AFL Round 17 North Melbourne v Gold Coast: All the news and analysis as Harry Sheezel and Colby McKercher star in Roos win

The Suns almost pinched it late, but North Melbourne – led by young stars Colby McKercher and Harry Sheezel – held on. And coach Damien Hardwick has had enough, delivering an all-time post-match statement.

Dane Heverin

6 min read

July 6, 2024 - 6:26PM

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Gold Coast need to “grow up as a footy club” angry coach Damien Hardwick declared after his side’s four-point loss to North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

The Suns remain winless on the road this season despite a perfect record at home, and Hardwick is sick of following the same script over and over again when they jump on a plane.

“At the end of the day we’re not just here to make up numbers. Enough’s enough,” Hardwick said.

“We sit there and give ourselves enough opportunities and we don’t play our moments. It’s my job as a coach to demand better because at the moment we’re capable of beating the premiers last week and then we let ourselves down this week.

“We had 62 inside 50s. Our connection, our contest work inside 50 was poor. Our clearance work was poor.

“I’m angry, to be fair. As a footy club we’ve got to grow the f--- up to be perfectly honest. Excuse the language.

“We’ve been in this situation too many times and it’s up to me and the match committee to get our boys going.”

Damien Hardwick wasn’t happy after the loss to North Melbourne. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

North Melbourne’s ferocity inspired their second win of the season which lifted them off the bottom of the ladder.

Harry Sheezel, Colby McKercher and Luke Davies-Uniacke hunted the ball to rack up disposals at will, while the Kangaroos’ desperation and physicality had spot fires breaking out around the ground throughout the second half.

The Suns were not up for the fight despite almost pinching the four points at the death and it led to a scathing post-match review by Hardwick.

“You put on a Suns jumper, you’ve got to play the game a certain way. You don’t get to pick or choose,” he said.

“At the moment, we’re not where we need to be and it’s reflective on me as a coach, us as an organisation so we’ve got to demand better.

“We still had 62 inside 50s, we still had 32 forward half turnovers. That is enough to win a game of football.”

The Suns lacked on-field leadership on Saturday. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

On-field leadership was lacking with co-captains Jarrod Witts – missing due to a vertebrae fracture – and Touk Miller – subbed out with a wrist injury – not out there when the game was on the line.

Noah Anderson attempted to rally his teammates at three quarter time and got somewhat of a response as they won the last quarter.

But Hardwick lamented the lapses that happen all too often which are causing their finals hopes to slip through their fingers.

“This football side is better than they know,” he said.

“They’ve got to find a way. It happens at every club. At some stage you have to sit there and you have to grow up, and that’s my job to help them.

“I’m a part of it and I want to be a part of it, and I am dying for us to get there.”

Play of the year? Colby stuns in Roos’ second win

North Melbourne’s young guns delivered when the game was on the line with Harry Sheezel and Colby McKercher starring in a four-point victory to continue Gold Coast’s away woes at Marvel Stadium.

Sheezel had 35 disposals, including 11 in the final term, to go with a game-high ten clearances for the match, while McKercher returned from a foot injury with a career-best 37 disposals, including 12 in the last quarter to inspire their side to a second win of the season.

The Kangaroos survived a late scare as Ben Ainsworth’s set shot to put the Suns in front with less than 90 seconds remaining missed left.

But their victory came as reward for effort after gallant losses to Collingwood, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs in their past three outings.

North came out firing with the first three goals of the game in the opening six minutes and despite five unanswered goals from the Suns in response, they never seemed phased.

A five-goal second term got the Kangaroos back on track as Sheezel, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jy Simpkin dominated in the middle, while McKercher played the role of chief architect of their ball movement from half back.

Harry Sheezel dominated all over the ground in North Melbourne’s win. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos

Sheezel’s leadership was on show with a crucial set shot goal – he has a perfect record of seven from seven this year – late in the third quarter and a strong mark deep in defence in the final term.

Davies-Uniacke was similarly dominant at the stoppages with nine clearances and a goal amongst his 30 disposals, and he almost blew the roof off with a running shot that missed in the last quarter.

Gold Coast won the centre clearance battle 15-12 with Matt Rowell having seven of his own and it resulted in the Suns having 16 more inside 50s but they have been the worst side in the competition at generating shots at goal from their inside 50s in the past four weeks and the trend reared its head again.

North’s defenders held firm, led by Charlie Comben – who racked up ten intercept possessions and nine marks in yet another strong showing – which allowed North’s midfielders to go to work around the ground as they won the total clearance count 45-29.

For Gold Coast, it continues to be the AFLs’s Jekell and Hyde with an unbeaten record at home, while being winless away.

The Suns have trailed at half time in all eight of those away losses and, this time, was no exception as they displayed a sluggishness that is slaughtering their finals aspirations.

It was despair for Matt Rowell and the Suns on the final siren. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Roos young gun Colby McKercher was back in a big way. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos

McKercher’s burst of speed

North Melbourne received criticism for defeating Gold Coast in the final round of last season and giving up pick one in the draft, Harley Reid.

But Colby McKercher, who they selected with pick two, showed he is a special talent with an electric passage of play in the second quarter.

McKercher produced arguably the goal assist of the year when he dashed from the back pocket to the half forward flank to set up Nick Larkey’s second goal.

McKercher received a handball from Darcy Tucker in the back pocket, burst away from an opponent to hit up Dylan Stephens on the half back flank and, like in a training drill, the 19-year-old kept running to get a one-two.

He then charged down the wing with four running bounces to leave the Suns’ forwards in his dust before having the composure to find Larkey 35 metres out from goal and receive thunderous applause from the home supporters.

The barrel is back

Before McKercher’s brilliance, North Melbourne’s Tom Powell made a strong claim for goal assist of the year with a running torpedo to set up Liam Shiels’ first quarter goal.

Streaming off half back after the ball had been locked in Gold Coast’s forward half for several minutes, Powell unleashed a roughly 65m torpedo which sailed over the heads of the Gold Coast defenders to find Shiels, who had snuck out the back to run into an open goal.

Powell’s mammoth kick was a call back to yesteryear and it was a case of perfect planning as the North players practised kicking torpedoes in the warm-up to beat the Suns’ press.

Hardwick’s Marvel hoodoo continues

Since Damien Hardwick said that he hates coming to Marvel Stadium as Richmond coach in 2021, he has not coached a victory at the venue.

Hardwick’s sides have lost eight times and drawn once from the time he made the remarks and Saturday’s defeat was Gold Coast’s third of the season at Marvel Stadium.