A BRILLIANT last quarter from star full-forward Lance Franklin has spurred Hawthorn to a 17-point victory over a dogged North Melbourne at Aurora Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Franklin kicked three for the quarter, his first two giving the Hawks breathing room, before four consecutive goals from Kangaroos small forward Matt Campbell put the Roos in front with five minutes to play.
Not to be denied, Franklin bombed his third of the afternoon from 65m to cap a see-sawing afternoon and secure the Hawks' 15.13 (103) to 13.8 (86) victory.
The match was characterised by gritty defence and plenty of ground-level scrambling as both sides struggled to come to terms with the blustery conditions, but Hawthorn came home with the aid of a considerable breeze.
Having been held goalless by Kangaroos stopper Scott Thompson for the opening three quarters, Franklin seized his chance by slotting a miracle checkside goal nine minutes into the final quarter. His second came from a goalsquare mark moments later, before the match-sealer.
Shaun Burgoyne, Brad Sewell and Isaac Smith also added last quarter goals as the Hawks scrambled home and maintained an imposing record at Launceston.
The Roos were shattered post-match, having come so close to a win that would have set them up for a genuine assault on the top eight. As it stands now, they go into next weekend's bye knowing they must win their last three matches to have any chance of playing finals this season.
Kangaroos coach Brad Scott was philosophical about his team's performance and underlined the club's desire to shake the 'brave' tag they continue to wear after another close loss.
"We didn't get any points unfortunately and that's what we really needed at this point of the year," Scott said. "I thought our boys were terrific today. Anyone who's associated with North Melbourne has an unbelievable responsibility to uphold the tradition and culture and fight that is synonymous with this football club.
"But it's getting tiresome. I'm sure people will say it's another fighting effort, a never-say-die effort, well, we're sick of that. We want to start grinding sides into the ground ourselves."
Scott had seen his side blow the chance to take an early grip on the contest, only wasteful kicking and a couple of rushed behinds denying them a greater break at the first change.
As the afternoon wore on it seemed Hawthorn would sneak out to a comfortable winning margin, however, Campbell's last quarter heroics and big efforts from Scott McMahon and Jack Ziebell kept the Roos in the contest until the dying minutes.
Influential players
Todd Goldstein's opening quarter was an ominous sign for the Hawks, the Roos' big man seemingly having his own way all over the ground. Goldstein's 11 hit-outs complemented eight disposals, two contested marks and a goal in a dominant early performance. He finished as the leading ruckman on the ground with 37 hit-outs, but his influence faded as the weather deteriorated and conditions began to better suit the smaller types.
What it means
For North, the outlook is almost as gloomy as the rain clouds that gathered over Launceston on Sunday afternoon. Put simply, North Melbourne is fast running out of chances to play finals. The Roos have the bye next week and are viewing it as the perfect platform to launch an assault on the competition in the last three rounds. But they'll need to make it three wins from three starts to give themselves any chance of leapfrogging Essendon and Fremantle into the top eight.
What the coach said
Brad Scott (North Melbourne)
"What I spoke to the players about after the game is that we've got now a really great opportunity to take. We've got the bye next week to rejuvenate and refresh and work on some things that we need to work on. Then we've got three games we're going to make an absolute assault on."
Key Matchups
Shutting down the opposition tall forwards was always going to be a priority for both coaches. At the opening bounce, Scott Thompson went to Lance Franklin and at the other end, Josh Gibson took the job on Drew Petrie. Despite appearing to injure a shoulder during the first quarter, Gibson curbed Petrie's influence throughout and kept him to two goals and only one mark. Likewise, Thompson did a great job shutting down Franklin and kept him goalless to three-quarter time. But when 'Buddy' got off the leash in the last quarter the game soon slipped away from the Roos.
Dream Team highlight
North Melbourne: Scott McMahon was the big Dream Team surprise scoring 130 points, his biggest score for the year. Previously the defender's highest Dream Team score this season was 84 points back in round one against West Coast. Ruckman Todd Goldstein (112) and midfielder Jack Ziebell (101) were the only other Roos to crack the ton.
Next four
North Melbourne: The Roos now have a week off with the bye before three important games at home. They face Fremantle in what will be a crunch game for both sides in the race to make finals, before meeting St Kilda and Richmond in the final two rounds.
QUARTER BY QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
In blustery conditions at Aurora Stadium, North Melbourne gained an early advantage kicking with a strong breeze but didn't make the most of its opportunities. By the 15-minute mark, the Roos had kicked 2.3, while Hawthorn had yet to impact the scoreboard. The Hawks broke through late in the term with a couple of important goals from David Hale and Luke Breust before North Melbourne midfielder Jack Ziebell kicked truly on the quarter-time siren, giving the Roos their third goal. Despite heading into the first break in front, North Melbourne would have been disappointed with its output after having 10 scoring shots to the Hawks' three.
North Melbourne by 12 points
SECOND QUARTER
An early goal from Drew Petrie gave North a three-goal buffer but the Hawks took control for the next 10 minutes. Hawthorn kicked three goals on the trot to give it the lead, while North Melbourne were unable to find a way inside its attacking 50. After struggling to clear the ball from their defensive half for most of the quarter, the Roos managed to regain the lead with their second goal into the wind through Cam Pederson. Some Cyril Rioli brilliance turned the tables back in Hawthorn's favour late in the term. However, like North Melbourne in the first quarter, the Hawks didn't make the most of the wind, with Matt Suckling and Rick Ladson missing goals just before half-time.
Hawthorn by five points
THIRD QUARTER
A bit of rain at half-time made conditions even more trying and it was a tight third term from start to finish. The Hawks pushed their lead out to 12 points with an early goal to Isaac Smith but North Melbourne skipper Brent Harvey responded minutes later. Hawthorn began to get on top in contested possession, winning the count 46 to 36 in the third term. Late in the quarter the Roos snatched back the lead with goals to Daniel Wells and substitute Cam Richardson. With three seconds left on the clock, Isaac Smith kicked inside the Hawks' attacking 50 and Jordan Lewis marked controversially on the siren. Lewis kicked a goal putting his side back in front.
Hawthorn by one point
FOURTH QUARTER
The Hawks were supposed to have a strong wind advantage heading into the final term, but as luck would have it, the breeze dropped off at three-quarter time giving North Melbourne a slight reprieve. That didn't worry the Hawks. After being kept goalless all day, Hawks spearhead Lance Franklin finally found his feet in front of goal, stringing together two in a row to give his side a 14-point lead. Another goal to the Hawks through Sewell and Alastair Clarkson's men moved to a 21-point lead, the biggest of the match. Enter Matt Campbell. The midfielder kicked four goals in a row, single handedly giving North Melbourne a two-point lead with four minutes to go. Shaun Burgoyne regained the ascendency for the Hawks when he got a boot to ball right on the goal-line and minutes later Franklin bombed one from 60m out to give the Hawks an 11-point lead with three minutes left. With the win already in the bag, Smith kicked a goal with six seconds left, adding to the celebrations.
Hawthorn win by 17 points.
MATCH DETAILS
Hawthorn 2.1 6.6 9.8 15.13 (103)
North Melbourne 3.7 5.7 9.7 13.8 (86)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Franklin 3, Smith 3, Breust 2, Whitecross, Ladson, Rioli, Lewis, Hale, Sewell, Burgoyne
North Melbourne: Campbell 5, Petrie 2, Goldstein, Ziebell, Pederson, Richardson, Wells, Harvey
BEST
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Sewell, Shiels, Suckling, Burgoyne, Franklin
North Melbourne: Campbell, McMahon, Thompson, Ziebell, Goldstein
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
North Melbourne: Lachlan Hansen (virus) late withdrawal replaced in the side by Cruize Garlett
SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Michael Osborne replaced by Kyle Cheney in the fourth quarter
North Melbourne: Shaun Atley replaced by Cameron Richardson in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Nicholls, Findlay, Ryan
Official crowd: 16,820 at Aurora Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club
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