North Melbourne has pulled off the most improbable win in recent AFL history, defeating Hawthorn by seven points after being down by 32 points in the second quarter and winless through the first eight rounds of 2021.
David Noble has stamped his credibility with not only his first win, but an incredible coaching performance to turn around Hawthorn’s high press and get his Roos slicing through the Hawks' defence in the second half.
The lightbulb flicked after half time for North Melbourne, despite the Hawks getting the first of the third quarter, as they romped home with the next six goals and eight of the last eleven.
They played like a team possessed, as Hawthorn had no answers for their ball movement from defence to their forward fifty.
Excitement would have been growing at three quarter time, with messages and calls bouncing around the country as fans jumped on the bandwagon to support the underdog searching for their first win.
They hit the front just two minutes into the last quarter as Cam Zurhaar kicked one, then two in the first five minutes of the quarter.
But the Hawks were out to spoil the party, kicking the next two to snatch back the lead.
North kicked two more, but a late goal to Luke Bruest gave Hawks fans hope they could find one more goal and fight their way out of the contest.
But in a true underdog story, North Melbourne held on. Zurhaar kicked one of the most important points in his career with one minute to go, as he increased the lead from six to seven points.
17th vs 18th on the ladder has probably never gathered more fanfare that it did today, gifting footy fans a feel good story for the weekend.
To top it off, it was David Noble’s 54th birthday!
There were two bulls wearing blue and white on Saturday, and have the Hawks done this before?
Here’s everything you need to know!
_A bull, his apprentice, and a kid on the up deliver:
There were three players for North that stood up when it was time to be counted: Ben Cunnington, Cam Zurhaar and Jy Simpkin.
The latter two are only young and played one of their best games for the club, but for the seasoned professional in Cunnington it was easy to see what the match meant to him.
Jubilation and joy, going from teammate-to-teammate post game from the man renowned for his hardness, as he delivered a performance that gave the Roos midfield ascendancy in the second half with 37 touches and 27 contested possessions for the match.
Jy Simpkin also proved he wasn’t far off the level of his older teammate. Simpkin had 23 contested possessions, 13 clearances and 550 metres gained for the game and was essential in Noble getting the Roos to pick their way through the Hawks defence.
Perhaps the biggest lifter was Cam Zurhaar, Cunnington’s apprentice in shape and build. Three of his four goals came in at a crucial time late in the third and early in the fourth quarter, as North looked to reel in the Hawks.
He didn’t just stand up when it was his time, he jumped all over the Hawthorn defence and ran amok to be the difference in the end.
We also can’t forget the game sealing point, that would have been a fantastic goal in its own right had Blake Hardwick not got a hand on the line.
We’ve seen this before:
As much as the story should be on North Melbourne, who thoroughly deserve the attention after their huge comeback, part of the spotlight has to turn to the Hawks.
Not only did they go missing for large periods after half time, but the fact that they let North back into what was clearly a danger game for the Hawks is woeful.
The same thing also happened last year, with Adelaide winless after 13 games. It was certainly a game the Hawks should have won on paper, but they could not get themselves up for it, going down to the 2020 wooden spooners by almost six goals.
That should have been in the Hawks’ heads when they came back onto the field after half time, they couldn’t let anything of the sort happen again.
However, as we know, they let their guard drop. It’s unlikely these losses will do anything to coach Alastair Clarkson’s market value, who is tipped to move on at the end of the year. However, the morale sapped from supporters by performances like that cannot be overstated.
What’s next?
Hawthorn’s two wins have come by a combined four points, and with a small change in fortune they could well now have found themselves with nine straight losses.
The heat is going to come this week and will likely need to win one of their next two against either Carlton or Hawthorn. Otherwise, not even Jeff Kennet will be able to spin his way out of the situation at Waverley park.
Meanwhile, all bets are off at what North can do. Adelaide won their next two after beating Hawthorn last year, and with Essendon and St Kilda to come for the Roos, who’s to say they can’t follow the precedent?
All that is for sure is Noble’s shoulders are going to feel much better with the weight of the world of them, and the signs are there for them that they can challenge again.
FULL SCORE
Hawthorn: 5.3, 8.6, 9.8, 12.8. (80)
North Melbourne: 1.1, 5.2, 9.7, 13.9 (87)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Cousins 2, Wingard 2, Koschitzke 2, Breust 2, Lewis, Moore, Scrimshaw, Shiels
North Melbourne: Zurhaar 4, Garner 3, Goldstein, Davies-Uniacke, Taylor, Thomas, Larkey, Mahoney
BEST
Hawthorn: Hardwick, Cousins, Scrimshaw, Shiels, Wingard
North Melbourne: Cunnington, Simpkin, Zurhaar, Hall, Garner
INJURIES
Hawthorn: nil
North Melbourne: nil
Stay up to date with all the latest news from SEN. Sign up HERE.