AFL Round 1 GWS v North Melbourne: All the news, analysis and fallout as the young Roos take it up to the Giants

GWS players are speaking about premiership glory – and last week’s win suggests they are right in doing so. But something happened on Saturday that needs to be addressed, writes Lachlan McKirdy.

Lachlan McKirdy

@LMcKirdy7

3 min read

March 17, 2024 - 10:43AM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

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There’s no hiding the fact that the Giants and Kangaroos are at two different stages of their development.

Adam Kingsley’s men are all in for a flag, they’ve put that out in the open. Players are speaking about premiership glory and their impressive win over Collingwood last week suggests their best footy will take them close.

By contrast, North Melbourne is at the beginning of their journey. They had three AFL debutants on Saturday afternoon, including 25-year-old Toby Pink more than seven years after he was first drafted.

Despite the Giants’ 39-point win at ENGIE Stadium, it’s set to be Roos fans more excited by their round one performance.

Giants star Tom Green wins the ball in front of young Kangaroo George Wardlaw. Picture: Phil Hillyard

It was one-way traffic early as the match started heavily in the Giants’ favour. Sam Taylor was dominating Nick Larkey and the intercept possessions were quickly stacking up for the home side.

But there needed to be more cutting edge from the Giants. Rather than take simple chances, they often tried to walk the ball into the goal and to their credit, the Kangaroos wouldn’t stand for it.

Their pressure was relentless and quickly they generated opportunities of their own, stemming mainly from their impressive work around the stoppages.

Luke Davies-Uniacke wanted the ball more from centre bounces, while Tom Powell wasn’t far behind in terms of clearance numbers. Tristan Xerri ended up dominating his individual match-up against Kieren Briggs, who for the first time in the last 12 months was genuinely outplayed by his opponent.

Number four draft pick Zane Duursma kicked the first of his career and his celebration showed that North Melbourne had their sights set on something far more than just being in the contest.

Colby McKercher was another who looked like he was playing his 50th game and not his first, finding plenty of the ball and living up to his talent as the No.3 selection.

Debutant Zane Duursma takes big mark for North Melbourne. Picture: Phil Hillyard

It wasn’t just the resilience the Kangaroos showed that was impressive, it was the way they continued to compete against one of the best midfields.

The Giants dismantled Collingwood last Saturday but were being pushed to their limits by North who capitalised with eye-catching efficiency – kicking eight goals straight in the first half.

But it’s a credit to Kingsley’s team that the result never really felt in doubt. For all their faults, their class always found a way to shine through.

Jesse Hogan led admirably from the front once more, dominating his matchup with Pink and finishing the day with eight marks and six goals.

His presence became a calming influence for the Giants who found themselves struggling with the speed of their own orange tsunami game style. Their transition looked far more dangerous when looking for a leading target as opposed to the chaos ball in deep.

Jesse Hogan booted six goals in the win. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Stephen Coniglio was another whose experience and composure played an even bigger role than the numbers might suggest. He was the springboard for GWS’ most impressive attacking movements and stepped up when his side was under pressure.

That allowed Tom Green to put together another complete performance, as he had 37 disposals to go with six clearances and 16 contested possessions.

Alastair Clarkson won’t leave Sydney Olympic Park unhappy with his team’s promising start to 2024. His youngsters thrived and enough players showed they’re ready to help lift the Kangaroos from the bottom four this season.

But he also had a front-row seat of what his team is missing. Dominant tall forwards, game-breakers in the midfield and defenders able to lift when their backs are against the wall.

The Giants will be content to have the four points in the bag. They also finished with their highest-ever score against North Melbourne and kicked over 110 points for the second week in a row.

But Kingsley will be far from pleased with the way they played across the four quarters. And that’s a scary thought for the rest of the competition that they can still be so dominant despite being so far from their best.