North Melbourne have continued their 2026 campaign with a disappointing 13-point loss to Port Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.

In a game heavily influenced by momentum swings, the Roos led by 29 points at half time, but conceded 10 goals to three in the second half to see that lead disappear.

Matt Whitlock kicked two goals and used pinpoint accuracy to assist on two more, but it wasn’t enough to help the Kangaroos get a victory.

The final score at ETU stadium saw North Melbourne fall 15.13 (103) to 13.12 (90).

BOROUGH v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

Player watch

Young tall Matt Whitlock was an imposing presence up forward, kicking two goals in the first half. His ball usage was superb, committing zero turnovers from his 10 disposals and assisting two goals with impressive centring kicks.

In his return to VFL football for the first time since 2023, Tom Powell (24 disposals, seven tackles, seven inside 50s) was outstanding. His repeat efforts were a highlight, which included spoiling a mark inside 50, leading to Whitlock’s first goal of the contest.

Lachy Dovaston (13 disposals, two goals) kicked both of his majors in the second term, including a booming kick from 45m that was the reward of a great intercepting effort.

Livewire forward Brayden George kicked three goals in the second term. His positioning as a deep forward was a highlight, with all three goals kicked from within 30 metres.

Half-back Cooper Harvey continued his run of form, collecting 23 disposals including 10 intercepts and nine contested. His ball usage skills were once again on display, going at an impressive 87 per cent efficiency rate while committing zero turnovers.

Oliver Lowe (16 disposals, three goals) was notable, kicking one of his goals after the half-time siren. Thomson Dow (27 disposals, 17 contested possessions, nine clearances) did well in the middle, also adding a goal late.

What the coach said

VFL coach Adam Marcon on the result: “Unfortunately it was a tale of two halves. I thought we couldn’t have been much better in the first half, but it was the second half where we let a pretty good side back into the contest.

“It was really the third quarter with Port Melbourne’s contest work and their pressure that got the best of us, and we weren’t able to get enough territory and lock the ball in, so really disappointed with the result.”

On what went wrong: “We went away from the style of game that was working really well for us, which was the contested, ground-ball and tackle game.

“Against a strong standalone club like Port Melbourne we had to match them in that area of the game, which is what we did well in the first half and what let us down in the second half.”

On Matt Whitlock’s performance: “‘Whitters’ provided a good option up forward to bring the ball to ground for us, and we know he’s clever with his patterns and being able to lose his opponent, so he definitely had some very nice moments today.”

On Tom Powell’s return to VFL: “It was good to have ‘Powelly’ running through the midfield for us, and I thought especially in the first half his tackling and pressure was great for us.”

Next up

North Melbourne heads back home to Arden Street Oval, matching up against the Gold Coast Suns in Round 9. The match is at 1.30pm AEST on Saturday, May 23.

PORT MELBOURNE            4.4        5.7     11.11     15.13      (103)
NORTH MELBOURNE         3.4      10.6      11.7      13.12        (90)

GOALS
Port Melbourne: Bedendo 5, Baldwin 4, Tovey, Manton, Alessio, Downie, Hird, Hobbs
North Melbourne: Lowe 3, George 3, Dovaston 2, Whitlock 2, Markovsky, Dow, Scoble

BEST
North Melbourne: Dow, van Dam, Lowe, Macpherson, Dovaston, Coleman-Jones

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Riley Hardeman replaced by Hugh Byrne