AFL Round 17: All the news, reaction and scores from the Monday night clash between West Coast and North Melbourne

As Roos fans rejoiced, Collingwood was left with fresh trade wounds after Jaidyn Stephenson’s career-best display against West Coast.

Jay Clark

9 min read

July 13, 2021 - 7:40AM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Jaidyn Stephenson roars after a goal during his matchwinning performance. Picture: Getty Images

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Jaidyn Stephenson still remains a little perplexed why he got the boot from Collingwood.

Whether it was the salary cap squeeze, some frustration with his inconsistency or qualms about his dedication and training ethic, it was a call he never really saw coming.

But if Collingwood fans were already shaking their heads at the Adam Treloar giveaway in last year’s trade period, there was a new nightmare to digest in Perth on Monday night.

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Stephenson, the man who took the competition by storm booting 38 goals in his first season to win the Rising Star award in 2018, played one of the most brilliant games of his career to help spark his new club to the kind of watershed win that turns corners in rebuilds like theirs.

Thrust into the midfield where he never really got a go in the black and white, Stephenson was electric as he gathered 38 possessions, nine score involvements, 547 metres gained and one goal with a massive second to storm home over the Eagles in the wet.

WHO KILLED COLLINGWOOD? SERIES

READ PART ONE HERE

READ PART TWO HERE

Simply, it was the kind of determined performance that Collingwood must have decided was beyond him when it cut him last year for what was effectively pick No. 26 and some other swaps.

The Magpies clearly needed the room in the cap and grew frustrated he hadn’t shown as much commitment as they would have liked to fixing some flaws in his game.

But perhaps he was just that kind of player who needed the kick in the back side.

But it’s now the Roos who stand to benefit.

A deal that saw North effectively trade out spearhead Ben Brown for Stephenson suddenly looks like it has hit the jackpot for coach David Noble and list manager Glenn Luff, if that is what the lightly-framed playmaker is going to bring for the next decade in the royal blue and white.

Luff liked him since his draft year when the Eastern wingman starred on the outside, even if a heart issue which seems to be no trouble now scared some clubs off him before he was eventually taken at pick No. 6.

Brown, 28, has a gammy knee, and as much as it hurt the Roos fans to see him leave with a sad face on last year, it is hard to argue this trade isn’t in the best interests of the North rebuild now.

Jaidyn Stephenson was enormous in North Melbourne’s win over West Coast.

Indeed, it would be hard to find many North fans who would now like to hit reverse on that trade deal which also saw them net hard nut Atu Bosenavulagi.

As much Brown kicked 188 goals in three seasons before his knee injury took hold last year, the reality is his spot in the Melbourne team is hardly guaranteed in the run home after making an encouraging comeback to the senior side in the win over Port Adelaide.

Yes, the Kangas still need another prime key forward and will surely address that in the coming draft.

Sleevo is a different breed ðŸ˜¤ pic.twitter.com/CpB6Oxaygx
— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) July 12, 2021

But Stephenson’s flair is the kind of quality that will not only help give the Roos’ midfield a new edge, but will also put bums on seats.

Certainly, if his fitness and conditioning was a concern at the Pies, he appeared to be firing on all cylinders as he burned off West Coast opponents, zigzagged through traffic, and laced out teammates with the kind of energy and polish we all saw in his first season.

And if Stephenson previously had a reputation as a player who liked to get on the end of things, or kick a bag when things were going well, the discussion was different on Monday night as he made a stand when the chips were down.

The Roos trailed by three points with 10 minutes left in the last quarter when he conjured something out of nothing with only his pure pace to hit up Ben Cunnington with a handball to give North the lead.

Then Cunnington repaid the favour with a beautiful ball only moments later to find Stephenson who produced a clutch set shot from almost 50m out to make the buffer nine points.

It was a wet night, and a heavy ball, but Stephenson has a knack around goals, and didn’t he celebrate with both fists pumping and a deep guttural roar.

Jaidyn Stephenson tries to handball under pressure.

It was late in the game and the new Roo was still digging deep to help post a significant win. If nothing, it will help build significant belief after a testing start to the season for North.

Stephenson said he would play with a chip on his shoulder, having been chucked out the door at Olympic Park for a new deal at North worth about $500,000 a season.

It’s decent money, but Stephenson always had the potential to be a star of the competition and go to another level, if he can round out his game to include more of the hard stuff he may have lacked at the Pies.

Clearly, he had some mates turn on big-time performances too against West Coast, with Ben Cunnington, Cam Zurhaar, Jy Simpkin and Jack Ziebell among others who led the way.

It was, after all, a night when the Eagles were expected to dismiss North easily to turnaround their worrying form slump on their own patch.

But Todd Goldstein worked harder to get to the goal line to take a deep forward mark as Nic Naitanui stood 50m away to wait for the next kick-in late in the last term.

The look on Naitanui’s face said it all as Goldstein plucked in a beauty to seal the 10-point victory.

But Stephenson was the story, some eight months after his career turned an unexpected twist.

Now some at Collingwood may say this is just another flash in the pan from a talented ballwinner.

Or is it the first serious pang of trade regret?

ROOS CLINCH LANDMARK WIN IN WEST, EAGLES IN TATTERS

Brad Elborough

North Melbourne has shoved a massive dagger into West Coast’s premiership hopes with an upset 10-point win at Optus Stadium on Monday night.

The Kangaroos, sparked by a brilliant performance from former Pie Jaidyn Stephenson, fought back from 11 points down early in the final term and kicked three of the last four goals of the game to record just their third win for the season.

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Jaidyn Stephenson roars after a goal during his matchwinning performance. Picture: Getty Images

The Kangaroos side taking the field now is a far cry from the one that lost their first eight games by an average of 51 points, including a massive 128-point flogging from the Bulldogs in Round 3.

Since the bye, the Roos have recorded wins over West Coast and Gold Coast and a draw with Greater Western Sydney. Their two losses have been to top-four teams, Brisbane and Western Bulldogs, by just 23 points and 29 points, respectively.

“It was really important,” Noble said of the win.

“The experience the guys have gained tonight, playing a mature team, a team in the finals, in a hostile environment, to show that grit, is a massive tick to the players.

“It’s a significant night for the club.

Cameron Zurhaar was a key man up forward for the Roos. Picture: Getty Images

Noble said the leaders of the club had driven a new standard over the past eight weeks.

He said there was a mature discipline being shown consistently throughout the team and they weren’t scared to take the game on, playing through the middle of the ground.

“It’s not a risk, it’s the way we want to play,” he said.

“We had to score beat them.

“If the Eagles were going to beat us, they were going to earn it.

“We have built some good systems since the bye.

“We don’t want to finish on the bottom.

“The younger guys are getting a taste of what that level needs to be on a permanent basis.

“Our systems are now at a level that we’ll be competitive in every quarter.

“Is this a landmark win? It could be. It’s a significant achievement.”

The Eagles spurned a chance to regain some form and respect and pinch back seventh spot on the table.

But, after three losses on the trot, including big defeats at the hands of the Western Bulldogs (55 points) and Sydney (92 points in Geelong last week), a finals appearance is now no certainty.

The Eagles still sit in eighth spot, but with a poor percentage and no momentum.

Considering the results already seen in Round 17, is the 10.10 (70) to 8.12 (60) win by the Roos really that much of a surprise?

The Eagles were left demoralised by the lowly Roos. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

PRESSURE STARTING TO SHOW

With two big losses leading into this clash and a spot in the top eight on the line, the cracks are more than starting to show for the Eagles.

Both teams showed aggression, but West Coast’s was easily more ill disciplined.

There were also signs of players starting to have serious words with teammates as the Kangaroos started to get on top in the third quarter; senior players.

There was a bit of niggle in the game, especially in the first half. Most of it was started by the Eagles players as they failed to make the most of their opportunities.

Liam Ryan then turned the ball away with a free kick 40m away from where his teammate, Zac Langdon was having a shot at goal to draw first blood in the second half.

When Tim Kelly gave away a 50m penalty, just before three-quarter time for running into Todd Goldstein’s protective area, the Eagles lost all momentum and the lead.

The MRO has at least one incident to look at, with Tarryn Thomas and Jamie Cripps both reported for wrestling in the second term, in a bout that went longer than some recent UFC fights; that also dragged in a few other combatants.

Todd Goldstein leads the Roos off after a record-breaking performance in the win. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

TOP KNOCK TODD

There was a touching historic milestone achieved in the first quarter, when Goldstein rose to the top of the all-time hitout table with a tap down to Bailey Scott inside the Roos forward 50m area.

It came 24 minutes into the veteran ruckman’s 267th game.

His seventh tap took for the game him to a career total of 8503, one ahead of former Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands, who retired in 2019 after 271 games.

The pair are the only two to have reached career hit-outs tallies of 7000, or more.

Goldstein had eight hit-outs in the opening term, opposed to Nic Naitanui’s seven, but the Eagles won clearances 14 to five for the quarter and led by five points at the first break.

With 11 clearances and 20 touches, Naitanui took the ruck honours for the night, but Goldstein took a massive mark and kicked a goal in the late stages of the game to help confirm the result.

Jy Simpkin had plenty of it for the Roos. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

LESSON LEARNED

The Eagles let the Kangaroos off the hook in the first quarter.

All the important stats fell the home side’s way, but with 2.5 on the board, they failed to make the most of their chances.

And the frustrations started to show.

Realising they were still in the game, David Noble and his men tweaked a few things in the second term and it started to pay dividends straight away.

They followed the template set by the Swans a week earlier and focused on winning clearances and contested possessions and the tide of the game started to turn.

Norths won in both categories in the second term and managed to keep the margin a manageable eight points at the main break – and that was only because of a 40m set shot goal from Oscar Allen on the halftime siren.

Jaidyn Stephenson, Ben Cunnington and Jy Simpkin were responsible for the spark.

The Kangaroos carried the momentum into the third quarter, keeping the Eagles goalless for the term.

While one team was playing for a spot in the top eight, it was the Kangaroos that took the game on were prepared to take risks running the ball through the middle of the ground.

When Nick Larkey kicked his second goal for the term and third for the game, Norths led by a game-high 11 points.