Round Three
Saturday, April 7, 2.10pm
Melbourne v North Melbourne, MCG

First quarter: North Melbourne 5.3 (33) to Melbourne 3.2 (20)

North Melbourne got off to a flyer, jumping out to a 24-point lead, after kicking the first four goals.

It wasn’t until the 14-minute mark, when Tom Bugg marked and converted that the Demons were on the board.

Two minutes later and Dean Kent – playing his first game since a shoulder injury ended his season in round 17 last year – kicked truly.

After six straight goals opened the match, four behinds followed, before Todd Goldstein added North Melbourne’s fifth for the term to put them up by 17 points.

But when Bugg bobbed up with his second deep in time-on, the Demons reduced the deficit back to 13 points at quarter-time.

Second quarter: Melbourne 9.7 (61) to North Melbourne 8.4 (52)

Melbourne hit back in the second term, booting six of the opening seven goals to lead by 20 points early in time-on.

The Demons hit the front for the first time at the eight-minute mark, when a Christian Petracca behind put his side up by the narrowest of margins. But when Billy Hartung answered for the Roos, they were back in front by five points.

Jesse Hogan reclaimed the lead for Melbourne at the 11-minute mark and the red and blue remained in front for the rest of the quarter, taking a nine-point advantage into half-time.

Bugg had three by the main break, while Jeff Garlett opened his account to notch up his 300th AFL goal. Bayley Fritsch, Bernie Vince and Petracca also registered majors. 

But two late goals from the Roos kept them right in the contest. Bugg had the opportunity to secure his fourth after the siren, but his set-shot missed for a behind.

Third quarter: Melbourne 12.13 (85) to North Melbourne 10.6 (66)

The Demons peppered the scoreboard early in the second half, but managed 1.4 early on.

Kent landed his second during that period to help the Demons gain a 17-point lead, but when Brown answered with back-to-back goals, registering his third and fourth in the process, the Kangas cut the margin back to five points.

Jake Melksham threw a scare through the camp, when he left the ground after copping a knee to the face, but he managed to return before three quarter-time.

But Melbourne gained some breathing space in time-on, when Garlett added his second for the day.

And when Kent claimed his third, the Demons were up by 19 points at three quarter-time.

Final quarter: Melbourne 18.15 (123) d North Melbourne 13.8 (86)

Melbourne extended its lead to 25 points in the opening minute of the final term, when Jordan Lewis got on the board.

The Demons had some concerns soon after, however, when Nev Jetta came from the field with a leg issue and Max Gawn followed, after copping a knock. But the pair was back on the ground by the midway stage of the game. Bernie Vince also had some attention to his leg during the final term.

North remained in touch, when Jarrad Waite landed his third at the 11-minute mark, but Melbourne ended any hope of a Roo comeback, when the Demons kicked five of the last seven goals.

Bugg booted his fourth to be the leading goalkicker for the match, while Garlett added his third, Clayton Oliver kicked two in a row and Jones added one, as he played in just his second win over the Kangaroos. 

In the end, the Demons ended a 17-match losing streak against North Melbourne and posted a 37-point victory, with Lewis (27 disposals) and Hogan (26) the top two ball-winners for the match. Jones, Petracca and Dom Tyson also had 25 possessions each for the Demons, while Ben Cunnington had the most for North with 25.