenever the home side was within reaching distance of taking the lead.

The highlight of the opening half was a clever passage of play from Gordon Narrier, who spun out of a tackle in North’s forward 50 before providing a cheeky overhead handball to Larkey for his third of an eventual four goals.

The biggest applause of the day was saved for Braydon Preuss. The big man was rewarded for a tireless display in the ruck, scoring within minutes of moving into North’s forward line in the final term, much to the crowd's approval.

The Roos briefly hit the lead, but it was short-lived as the Dolphins finished the better with three consecutive goals in the dying minutes, sealing the result. 

“We were really poor today,” North coach David Loader told North Media.

“Across the board we started sluggishly, didn’t set-up well around the ball and got beaten by a team that came to play a lot more than we did. That’s pretty much the game in a nutshell.”

“Because we wear things as a team, we’re disappointed with how we went.

“It’s really hard when you turn the ball over by hand and foot like we did today. Our ball use errors were really high today. If that happens, you probably don’t get a chance to play to the method you want to play to.

“In this game, you can’t sit on your hands, so we need to keep going forward.”

Best of the AFL

Daniel Nielson
Daniel Nielson was a mainstay in North’s back half, taking part in several key defensive plays while having an invaluable impact in maintaining a fast-starting Frankston, which came out of the blocks with a point to prove.

The hard-at-the-ball defender was outstanding, putting together four consistent quarters and steadily dictated terms out of North’s defence.

Nielson’s ability to consistently win the ball back in the air was a highlight on an otherwise difficult afternoon.

“It’s a bit disappointing coming to the boys after the game,” Nielson said after the game. 

“We just have to set up and organise [ourselves] a bit quicker… we’ll let this one go and focus on next week.”

Best of the VFL

Michael Close
For the second consecutive week, Michael Close was amongst the best performing players for the royal blue and white, booting four goals.

North’s co-captain made the game his own and looked comfortable in his role leading the forward line alongside Nick Larkey.

Despite playing under duress from a well-conditioned Frankston defence, the 23-year-old stood-out, taking a handful of contested marks.

Close’s new-found role has bolstered North’s forward stocks, which relied heavily on Larkey in previous hit-outs.

Close’s strength was highlighted in several attacking sequences, while he continues to stretch opposition defences when contesting high balls.

Talking points

Garner’s return
Taylor Garner first step towards an eventual return to senior footy was a success.

The forward was eased back in his return from a groin injury, playing three quarters against Frankston.

It didn’t take long for the fan favourite to get his hands on the footy, having his first possession just minutes into the game. The 24-year-old started on the half forward flank and was rotated to assist his transition back.

Larkey’s goals
On a day where accuracy on goal was needed, Larkey was at his reliable best.

The versatile forward took several knocks, including a collision with the goal-post in the second half, but wasn’t deterred. Often praised for his creativity and inventive approach to footy, he scored four crucial goals.

Given his impressive pre-season form, it’s no surprise that the agile tall forward was able to work his way back into the game.

Wasted chances
Given the total scoring shots, the result should’ve looked much different.

Although there were circumstances in front of goal that were out of North’s control, such as rushed behinds, the inaccuracy of the Roos proved to be telling.

Frankston was also wasteful with its scoring opportunities in the first term with just one goal from six scoring shots. However, this improved drastically over the course of the game, with the Dolphins ending with just nine behinds.