Gold Coast can end its winless form on the road in 2024 when it faces North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Roos (1-14, 64.1%) are meanwhile still searching for their second win of the season amid promising form over the last month, with Colby McKercher replacing the injured Zac Fisher.
The Suns (8-7, 106%) are coming off a big win over Collingwood to continue their undefeated form in home games (8-0) compared to away (0-7). Ned Moyle comes into Damien Hardwick’s side for the injured Jarrod Witts.
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This match gets underway at 1.45 AEST from Marvel Stadium.
Watch it live on Channel 503 from 1.30pm AEST.
NORTH MELBOURNE v GOLD COAST – LIVE UPDATES
There are no late changes at Marvel, with Curtis Taylor (Kangaroos) and Bailey Humphrey (Suns) named the subs for their respective sides.
After intrigue around who North tagger Will Phillips would go to, the young gun lined up on Sun Matt Rowell at the opening bounce.
Conversely, David Swallow has lined up on key defender Charlie Comben at the first bounce, playing a defensive forward role on the in-form tall.
Roos ruck Tristan Xerri drew first blood under the roof on Saturday afternoon, converting his seventh set shot for the season to give his side an early seven-point lead.
Mid-season draftee Brynn Teakle clunked a great contested mark a couple of minutes later, before also slotting from a set shot to give the Roos a fast start.
“Dylan Stephens with a fast start for the Kangaroos as well – five disposals (in the first five minutes), he needs to turn this into a big game with the start that he’s had,” Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson said on Fox Footy’s live coverage.
And from nowhere, young gun Tom Powell launched an absolute monster torpedo from the back of the centre square to help set up veteran Liam Shiels and push the margin out to 19 points.
“Powell saw they were out goal side, he’s kicked a 70 metre bomb to set up Shiels – one of the great goal assists of the season!” Montagna exclaimed on commentary.
“It’s the Hail Mary that comes off,” Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton added.
However, Gold Coast went on to kick the next five goals straight heading into quarter time two goal leaders.
Ben Ainsworth kicked off proceedings with the visitors’ first goal in the 16th minute of the quarter, before veteran forward Sam Day ran riot in the contest.
The 31-year-old kicked two goals in a minute to level the scores
Will Graham and Jack Lukosius finished he quarter with goals also, jumping an initially
The scoreboard read: North Melbourne 3.1 (19) trailing Gold Coast 5.1 (31) at the first break.
Day recorded a whopping four contested marks in the opening quarter – the equal-most by any player in the AFL in the first quarter since the stat was recorded.
Guns Nick Larkey and Luke Davies-Uniacke evened the ledger with a goal each in the first five minutes, before a Cam Zurhaar point from the boundary regained North’s lead by a solitary point.
And through an unlikely source, Toby Pink snapped truly after making the most of a questionable handball across goal from Noah Anderson.
Larkey converted his second set shot for the match to put the Suns right on the back foot and now back to 13 points down.
Noah Anderson bought one back with composure, as a career-high fifth contested mark from Day helped assist the Suns in bringing the margin back down to eight points.
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Source Agencies
