Australian Football

Match Report

North Melbourne has moved to the top of the ladder for the first time in more than 17 years after it inflicted Fremantle's fourth successive defeat at Docklands Stadium in Sunday's twilight match. The Kangaroos won their fourth match from four starts, leaving them as the only undefeated team after the first month of the season. The other seven teams in the top eight lie ready to pounce, each having one three matches.

In losing by 31 points, the Dockers kicked a three-figure total, the second time this season Fremantle has lost with such a score. Prior to this season, that had happened only once before in Ross Lyon's 10-season coaching career at St Kilda and the Dockers. 

It looked like being a bad say at the office for Lyon right from the very beginning as North jumped out of the blocks to kick the first four goals of the match within the first 11 minutes through Lindsay Thomas, Shaun Higgins (twice) and Sam Gibson. The Dockers hit back with the next two goals via Matthew Pavlich and Nat Fyfe but wasted a change in momentum after that, adding only six further behinds while North added another 1.2 to lead by 15 points at the first change. 

The Dockers got right back into the match in the second quarter, four of the first six goals of the term enabling them to get within a point early in time-on. The Roos finished off the first half strongly, though, and kicked three of the last four majors to lead by an even two goals at the long break. 

Fremantle came out firing in the third quarter, and a brace of goals to Michael Walters along with one to Hayden Ballantyne to take a seven-point lead at the 10-minute mark. North responded with majors to Jamie Macmillan and Sam Gibson but two more to the Dockers via Michael Barlow and Chris Mayne had them back in front by five early in time on. Jarrad Waite came to the fore after that and two late goals to him saw North take a seven-point buffer into the last change of ends. 

The last term promised to be a thriller but that promise was not kept. Majors to Jack Ziebell, Sam Gibson and Brent Harvey blew the difference out to 26 points in the first 10 minutes and another couple of goals to Mason Wood and Waite put the result well and truly beyond doubt. Nat Fyfe bagged a couple of late goals for the Dockers but Ben Brown's third major at the 26-minute mark capped off what turned into an emphatic win for North in the end.

Best for North was Jack Ziebell, with 26 touches and three goals to his name. Fyfe (27 possessions and four goals) and Lachie Neale (35 disposals and six tackles) were amongst the best for Fremantle. 

Next up for North is a second trip to Queensland for the year. The Kangaroos will take on Gold Coast at Carrara on Saturday. The Dockers will look to break their duck with a win over Carlton at Subiaco on Sunday. 

GOALS
North Melbourne: Waite 4; Ziebell, Gibson, Brown 3; Higgins 2; Thomas, Cunnington, Macmillan, Harvey, Wood
Fremantle: Fyfe 4; Pavlich, Ballantyne, Walters 2; Barlow, Neale, Hill, Mayne

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
North Melbourne: Ziebell,Macmillan, Waite, Brown, Dal Santo
Fremantle: Fyfe, Pavlich, Neale, Johnson, Hill, Walters

BEST - THE AGE
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Wells, Brown, Waite, Gibson, Cunnington, Dal Santo, Macmillan, Wright, Harvey
Fremantle: Neale, Fyfe, Walters, Ballantyne, Pavlich, Hill

UMPIRES: Bannister, Dalgleish, Schmitt

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Sandy Roberts, Dwayne Russell, Dermott Brereton, Jonathan Brown, David King