Overview
- North Melbourne beat West Coast 10.14 (74) to 10.13 (73) at Optus Stadium on Saturday after Jake Waterman hit the post with 42 seconds remaining.
- Jack Darling and Nick Larkey each kicked four goals to set up the win while Jobe Shanahan’s marking sparked West Coast’s late charge.
- Hamish Davis left the game with a concussion following an early tackle by Paul Curtis and the incident has been referred to the AFL Match Review Officer for assessment.
- The loss leaves West Coast reported at 4-10 ahead of the mid-season bye and moves North to just outside the top 10 on percentage, a result seen as partial vindication of their decision to play WA 'home' games.
- The match drew a crowd of 42,409 and extended Waterman’s season accuracy concerns, with his well-documented set-shot struggles continuing after entering the game with a 28.34 goal-kicking record.