North Melbourne at risk of being out of finals contention just 11 weeks into AFL season.
North Melbourne’s AFL season hangs by a thread after conceding yet another big lead, this time on the Gold Coast.
The Kangaroos led 32-1 in the first quarter before a rampant Gold Coast put them to the sword, running out 9.12 (66) to 8.3 (51) winners and leapfrogging Brad Scott’s side.
Gary Ablett (33) and Jarrod Harbrow (30) led the way for Gold Coast on a slippery night where the wet conditions severely impacted the style of football.
Ben Cunnington had a team-high 25 disposals for North Melbourne, but many of the team’s usual suspects failed to fire in yet another dismal loss.
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott offered not excuses after the game, saying simply they were outplayed by the Suns in key areas of the game.
“We had a failure to adapt to the conditions we weren’t used to, and we were consistently outnumbered at the footy” Scott said.
“We were outworked. You can’t get the ball out of defence if you can’t get a hold of the ball.
“It is not a mental thing. The conditions were the main thing we did not adapt to.
“We won the battle of the territory early, and for three quarter they did, that starts and ends the contest right there.
“Finals are not an issue. We need to play footy that is deserving of that first.”
Gold Coast will look for their sixth win of the season next weekend when they travel to take on Essendon at Etihad Stadium.
While the Kangaroos will fight for survival when they they come back from the bye, with a stern test in front of them, as they travel to take on the Fremantle Dockers at Patersons Stadium.
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