Match

North Melbourne vs Gold Coast Suns

Commentary / 26 Jun 2021

Pre Game

00:00

Gold Coast are the only team outside the top eight that on average have outscored their opponents from shots at goal recorded in general play in their last five matches.

Quarter 1

00:00

Q1 is now underway.

02:01

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Tarryn Thomas)

04:26

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Luke Davies-Uniacke)

04:28

North Melbourne have recorded the first five inside 50's of this match off the back of three forward half intercept possessions to zero, and launched the first goal of the game from this source as a result.

09:16

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Ben Ainsworth)

10:49

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Will Phillips)

11:54

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Jy Simpkin)

13:58

Gold Coast have not launched a possession chain from their attacking half in this match so far, where as the Kangaroos have recorded 6 chains in their forward half and scored 1.2.8 from these chains.

15:44

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Kayne Turner)

17:46

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Josh Corbett)

19:39

Gold Coast are yet to record a centre bounce clearance in today's match, allowing North Melbourne to record the first five such clearances.The Kangaroos have won the centre clearance count by an average of two per game in their last five matches, the third best record of any side in the AFL in this time.

20:37

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Josh Corbett)

22:42

All three of the Suns goals have been launched from possession chains started in their defensive midfield zone. They have been outscored by their opponents by almost ten points per game since Round 9 from this zone, the largest deficit of any side in the AFL from defensive midfield in this time.

23:44

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Cameron Zurhaar)

27:06

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)

29:35

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Cameron Zurhaar)

31:02

All three of the Suns goals have been scored from set shots at goal in the first term. In 2021, just 48 per cent of the Suns goals have come from this shot type, the second-lowest percentage of any side from set shots.

33:00

Despite being beaten in both the hitout (7-16) and clearance (10-14) counts, the Suns have outscored the Kangaroos 2.0.12 to 1.3.9 from this source in the first term.

33:01

The Suns three set shot goals have come from just seven inside 50 targets, where as the Kangaroos have recorded just one mark inside 50 from 15 attempts.

Quarter 2

00:00

Q2 is now underway.

00:21

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Rushed)

00:32

It has taken Matthew Rowell ten seconds in the second term to match his disposal count from the first term (one handball).

01:45

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Jeremy Sharp)

03:05

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Izak Rankine)

04:10

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Nick Holman)

04:18

Nick Holman gets the first goal of the second term after the Suns replicate the Kangaroos early dominance kicking with the wind in the first term. The Suns have recorded the first five inside 50's of this quarter from four forward half intercept possessions.

05:30

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)

07:03

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Luke Davies-Uniacke)

09:00

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Rushed)

15:43

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Alex Sexton)

17:18

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Nick Larkey)

17:29

After neither team registered a single score from a centre bounce clearance in the first term, both the Suns (0.1.1) and Kangaroos (1.1.7) have scored from all of their centre clearances recorded in the second term.

23:14

With that goal to Sam Flanders, both teams could argue they would be happy with this scoreline at halftime. All four of the Suns wins have come after leading at halftime, whereas the Kangaroos one win in 2021 came after being behind at halftime to Hawthorn in Round 9.

24:56

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Will Phillips)

27:05

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Todd Goldstein)

28:23

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Josh Corbett)

28:44

Josh Corbett has now taken three marks inside 50 from all three of his targets and converted them to three goals in an efficient first half performance. That goal was the first score of the game launched by the Suns from their defensive 50, and the first score from a kick-in chain in today's match by either side.

29:46

Gold Coast have converted five of their 17 defensive midfield chains into scores in the first half, and with great efficiency scoring 4.1.25. By comparison, the Kangaroos have not scored from any of their nine chains from this zone.

Quarter 3

00:00

Q3 is now underway.

01:29

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Nick Larkey)

06:39

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Jaidyn Stephenson)

07:47

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Tarryn Thomas)

07:58

After taking one mark inside 50 from their first 15 attempts, the Kangaroos have since taken seven marks inside 50 from their next 14 attempts. They have scored 2.3.15 from these seven marks, however the Suns have kicked three goals from three marks since quarter time.

11:24

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Nick Larkey)

12:08

Nick Larkey gets his second goal for the term and his third for the match to put the Kangaroos back in front. His opponent is Charlie Ballard, who has conceded 12 goals to his direct opponents since Round 9, the equal second-most of any player in the AFL in this period.

13:31

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Jack Mahony)

14:41

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Cameron Zurhaar)

16:19

All three of the Kangaroos goals this term have been launched from intercept possessions. North Melbourne average just 39 points per game from this source, the lowest average of any side, and Gold Coast only surrender 47 points per game from their turnovers, the seventh-best average in the AFL in 2021.

20:22

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Luke McDonald)

21:33

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Curtis Taylor)

22:00

Gold Coast's tackling has dropped off considerably in this quarter. They have only completed 39 per cent of their attempted tackles (seven of 18), including four complete misses. By comparison the Kangaroos have successfully laid 11 of their 12 attempted tackles going at 92 per cent efficiency for the term.

22:52

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Zac Smith)

24:39

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)

26:00

The Suns get a goal against the run of play to bring their deficit back under two goals. That was their second goal of the match from a kick in. The Suns average 26 points per 100 kick-in chains in 2021, the fifth-lowest strike rate of any side this season.

27:22

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)

27:54

The Suns ability to absorb the mountain of possession (73 percent time in possession to North Melbourne) and field position (74 per cent time in forward half for the Kangaroos) comes down to their pressure rating, lead by Sam Flanders who recorded a game-high 11 pressure acts and registered 27 pressure points.

Quarter 4

00:00

Q4 is now underway.

01:58

Sean Lemmens has recorded three tackles in the first two minutes of the final term. The Suns recorded 11 total tackles in the third term, and 12 total tackles in the second term.

05:11

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Jaidyn Stephenson)

09:20

SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Cameron Zurhaar)

09:32

Suns Interchange - Noah Anderson off due to an injury.

09:47

North Melbourne have asserted their influence in the final term through the midfield. They have recorded 18 more disposals, 12 more uncontested possessions and five intercept possessions to zero between the arc's in the final quarter.

12:05

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)

12:33

North Melbourne have now recorded 13 of the last 14 scores in this match, off the back of not conceding a score from a turnover since halftime and scoring 4.5.29 from their intercept possession chains.

15:22

SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Tristan Xerri)

16:34

SCORE GOAL - Suns (Hugh Greenwood)

16:58

An important goal for Gold Coast, and their first goal from a stoppage clearance since the 23 minute mark of the second quarter, and the Suns first goal from a forward 50 possession chain for the match.

19:44

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Rushed)

20:30

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Rushed)

21:23

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Rushed)

22:26

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Hugh Greenwood)

22:55

Hugh Greenwood is in everything for the Suns in the final term. Seven disposals, seven contested possessions, four clearances, three score involvements including 1.1.7, all leading figures for all players on the ground in the final term.

24:00

SCORE BEHIND - Suns (Alex Sexton)

25:13

Both teams have been very inefficient with the ball by foot in their forward half's in the last term. Both the Suns and Kangaroos are kicking at less than 45 per cent efficiency in their respective forward half's for the quarter.

27:18

Despite their inefficient scoring from clearances, the Kangaroos on-ball brigade has proved the difference in today's match. They have won the clearance count by 19 in today's match, the second time they have won this count by double-figures in 2021.

28:46

A coming of age game for Luke Davies-Uniacke, recording a game-high 19 contested possessions, nine score involvements, nine intercept possessions and six inside 50's as part of 25 disposals and five clearances.