NORTH MELBOURE has suffered a heart-breaking loss, going down to Hawthorn by nine points in heavy conditions at Aurora Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
A stellar final quarter from Hawk star Lance Franklin helped his team overcome a 14-point defecit at three-quarter time to run out winners 10.13 (73) to 9.10 (64).
Franklin, ably assisted by Luke Hodge, kicked four goals in the last term to overrun a North Melbourne team that had looked the winner for all but the final few minutes of a tight, hard contest.
North was well served by experience and youth alike with vetran Adam Simpson, and Liam Anthony in just his third AFL game, standing out.
Leigh Harding was also a useful contributor with his contesting marking a highlight on a damp day.
The game got underway in pelting rain that made free scoring difficult in a first quarter hardly bursting with highlights.
North Melbourne were first to score when unlikely rover Drew Petrie set up Leigh Adams to run into an open goal.
With the rain becoming a torrent, it seemed the term’s opening goal would also be its first. But Hawthorn’s consistent pressure eventually turned into points as Liam Shiels soccered his team’s first major to add to the three behinds it had managed to squeeze onto the scoreboard.
It was enough to give the Hawks’ a one-point lead at the first change, a margin that threatened to be changeless as scrimmages dominated the opening minutes of the second quarter.
But Harding’s strong pack mark set up Lindsay Thomas to give North the lead, before Brent Harvey stretched the margin when he tapped in a loose ball from point blank range.
The Hawks struck back though Jarryd Roughead’s mark and goal, and looked likely to come over the top of the Roos with Franklin exerting plenty of influence up forward.
However, while Franklin had presence he could not kick goals, managing just two behinds for all his laudable efforts.
It was a mistake North Melbourne were not about to repeat at the other end, with Anthony making the most of a forward foray with a clever snap that stretched the lead to nine points at half time.
The third quarter started in a familiar way: Hawthorn won possession, exerted pressure and missed the sticks. Three gettable shots netted just one behind; a poor return for the Hawks considering the rain was drying up.
Again, North made them pay. Corey Jones celebrated his 150th appearance at AFL level with a roved major, while Adams answered Roughead’s second with another of his own.
At 15 points, the margin was teetering on the edge of extreme danger, especially if North happened to goal next.
Hodge, though, was not about to let his season slip so easily and stepped up with a lovely, long goal that kept hopes of a Hawthorn comeback high.
They sunk again though as, first Adam Simpson and then Harding on the stroke of three-quarter time, put the Roos 14 points clear after Michael Osborne had earlier cut the deficit with a clever grubbering goal.
With its season on the line, Hawthorn came out in the last term needing something from its stars.
And despite the desperate efforts of North Melbourne, Franklin and Hodge were only too glad to oblige.
Hawthorn 1.3 2.6 5.9 10.13 (73)
North Melbourne 1.2 4.3 8.5 9.10 (64)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Franklin 4, Roughead 2, Hodge 2, Shiels, Osborne
North Melbourne: Adams 2, Thomas, Harvey, Anthony, Jones, Simpson, Harding, Hale
BEST:
Hawthorn: Franklin, Mitchell, Hodge, Sewell
North Melbourne: Anthony, Simpson, Harding, Swallow
INJURIES
TBC
Reports: Lance Franklin (Haw) reported by umpire Vozzo for rough conduct in the third quarter
Umpires: Vozzo, Steward, Grun
Official crowd: 15.080 at Aurora Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
