North Melbourne and West Coast are set to do battle at Blundstone Arena on Saturday as both look to salvage some pride from a disappointing season.
The Roos (3-17, 67.0%) took care of business against Richmond and continued to show promising signs last week, as they have since the bye.
The Eagles (4-16, 70.0%) secured their first win under interim coach Jarrod Schofield last week and are hunting back-to-back wins for the first time since Round 7.
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Dylan Stephens and Jaidyn Stephenson are out injured for the Roos, replaced by Liam Shiels and Miller Bergman.
Andrew Gaff begins his fortnight of farewells, while Harry Edwards is out with concussion.
The match gets underway at 1:45pm AEST from Blundstone Arena.
Watch it live on Fox Sports 503, streaming on Kayo and via Hubbl from 1:30pm AEST.
NORTH MELBOURNE v WEST COAST – LIVE UPDATES
There were no late changes in Hobart, with Zane Duursma (Kangaroos) and Andrew Gaff (Eagles) the respective substitutes.
It was West Coast off to a hot start through Zane Trew and Jack Darling, who got himself out the back for the easiest of goals.
But when skipper Oscar Allen butchered his shot on goal, the Roos finally found their feet and levelled scores.
Fox Footy’s Cam Mooney liked what he saw from young North star Harry Sheezel who had three clearances to his name in the opening minutes.
“He’s doing what he wants around stoppages,” he warned.
When the Roos were caught “all in the wrong way” at a midfield stoppage, Jack Williams reclaimed the lead for West Coast.
At the first change it was the Eagles leading 21-20.
Tempers spilled over at quarter time, and the push and shove rolled on into the second term – particularly between young duo Jackson Archer and Harley Reid, and then Reid and Cam Zurhaar.
“I think Zurhaar might have gone in today thinking I don’t want my match payment – I’m going to give it away today,” Mooney joked.
“He went after Harley after just a little bit of contact which you’d have to expect in league footy,” Dermott Brereton added, after describing Reid as a “Rottweiler with class”.
The Eagles were wasteful in front of goal as the Roos were left to sweat when Sheezel limped down to the rooms late in the term.
Reid took a big hanger on the wing late in the second term on the shoulders of Aidan Corr.
“A massive grab! How’s the hang time from Harley!?,” Fox Footy caller Dwayne Russell exclaimed.
By half time, it was North Melbourne leading 48-26 – after West Coast’s 10th goalless term of the season.
The Roos extended their lead in the third term with goals to Sheezel and Larkey to push it out to a 30-plus point game.
In another potential concern for the Roos, Xerri was seen on the interchange talking to an team doctor with a possible shoulder issue.
Jake Waterman kicked his first goal of the day with around seven minutes left in the third quarter to bring the margin back to 29 points before Oscar Allen and Jamie Cripps added two more and it was game on.
Allen booted another with four minutes left — the Eagles’ fourth in a row — as it was suddenly just an 11-point Roos lead.
“They just needed to tweak a few things … they’ve completely turned the game around coming out of the second square and their kicking efficiency,” Cats legend Cameron Mooney told Fox Footy.
North took a 13-point lead into the last change, 10.10 (70) to 8.9 (57).
In a possible concern for West Coast, Reid was doing run throughs on the boundary line early in the fourth term.
Jarrad Schofield’s side etched closer, with Jamie Cripps marking and drawing a 50m penalty on Tom Powell to make it a six-point game.
Liam Ryan assisted an Elliot Yeo snap goal to draw the scores level , 10.10 70 apiece with over 14 minutes remaining.
“We’ve got a game,” Hawks champion Dermott Brereton told Fox Footy.
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Source Agencies
