Australian Football

Match Report

A remarkable final 15 minutes of football at Docklands stadium on Sunday has seen Adelaide victory from the jaws of defeat against a hapless North Melbourne. The Kangaroos jumped out to a 30 point lead at the 10-minute mark of the last quarter when an errant kick-in from Brent Reilly went straight to Daniel Wells, who marked and converted for a goal.

North maintained that margin until the 15-minute mark, when Adelaide's Sam Kerridge marked and reduced the difference to an even four goals. He kicked another seven minutes later, causing anxiety amongst North fans, as the Kangaroos had already given up several significant leads in earlier games this season. A snap goal from Richard Douglas saw the margin cut to 12 points and the anxiety in the North camp moved to something resembling panic.

With 26 minutes gone Kerridge took another mark inside the Crows' forward 50 and reduced the difference to a single goal. A banana shot from Jared Petrenko went just wide for Adelaide, and from North's ensuing kick-in, the Crows attacked once more, with the ball spilling out the back of a forward line pack and Petrenko toe-poking through a goal that gave Adelaide a one-point lead.

The siren sounded seconds later, leaving the Crows triumphant and all associated with North Melbourne feeling absolute despair. The Kangaroos had led for the entire match prior to Petrenko's last-minute goal and have now lost four of their first nine matches in 2013 by a goal or less, an unenviable feat not achieved since Footscray did so in 1965.

Kerridge's three last quarter goals took his total to six and he also had 24 disposals to be the Crows' best player. Patrick Dangerfield (30 disposals) and Richard Douglas (two goals, 28 possessions) were also very good. North's best included Lindsay Thomas (five goals), Jack Ziebell (two goals, 23 disposals), and veteran Brent Harvey (23 possessions and one goal).

There was further bad news for North Melbourne after the match, with Ziebell suspended for three weeks after a high bump on Crow Jarryd Lyons. The Kangaroos now have a 3-6 record and their chances of claiming a place in the top eight are slim indeed. They face St Kilda at Docklands next Sunday. Adelaide in contrast have moved into the top eight, having won five of their nine games. They will have tough matches against Fremantle, Sydney and Richmond before a bye in round 13.

GOALS
North Melbourne: Thomas 5; Cunnington 3; Petrie, Ziebell, Gibson 2; Harvey, MacMillan, Gibson, Swallow, Black
Adelaide: Kerridge 6; Jenkins 3; Vince, Petrenko 2; McKernan, Douglas, Sloane, Porplyzia, Douglas

BEST - THE AGE
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Thomas, Goldstein, Harvey, Cunnington
Adelaide: Kerridge, Dangerfield, Douglas, Thompson, Lyons, Laird

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
North Melbourne: Thomas, Thompson, Gibson, Ziebell, Harvey, Wells
Adelaide: Kerridge, Dangerfield, Thompson, Douglas

COACHES' COMMENTS
Brad Scott (NM): If you weren't there watching it first-hand, it's unbelievable. The ability to lose the unlosable, it was just absolutely diabolical in the end. The question should be asked and will be asked, "Are we mentally tough enough?", and the answer to that at the moment is a resounding "no". It was abysmal.

Brenton Sanderson (Adel): The game ebbed and flowed. At different times we looked a better side but I thought for the majority of the game North looked the better side, to be honest. But you can't fault the spirit and the passion that these young kids have got that we're playing at the moment. They never give up and they fought the game out to the final siren, obviously. Really proud of the young players, I thought they led the club today.

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Sam Wright replaced Majak Daw in the third quarter
Adelaide: Jason Porplyzia replaced Sam Jacobs in the third quarter

UMPIRES: Stevic, Wenn, McInerney