Australian Football

Match Report

North Melbourne ruckman Hamish McIntosh had the chance to give the Kangaroos an unlikely victory when he kicked for a goal after the full-time siren. Unfortunately for McIntosh - who only managed the single game in 2011 due to injury - his set shot went slightly to the right, sending Essendon fans into delirious celebrations. The scenes were reminiscent of the Bombers’ round 20, 2011 clash against Sydney when Adam Goodes missed a shot after the final siren to hand Essendon victory. The Bombers looked to be cruising to victory when they had a 25-point lead in the last quarter, but the Kangaroos kicked four quick goals to close the gap. North had plenty of opportunities in the frantic final minutes but evergreen Essendon defender Dustin Fletcher proved crucial - taking an important pack mark and preventing Kangaroos forward Aaron Edwards from scoring. The often-maligned Brent Stanton was terrific for the Bombers, racking up 35 possessions and providing important pace and run through the midfield. For North, Daniel Wells’ performance was extraordinary, especially considering his life was in the balance during the off-season after doctors discovered a blood clot in his lungs.

GOALS
North Melbourne: Harvey 3; Adams, Edwards, Petrie, Thomas 2; Harper, MacMillan, McIntosh, Wells. Essendon: Hurley, Lovett-Murray, Melksham, Stanton 2; Heppell, Hille, Jetta, McVeigh, Ryder, Watson.

BEST PLAYERS - AFL.COM
North Melbourne: Wells, Swallow, Petrie, Firrito, Adams, Harper, Thomas. Essendon: Stanton, Watson, Heppell, Myers, Hille, Hibberd, Zaharakis.

BEST PLAYERS - THE AGE
Nth Melb: Wells, Swallow, Firrito, Adams, Harvey. Essendon: Stanton, Watson, Ryder, Heppell, Zaharakis, Myers.

COACHES COMMENTS
Brad Scott (NM): I think that the overriding emotion is one of frustration. I think we obviously had our chances in the game, but we had too many lapses in certain periods. We had the chance, in the second quarter, to put a gap between us and them and we weren't able to take those chances.
James Hird (Ess): We need to get better at handling when a team comes at us. We didn’t handle the defensive side of the game well in that last quarter. It's a learning experience and luckily we got away with the four points, and we can move on. But that game will be really important for us to go back and show our players what we did well, but what we didn’t do well in that last quarter.

Umpires: Stevic, Armstrong, Bannister

Official crowd: 45,699 at Etihad Stadium