NORTH take on Currie in the final game of the season in overall ideal conditions in a match that will be replayed next week in the semi-final, giving each team a look at what the final series could bring.
Jeramy (Jez) Summers, playing forward opens the game with accuracy when he snaps a quick one early. The North backline is looking strong, forcing Dillon Beecroft with a free in the centre to play on with even matchups the field long.
Josh Bellchambers into Ben Doherty, into Bowling who centres it sloppily and the North backline mop it up, out to Bailey Rainbow and he drives it down the canteen wing to and is hotly contested where the bounce sees it go out for a throw-in.
North manages to switch across to Dale Ellis into Jez Summers who gets back to the contested side of the ground where Justin Summers commandeers it for a quick sprint and snaps for another North goal. Shortly after Jeramy marks and locates another goal.
Luke Graham follows with another.
Tom Graham takes a big mark in the Currie forward line and lobs it into James Jakawenko right in front of the point markers, who promptly hits the post with his kick, but at least it gives them a road map. Tyler Smith, in Currie’s defence, is good.
Currie finds a goal through Michael Laskey and goes forward again to be cut off by Riley Badenoch for North. Justin Summers is running riot in the centre relatively unmanned and Luke Graham gets a gimme from an undisciplined free. Ned Hunter closes the quarter with a goal from an uncontested mark moments before the siren.
Currie gets a better start to this quarter when Coxy lines up in the opening minutes of the second quarter after a receive from Laskey and doesn’t miss. North comes out of the centre bounce a little more ferociously, Hunter into Jez Summers who is slightly off-centre for a behind.
Back in Currie’s forward, Jakawenko and Blaze Mallinson in a contest, but Jakawenko gets it around the body and snaps another goal for Currie. Perhaps the Netherby Road end is the scoring end today.
Coxy takes a one-handed mark and instead of having a shot, pops it into Jakawenko to shore up the goal. Currie goes forward again, and it comes out of the back of a contest, Coxy does some rovering work and is rewarded with another goal, and the six-goal margin at quarter time has been reduced to 2.
Bowling is lining up but hasn’t got the distance and David Vellekoop takes a strong mark for North’s defence, out to Justin Summers, who goes up the centre where Campbell Keeler turns it over and has a shot on for another Currie goal.
Currie get another easy one when they caught North snoozing to even the scores. Rainbow does the rovering for North in the centre (before making his way to the backline) and goes to Keenan Fanning and forward. Currie gets it out again before Dale Ellis takes a brave mark going back with the flight of the ball. Justin Summers into Vellekoop, covering both ends today, who gets North’s first for the quarter. Coxy again does the rovering work from a throw-in, unchecked, he parades through for another Currie goal. Vellekoop who has had a stand-out year, into Justin Summers who centres to Jez Summers who will line up.
He kicks short into a contest that Tyler Smith comes out on top of. A Badenoch v Jakawenko contest and the ball misses them both and dribbles out across the boundary in the pocket for a couple of throw-ins. Bowling roving gets it out to Keeler who wheels around for a shot on a tight angle and goals.
The third quarter starts with North, back at the scoring end of the ground, going forward immediately into Luke Graham, Jez Summers, a bullet kick and a goal. Play opened up at the start of the second half, with free running and long kicks.
North pulls a switch through Hunter to Fanning and looks for a way forward into Beau Mullin but when it slips through his hands Tyler Smith is waiting but Loki Bell and Dillon Beecroft link up to deliver it out of danger.
Worrall smothers a Jez Summers kick, but he does his own follow-up and gets it forward again to a waiting Tyler Smith intercept. North after several attempts forward find a goal, and another behind shortly after for a two-kick lead. North go forward again, Luke Graham into a contest and Ned finds himself in some space with an easy kick he pops another through for North.
Rainbow lines up shortly after for another goal and they may have some momentum. Currie gets a few chances to go forward but cannot capitalise on the scoreboard, a wayward Jak Youd kick goes out on the full. Laskey, good all day, intercepts and sends it back forward for Currie but only as far as Vellekoop who swiftly sends it back out.
North goes into the final break 18 points up.
North go forward to start the last, Rainbow a big centring kick to the top of the square and a contest where Jeramy comes away with it and kicks an important one right in front. North go again, forward to Hunter who is slightly off with a behind. I’d call for a player count if I were Currie because they don’t seem to have enough on the ground, there are North jumpers everywhere.
Vellekoop is a stalwart in defence all day, continuously taking steady marks at full-back.
Currie goes forward to Bowling who lines up from a long way out it but falls short, Jakawenko follows it up and soccers it through for a goal. Bowling, finding his wheels in the second half, with a turnover gets it into Bellchambers and puts through a goal.