Since the AFL launched its current finals format in 2000, only two clubs that had previously made the top four had been eliminated in straight sets. The first was Port Adelaide in 2001 and the second was West Coast in 2007. This season that tally was doubled, with North Melbourne and Port Adelaide winning their respective matches last weekend against top-four sides, Geelong and Fremantle, to progress through to the second last weekend of September.
The clubs that knocked off the 2001 Port Adelaide and the 2007 West Coast sides failed to progress past the preliminary finals, but this weekend could very much buck the trend and create a bit of AFL history.
North Melbourne is 3-0 against the three other sides vying for this year’s Premiership. It beat Port Adelaide by seven points in round three, Sydney by 43 points in round four and Hawthorn by 20 points in round 16, so punters seriously underestimating the Kangaroos should take that into consideration before writing them off. After a very close call last week, the Kangaroos held a late surging Geelong by six points, having led by 32 points midway through the final quarter. After holding Cats’ forward Tom Hawkins at bay for much of the match, Scott Thompson could do little as the power forward single-handedly revitalised his team and almost put his club into a second consecutive preliminary final, with three late goals. But North Melbourne kept its cool and big Todd Goldstein took a ‘Leo Barryesque’ clincher in the dying seconds to save his team from a boil over.
The confidence Kangaroos’ players will take out of last week’s match will complement the mental boost they will get with the inclusion of favourite son Brent Harvey, who successfully fought a one week suspension handed to him by the Match Review Panel, for a high hit on Geelong captain Joel Selwood.
Harvey was clearly relieved to be cleared following the hearing.
“It’s an absolutely amazing feeling,” he told the media.
“Obviously I missed the first final, but I get to run out with them again this week, so I’m absolutely stoked and can’t wait for this weekend.”
North Melbourne’s opponent Sydney had the week off after successfully claiming Fremantle’s scalp in week one of the finals, and will be boosted by its home ground advantage at ANZ Stadium. All odds point to a Sydney win. Its midfield is firing, its twin towers up forward (especially Franklin) are near impossible to hold down and its well rounded defence is holding firm, but it is September, and as has already been seen in weeks one and two, no team can be written off.
The winner of that match will meet the winner of Hawthorn and Port Adelaide. Like Sydney, Hawthorn earned the week off, having won its first final against Geelong, and will have the MCG home ground advantage to tackle the quick paced Port Adelaide outfit. Hawthorn’s forward prowess, led by Jarryd Roughead, and its midfield and defence are all firing. On paper Hawthorn should win this one. But on form these two teams are both firing on all cylinders.
The fast paced game style that Ken Hinkley has injected into his side is causing a lot of headaches for opponents. Even a Fremantle side which led by 31 points in the second quarter last week, against the Power, was hapless to stop the likes of Robbie Gray, who propped up with a four goal third term to put the game in Port Adelaide’s favour. A feat not to be underestimated, breaking the Fremantle shut down shackle in Perth was a massive scalp. Hinkley has insisted on his team playing the Port Adelaide way, no matter the circumstances, and it is doing so in emphatic fashion. It seems only a Hawthorn team with its finesse can stop the quick paced, running Port Adelaide game plan.