North Melbourne to fight “tooth and nail” to keep Good Friday fixture after consecutive big losses
David Noble is expecting North Melbourne to keep the Good Friday marquee slot despite consecutive miserable performances against the Western Bulldogs.
Friday night saw the Roos lose by 68 points, with only a small burst in the second term keeping Noble’s men from a loss that could have been closer to 100 points.
It follows their 128-point loss in the same game last year, and with teams likely lining up to play in the key fixture, the pressure is heating up on North Melbourne.
However, the Roos' off-field work in promoting the game has been exemplary, Noble suggesting the on-field performances will come as the fixture develops its own history.
“As a whole of club it’s not just about the game... if you go back and have a look at the history of our marquee games previously there are a lot of other clubs who haven’t (instantly) hit the mark on those marquee games,” Noble said post-match.
“Over a period of time, you’re able to wrestle things together, improve performance and those marquee games hold.″
The Kangaroos and Bulldogs have played in four of the five Good Froday fixtures, which have become regular since 2017.
Both clubs have done plenty to help raise funds for the Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital and the Roos coach believes that justifies their retention of the fixture.
“We’re fighting like tooth and nail on this game. We love this game. We’re very privileged to play in this game, but yeah, we would not expect to lose this game,” Noble added.
“I understand today is a big piece of (how the fixture is assessed). I understand that, but it’s a bit broader than that. We do a lot of work behind the scenes as a club to support the Royal Children’s Hospital and Good Friday.”
The fixture attracted 31,162 patrons on Friday evening.
It also aired exclusively in Melbourne for Channel Seven, attracting an audience of 157,000.