Match

North Melbourne vs Geelong Cats

Commentary / 27 Jul 2024

Pre Game

00:00
History favours Geelong in this matchup. The Cats are looking to make this their 13th consecutive victory over the Kangaroos, which would be the fourth winning streak over a single club in Geelong's history to reach that mark.

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:50
SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)
04:03
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Mitch Duncan)
05:54
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Jy Simpkin)
06:16
The first goal gets launched from Luke Davies-Uniacke's third clearance from just four disposals. Just two of his previous 28 clearances over the last four rounds have resulted in goals for North Melbourne.
09:54
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
11:41
Both teams have only been able to successfully complete half of their attempted tackles in the early stages, with the Cats leading the tackle count slightly 6-5. The Cats average a tackling efficiency rate of 66.3% in 2024, ranked seventh and ahead of the Kangaroos at 64.8% and ranked equal 12th.
12:08
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Cameron Zurhaar)
14:08
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Nick Larkey)
14:36
Three goals straight to start the match for North Melbourne. Their ball movement has been key in getting the ball into their forward half quickly, recording 31 handball-receives to just 11 for Geelong and a kick-to-handball ratio of 0.73 compared to 2.00 for Geelong.
16:21
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Oliver Dempsey)
16:51
A sequence of errors by the North Melbourne defenders gifts Geelong their first goal of the match. Ollie Dempsey's pressure is rewarded with a goal on the goal line from Geelong's seventh forward half intercept possession. North Melbourne are yet to intercept the ball in their attacking half in today's match.
19:00
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)
22:10
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
26:09
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Shannon Neale)
27:02
Geelong's last two goals have been launched from intercept marks in their defensive 50. They were outscored by 41 points from intercept possessions last round against the Bulldogs, the fourth-worst differential margin of any side from this source.
30:18
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
30:43
The telling factor in the first term has been ball movement through the corridor. When Geelong have been able to attack through the corridor, the Kangaroos pressure rating has been really low at 165 allowing the Cats to achieve a kicking efficiency of 82 per cent.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
01:32
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Paul Curtis)
01:33
A quick start for the Kangaroos to retake the lead. Three of their four goals have come from general play in today's match. Only 38.7% of their scores in 2024 have come from general play, ranked 12th in the AFL.
02:36
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
04:17
SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)
05:14
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Max Holmes)
08:24
After giving away eight intercept marks in the first quarter, the Kangaroos have made improvements in this area by only allowing one intercept mark for the term so far. However they are yet to take an intercept mark themselves this quarter after only taking three in the first term and failing to score from any of them.
08:47
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Oliver Dempsey)
09:55
Geelong have now scored three goals to the Kangaroos zero from chains launched in their attacking half. The Cats average 40 points per game from this zone since Round 16, ranked 11th in the AFL.
17:50
Kangaroos Interchange - Aidan Corr off due to an injury.
18:48
North Melbourne players have broken out of 10 tackles in today's match so far. The Cats have not broken out of one tackle attempt by comparison. The Cats average 8.4 missed tackles in 2024, ranked equal seventh in the AFL.
18:50
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Oliver Henry)
19:00
Ollie Henry kicks a goal from the Cats fifth mark inside 50 for the match. Since Round 16 the Cats average 13.5 marks inside 50 per game, ranked fourth in the AFL.
19:09
Kangaroos Interchange - Jaidyn Stephenson off due to an injury.
26:58
Tom Powell's 18 first-half disposals in today's match is his highest disposal tally before half-time in any match in his career.
27:47
SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Tristan Xerri)
29:16
The clinical nature of Geelong's attack has proved influential in the first half of today's match. From 27 kicks into their forward 50 zone, only four of them have been turned over by the Kangaroos. Conversely, the Kangaroos have turned it over on eight occasions from 20 kicks inside 50.
29:40
Geelong's 15 first-half intercept marks is the equal second-highest tally of any side in 2024, just one behind their own season record which they recorded in the first half against Richmond in Round 12 (16 intercept marks).

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:42
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Jack Bowes)
02:12
Griffin Logue just took his third intercept mark of the match for the Kangaroos. That is equal to the tally of the rest of his teammates combined, and all three have been taken in the Kangaroos defensive 50.
02:45
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
03:04
The Cats get the opening goal of the second half through Jeremy Cameron who kicks his first of the match. Since the start of the 2022 season, he has kicked 105 set shot goals, the fourth most of any player in the AFL in that period.
08:10
Cats Interchange - Gary Rohan off due to an injury.
08:54
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Lawson Humphries)
11:34
Gary Rohan (concussion) has been replaced by the medical substitute Ted Clohesy.
12:23
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Oliver Henry)
13:42
That goal to Ollie Henry makes it two goals from two set shots in the third quarter. However when trying to score from general play, the Cats have kicked three behinds and no goals.
16:48
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Nick Larkey)
17:12
Nick Larkey gets his second goal of the match to make it four consecutive matches with at least two goals. Only Harry McKay had a longer streak of two or more goals entering Round 20 (five matches).
18:00
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Harry Sheezel)
19:11
SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Paul Curtis)
19:16
Each of the last two centre clearances for the Kangaroos have generated a score. The Kangaroos strike rate from centre clearances is 70 points per 100 chains, ranked 16th in the AFL in 2024.
21:51
Cats Interchange - Sam De Koning off due to an injury.
22:09
Kangaroos Interchange - Robert Hansen Jr and is possibly out for the game.
22:18
Robert Hansen Jnr has been replaced by the tactical substitute Zane Duursma.
24:39
Kangaroos Interchange - Luke Davies-Uniacke off due to the blood rule.
26:12
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Zane Duursma)
26:22
Instant impact for the substitute as Zane Duursma kicks a goal with his first touch of the match. When Tristan Xerri has competed against Mark Blicavs in a ruck contest, the resulting clearances have generated a scoreline of 20-1 in the Kangaroos favour.
28:40
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)
30:54
Harry Sheezel has recorded 11 disposals from as many contested possessions in the third quarter of today's match. This is the first time a Kangaroo has had 11 or more contested possessions in a quarter since Ben Cunnington matched that figure in the last quarter against Richmond in Round 9, 2021.
32:02
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Tyson Stengle)
33:18
A quickfire double from Tyson Stengle has undone all the hard work of the Kangaroos to bring the margin back to 10 points. The Cats have kicked three goals from shots at goal from outside 40 metres in this term. By comparison, the Kangaroos have kicked 1.1 (7) with one missed shot from this distance this quarter.
33:54
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Patrick Dangerfield)
33:57
North Melbourne improved their kicking inside 50 in the third term, hitting their target inside 50 on seven out of 14 occasions, and turning the ball over just twice. The Kangaroos are one of two teams in the AFL who lose the ball (45 per cent) when kicking inside 50 more often than they keep it (43.5 per cent) in 2024 (Gold Coast is the other side).

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
01:52
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Rushed)
04:36
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Zane Duursma)
04:45
North Melbourne kick the first goal of the quarter for the third time today through Zane Duursma. That is North Melbourne's first set shot goal since the 14 minute mark of the first term.
05:12
Kangaroos Interchange - Charlie Comben off due to an injury.
08:41
Tom Powell has set a new career-high with 30 disposals in today's match. This eclipses his previous best of 29 he recorded in Round 4 against Carlton.
09:25
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Jeremy Cameron)
12:33
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Shaun Mannagh)
14:08
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Shaun Mannagh)
15:11
Shaun Mannagh bobs up with two goals to make it six out of the last seven to take the game away from the Kangaroos. Just rewards for his defensive pressure in today's match as he leads all players on the ground with 27 pressure acts. He ranks fifth in the AFL in this category over the last three rounds with 82 pressure acts in that time.
16:56
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Oliver Dempsey)
17:16
Kangaroos Interchange - Charlie Comben off due to an injury.
19:01
SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Dylan Stephens)
20:07
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Nick Larkey)
20:45
With that goal to Nick Larkey, Harry Sheezel records his 13th score involvement of the match our of 14 total scores for the Kangaroos. This is the most score involvements any player for North Melbourne has recorded in a single game this season.
22:13
SCORE GOAL - Cats (Brad Close)
22:21
Geelong have generated eight inside 50's from possessions that have linked out of their defensive 50 in today's match, while North Melbourne have also generated seven inside 50's out of their defensive arc. However the difference in this match has been the Cats scoring three goals from these chains compared to just one for the Kangaroos.
25:40
SCORE BEHIND - Kangaroos (Rushed)
27:51
Tom Stewart has pulled the strings for Geelong superbly throughout today's match. He leads all Cats with 32 disposals and 18 contested possessions, and is the number one intercept player on the ground with 13.
29:28
SCORE BEHIND - Cats (Gryan Miers)
29:38
After giving up 27 intercept marks to the Bulldogs last week, the Cats have dished out the same to the Kangaroos in today's match. This is the equal-second most intercept marks in any match in 2024.
30:31
SCORE GOAL - Kangaroos (Brynn Teakle)
31:26
Harry Sheezel's 25 contested possessions in today's match is the fourth highest tally recorded by any player in 2024.
31:50
Geelong kicked seven goals straight from 12 marks inside 50 in a clinical performance to notch their 13th consecutive win over the Kangaroos. Nine goals to two from forward half possession chains made it difficult for North Melbourne to fight off the Cats.