Blog log from R13 of 2023: North Melbourne vs Western Sydney

Stephenson marks a Powell pass 40m out on a slight angle but his set shot is short and rushed, disappointingly. (Q1 0:32)
Perryman is pinged for running too far going sideways at half back, Spicer takes the free from 40m out in front and steers through the first goal of the day. (Q1 3:00)
Green roves at half forward, spins away from Sheezel and gives forward to O’Halloran who misses from 40m on a slight angle. (Q1 4:17)
Logue intercepts over his man Keeffe on outer wing and goes towards the hotspot where Coleman-Jones marks and misses. (Q1 6:12)
Hall’s hospital handball to Scott at half back leads to a turnover, Lloyd passes to Riccardi 40m out on a slight angle who hits the left goalpost. (Q1 8:04)
Thomas gives wide to Wardlaw loping to the HFF, he lets fly from 45m and slots a nice goal! (Q1 9:47)
Riccardi was unlucky not to be paid a contact free in the square two minutes ago but he marks an Angwin ball at the same point for his first goal. (Q1 15:22)
Perryman’s dump kick to the HBF is straight to Phillips, he goes inboard quickly to Wardlaw 45m out on a slight angle to shoot for his second… straight but short, rushed. (Q1 20:08)
Bedford roves a long ball to Keeffe at the hotspot on the end of a rebound around outer wing, runs around Hall onto his right and checksides a nice finish. (Q1 22:48)
Fahey roves a pressured Phillips handball to grass in the pocket but snaps across the face from 20m. (Q1 23:57)
Zurhaar gathers a bounce pass by Stephenson and runs to the HFF, has options inside but goes himself from 50m for a disappointing miss. (Q1 24:54)
Hall misses Sheezel with a rebound kick to half back, Brown gets a running snap off from 50m on a slight angle and sails it through. (Q1 26:13)
Coniglio breaks a Thomas tackle at half forward and kicks to the square for Brown to mark easily in front of Hall for his second in a minute. (Q1 27:13)
Coniglio passes to Riccardi to mark over Scott 25m out in the pocket on a switch play across the centre. Riccardi misses left and OOTF. (Q2 1:12)
Another switch play after a turnover by GWS, Ward goes to the fat side lead of Brown 35m out on a slight angle. Brown boots goal number three. (Q2 2:12)
Wardlaw scythes through a pack on the HFF and gives back to Sheezel, his high speculator ends up looking good as Ford leaps over Buckley to mark at the hotspot for his first goal. (Q2 5:17)
Ziebell receives at CHB and torpedoes to CHF where Coleman-Jones marks over Haynes and gives off to Thomas who skids through the goal from 40m! (Q2 7:28)
Greene receives from O’Halloran after the next bounce and snaps his first goal after dodging away from a heavy Ziebell challenge. (Q2 8:48)
Greene gets another chance from exactly the same spot after roving but this one takes a wicked off break the wrong side of the post. (Q2 9:43)
Shiels tumbles through a point on the run from 40m in front after Whitfield turns the ball over on members wing. (Q2 10:50)
Larkey sits under a long Hall speculator to the flank 30m out, is outnumbered but gets a holding free on Buckley. He steers through his first goal, margin back under a kick. (Q2 13:58)
Coleman-Jones almost stuffs up what had looked like a sensational rebound around outer wing, Thomas eventually gets a pressured snap off from 40m on the flank which sails through. (Q2 16:08)
Lloyd passes to Hogan at the hotspot after O’Halloran’s beats Hall to a loose ball on the wing. Hogan restores GWS’s lead with that goal. (Q2 18:13)
Riccardi takes a link mark at half forward on the outer side and passes to Greene to mark in front of McKay 30m on the flank. The Tractor misses to the right. (Q2 21:23)
North rebounds very slowly, lot of seagulls eating chips behind centre, eventually Hall runs forward to hit Larkey leading down the flank to 40m. Larkey slices it right. (Q2 27:29)
This has been a very even game over the first two quarters, ebbing and flowing at times but on balance these are two evenly-matched teams. As befits their ladder spots. (Half Time)
Coleman-Jones marks on the lead 40m out on a slight angle but the ump saw a holding free on Buckley to Larkey beforehand. Larkey converts to give North the lead early in Q3. (Q3 0:58)
Ziebell spoils a centring Coniglio ball to the hotspot but straight up the guts to Angwin who feeds Ward, Cement Head snaps truly off a step from 45m on a slight angle. (Q3 3:16)
Thomas roves at the next bounce running back, turns and goes long to the hotspot for Coleman-Jones to mark over Haynes. Zombie hoofs it wide right. (Q3 4:47)
Coniglio bursts away from a ball up on the HFF and lets fly from 40m, but it’s a disappointing miss to near side left. (Q3 5:43)
Bedford catches Wardlaw HTB on the HFF, long ball to 20m to the feet of Keeffe, O’Halloran reefs out the crumb from the bottom of the pack and goals on the turn! (Q3 9:10)
Powell contests at CHF after the next bounce and draws a free on Ash, he goes to the pocket where Larkey marks on the lead with Buckley all over him 30m out. Larkey kicks straight. (Q3 10:43)
Wardlaw to Goldstein for the clearance that set up that goal. (Q3 11:33)
Lloyd roves at half forward and passes across CHF to Angwin, he gives off to Greene but he runs into traffic and his eventual snap is short to be rushed. (Q3 13:40)
Callaghan intercepts 55m out, he plays on around the man on the mark but it’s wide from 50m and out for a throw in off Goldstein. (Q3 14:14)
Lloyd dribbles a pressured snap off the right for a point with two Roos up his ginger. (Q3 19:14)
Riccardi takes a big contest grab at half forward, McKay has a brain explosion tapping the ball away to give away a dumb 50m penalty and easy goal. (Q3 21:14)
Ward handballs forward from the HFF to Congiblio who baulks inside through a Thomas challenge and kicks to the square, Greene volleys it home in front of McDonald! (Q3 28:05)
Greene snaps his third goal from a ball in to the pocket 25m out, a bit too easy as McDonald gave him one too many steps of leg rope to rove at the feet of the rucks at pace. (Q3 31:14)
Green intercepts a dump kick by Logue outside CHF, he passes to O’Halloran who is spoiled by McKay but Bedford roves and screws through a nice finish from 35m on a slight angle. (Q4 2:14)
Greene passes short to the lead of Hogan 40m out near the boundary. Tough spot to kick on this ground historically, his set shot is straight but just short, McKay rushes. (Q4 4:17)
Bedford feeds to Ward running away from a stoppage on the wing, he reaches CHF but hoofs it wide right and OOTF. (Q4 5:18)
Corr rushes a bouncing snap from Fahey from 30m on the flank. (Q4 6:42)
North finally breaks through on the rebound from that kick in by Corr, Sheezel with the inside 50 kick to the hotspot, Larkey roves his own contest, Powell rolls it through. (Q4 7:39)
Powell provides link work, Curtis passes to Larkey 40m out on a slight angle who shaves the inside of the post. (Q4 12:18)
Long ball drops on the behind line for GWS where Hogan marks over Corr and kicks the sealing goal. (Q4 13:36)
North has been gallant today and went with the Giants to half time, but over the second half the class of the GWS stars has shone through to enable the victory. (Q4 14:15)
Bedford marks 25m out in the pocket and screws through a behind narrow side left. (Q4 16:55)
Himmelberg is pinged for an arm chop on Larkey going for a Zurhaar pass down the flank to 20m. Souva converts. (Q4 17:57)
Whitfield takes a contested grab 35m out on the flank with five minutes of junk time to go, he misses. (Q4 23:00)
Ward gets a contact free on Shiels on the HFF and goes inside to Coniglio 45m out on a slight angle. Cogs chooses a pass that doesn’t work, no score. (Q4 25:12)
Curtis beats Himmelberg in a wrestle on outer wing, butters up and passes to Thomas 20m out in the pocket for some junk. (Q4 28:40)
Rowston intercepts McDonald’s short rebound kick 55m out and gets pushed late by Powell, 50m penalty for a charity goal with seconds to play. (3 Qtr Time)