North Melbourne slammed for blowing shot at AFL No. 1 pick

North Melbourne had one job in its season-ending clash with Gold Coast on Saturday, but seemingly forgot to read the script.

James Dampney

3 min read

August 27, 2023 - 6:27AM

Alastair Clarkson and likely No. 1 AFL draft pick Harley Reid. Photos: Getty Images

The equation was so simple for Alastair Clarkson and North Melbourne.

All the Kangaroos had to do was lose to the Gold Coast in Hobart on Saturday afternoon, which would have been a 21st consecutive defeat, and the No. 1 pick in this year’s AFL Draft would be theirs.

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With that comes Harley Reid, the unanimous first pick in the draft who is widely considered a superstar-in-waiting.

Four-time premiership winning coach Clarkson is one of the craftiest minds in the business and the expectation was he would finesse his Kangaroos however was needed to ensure defeat and a shot at a rare talent to help them back up the AFL ladder.

But none of them read the script.

Alastair Clarkson and likely No. 1 AFL draft pick Harley Reid. Photos: Getty Images

Instead, North overcame deficits at quarter-time and half-time to kick 13 goals to just six after the main break to seal a stunning 20.12 (132) to 14.13 (97) victory.

A third win for the year and first since round two lifted North Melbourne above West Coast on percentage and left the Eagles in pole position for last place and what has been billed all season as the Harley Reid Cup.

West Coast then duly lost to the Crows in Saturday’s late game to ensure they will have the first overall pick in the draft.

The Roos waited all the way to round 24 to kick over 100 points in a game, with young key forward Nick Larkey booting a career-high nine goals against the Suns.

While there were jubilant scenes in the Shinboner’s dressing room after the win, the reaction on social media was pure disbelief at the opportunity tossed away at Blundstone Arena.

Does Nick Larkey hate Harley Reid? #AFLNorthSuns
— DðŸ¦™ (@dodgyllama) August 26, 2023

Props to North for not tanking, but this is surely the most stupid win you'll see from a club, the temporary high you get from a win won't cancel out the gun player you're missing out on in Harley Reid, him with LDU, Wardlaw and Sheezel will do more than 1 win.#AFLNorthSuns
— Mark Robinson (@mrobinson73) August 26, 2023

Is Harley Reid actually bad? Nobody wants him! #AFLSunsRoos
— Brayden Martin (@BraydenTalks) August 26, 2023

Me watching Larkey kick goal after goal basically giving Harley Reid to West Coast #aflroossuns pic.twitter.com/L0ccm6mt2E
— Aidan (@dat_aids) August 26, 2023

It also led to some speculating if any club actually wants the chance to draft Reid, the powerful 18-year-old from rural Victoria who has been producing highlights throughout 2023 for a number of clubs.

The Eagles had a chance to flip the script one more time, something Adam Simpson’s side had already done over the closing weeks of the season.

Both the Eagles and Kangaroos were riding 16-game losing streaks when the teams met in Perth in round 20, which the home side won by five points.

West Coast nearly managed a shock win against Essendon the following week before a one-point defeat and then seemed the likely wooden spooner after a demoralising 101-point thrashing at the hands of Fremantle in round 22.

Nick Larkey (centre, back) led the way as the Kangaroos upset the Suns in Hobart. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Seemingly unwilling to accept the top pick in the draft, West Coast hit back amid a torrent of criticism of Simpson with a stunning road win over the Western Bulldogs that gave the advantage back to North Melbourne.

But North’s win in Tasmania, coupled with the Eagles’ loss to Adelaide, finally makes the Kangaroos the winner of this Harley Reid Cup.

After the match, Clarkson said deliberately trying to lose against the Suns had never entered his mind.

“I read a really interesting stat, I think there’s only three number one draft picks that have played in premiership teams,” he said.

“That’s not a real big incentive to pull in the number one pick.

Alastair Clarkson (right) insisted tanking was never an option against the Suns. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“No matter what was going to happen, we were going to have two first round picks. We’ve got our pick obviously this year which was going to be somewhere around one or two and we had Port Adelaide’s pick from a trade we did with (list manager) Jason (Cripps) last year.

“We knew we were going to be picking in the first round, that’s where our talent is going to come from by and large, and we’ll try to trade for another couple of guys to come into our footy club.”

In commentary, former Hawk Ben Dixon and ex-Geelong and North full forward Cameron Mooney both applauded the Kangaroos’ victory, despite its obvious repercussions.