Dogs spoil North Melbourne’s milestone game, mark Libba’s 250 in style

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge is looking forward to the challenge of taking on premiership contenders Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions in the next two rounds as they fight for a double chance.

Beveridge said they have just been on the wrong side of the ledger in games against teams above them but admitted the time had arrived to show where they sat in a tight flag race.

Aaron Naughton starred with five goals.Credit: Getty Images

“We need scalps to finish high up on the ladder,” Beveridge said.

They accounted for a brave North Melbourne who Alastair Clarkson said “battled manfully” as they were undermanned after losing Luke Davies-Uniacke to concussion in the first quarter while Nick Larkey was hampered after a knock to the knee.

Ruckman Tristan Xerri was off for most of the last quarter having a head injury assessment only to be cleared of concussion. The club said he would be monitored over the next 24-48 hours to see whether he suffered any after effects.

Clarkson was right as Cooper Harvey, the son of dual premiership star Brent Harvey, kicked a brilliant goal midway through the third quarter to reduce the margin to below 10 points, North Melbourne had a sniff of victory.

Tom Liberatore of the Bulldogs is chaired from the field after his 250th match by teammates Jason Johannisen (left) and Marcus Bontempelli.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

Their pressure was high and the occasion had the Kangaroos inspired as they tried to pull off an unlikely win in front of club legends attending the club’s centenary celebrations.

The Bulldogs were being challenged and the time had arrived for them to respond.

Guess who was the first to step up?

It’s not a tough question to answer. It was the milestone man Tom Liberatore who drifted inside 50 to mark and steady the ship with his second goal for the game.

Goals from the skipper Marcus Bontempelli then Bailey Dale pushed the lead back beyond 20 points and the game was in hand for the premiership contenders who went into the game as short-priced favourites.

The Kangaroos weren’t disgraced with Larkey brilliant in the first quarter when he kicked four goals and should have had five as he missed from point-blank range on the siren. Unfortunately he had injured his leg and after kicking his fifth early in the second quarter he struggled to have an impact.

They also lost star midfielder Davies-Uniacke to concussion after he was collected when he tried to lay a tackle on the Bulldogs Ed Richards. The Kangaroos were good in the clearances but his absence robbed them of run from the stoppages.

Former North coach Denis Pagan addresses the Kangaroos players before the game.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

Xerri also had a curious final quarter after he seemed to fall heavily when Sam Darcy glanced him in a ruck contest. Bulldogs players’ enquired about his wellbeing however he remained on the ground for several minutes before leaving for a concussion check. He did not reappear. The Kangaroos could be without both players for next week’s match against Melbourne.

Colby McKercher was North Melbourne’s best in the same week he signed a contract extension and Jy Simpkin battled hard after the group received an inspiring pre-game address from two-time premiership coach Denis Pagan.

The crowd was disappointing, with 25,009 turning up to celebrate 100 years since North Melbourne entered the competition in 1925. Perhaps it’s an indication that Thursday night is not a favourite timeslot for fans to go to the footy.

The Bulldogs had class inside 50 too with Aaron Naughton bouncing back to kick four goals of his own in the second quarter before finishing with five goals for the match. He was needed as Sam Darcy was being frustrated. Darcy competed well and eventually hit the scoreboard to kick four goals as the Bulldogs pulled away.

The eventual margin was 49 points, an unfair representation of the contest with North gallant in defeat.

Darcy has been well in check and has ended up with four goals as the margin is now 49 points, a misleading representation of the contest in front of just 25,009 people.

Wil Dawson did a good job on Sam Darcy but he has kicked three goals and halved his aerial contests to bring the ball to ground. Darcy and Aaron Naughton have combined for eight goals. Nick Larkey kicked five goals in the first half for North Melbourne but has had one touch since half-time with a leg injury hampering him.

Tom Liberatore kicks a goal in his milestone match.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

The Kangaroos battled hard and made the game a good contest but the Bulldogs have been too good, kicking the first two goals of the final quarter to open up a six-goal lead. North Melbourne ruckman Tristan Xerri has now gone for a concussion test after being felled by an innocuous knock minutes earlier.

The premiership Bulldog has had 25 disposals, 12 contested possessions and kicked two goals in a brilliant performance in the first three quarters to set up the 22-point lead in a high scoring match.

Class is rising to the top with three unanswered goals from the Bulldogs via Tom Liberatore, Marcus Bontempelli and then Bailey Dale, who has now kicked two goals after being moved forward to break the tag. The lead is now a game-high 22 points.

It’s just eight points the difference after milestone man Tom Liberatore kicks his second goal for the game. It’s the first time he has kicked a packet of two goals since 2023.

Former North great and decorated Sydney Swans coach John Longmire said it was a great move by the Kangaroos to have his old coach Denis Pagan make a pre-game address to the current players on the field before the game.

“I wasn’t able to hear it all but I got the feel of it and those of us at the back were trying to listen in saw familiar gestures and we felt it more than heard it.

“It was a great gesture by North to be able to have Denis who has such a big influence on all of us.”

North Melbourne conceded the first two goals but bounced back to lead at the first break.

Longmire, who is having a year’s respite from coaching, said it was “just the people” that defined North as a distinctive club. “I’m very grateful that I grew up at this place.”

Keith Greig, the dual Brownlow medallist, said Wayne Carey - who played in a subsequent era to Greig, was “without a doubt” the greatest North player he had seen. “The Duck, without a doubt. Had to be top three I reckon, all time.”

Greig said his premiership coach Ron Barassi, who died in 2023, was missed at the function. “He would’ve enjoyed it,” said Greig, acknowledging the famed coach of North’s first VFL/AFL flag was “super hard” on him. “Super hard but the good thing about him, he didn’t hold a grudge.”

Pagan fired the troops up before the gameCredit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

Cooper Harvey, the son of games record holder Brent Harvey, has just kicked a brilliant long goal to lift the crowd and inspire his team just as the Bulldogs looked to be skipping away. What a moment!

Star Bulldogs midfielder Ed Richards went down to the rooms clutching his left shoulder after a heavy clash with Cam Zurhaar contesting a ground ball. He appeared in serious strife but has returned and is ready to go. Richards is the form player of the competition.