By Ashley Browne
NORTH MELBOURNE let Gold Coast have its moment in the sun before powering away to a 34-point win at Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.
Gold Coast kicked its best score in any quarter in the second term to lead by a point at half-time before the Kangaroos finally kicked into gear to win 17.25 (127) to 13.15 (93).
The victory took North's record for the season to 3-2. The Suns remain winless after five matches.
Five talking points: North Melbourne v Gold Coast
The final margin could have been considerably greater. North held a comfortable edge in all the key disposal stats, but wasted numerous opportunities, particularly early on, to put the Suns to the sword.
Missing midfield maestros in skipper Gary Ablett and Michael Rischitelli, Gold Coast's 7.3 second-term was the club's best in 27 AFL matches to date, eclipsing the 6.5 it kicked in the final quarter of its first win against Port Adelaide last season.
But the joy was short-lived. Perhaps stung by the jeers of a restless crowd and following a few choice words from coach Brad Scott, Drew Petrie goaled for the Kangaroos inside a minute after the long break and another 5.9 for the term extended North's lead at the final change to 34 points.
Petrie marked and goaled again inside a minute of the final quarter to snuff out any hopes of an upset win to the Suns.
Petrie finished with three after an even battle with Matthew Warnock. Aaron Edwards and Lindsay Thomas also kicked three for the victors.
There were no real standouts for the Kangaroos in an even performance. Skipper Andrew Swallow overcame a heavy knock from Karmichael Hunt to finish with 31 possessions, while Ryan Bastinac finished the game well with 24 touches.
Unheralded Jamie McMillan was terrific for three quarters while Brent Harvey and Shaun Atley imposed themselves in stages. Hamish McIntosh rucked well all evening, continuing to put space between himself and Todd Goldstein in the bid to become the No. 1 ruckman for North Melbourne.
North's Swallow earned the bragging rights over his brother, at least when it came to the four premiership points. But David Swallow was excellent all evening for Gold Coast, particularly given he was in doubt all week with a hip complaint. But with Ablett and Rischitelli missing, he proved to be a warrior with 23 possessions.
The Suns will also be pleased with the debut performance of Kyal Horsley, who had 19 touches and helped set up several first-half goals and the continued improvement of Hunt, whose game was marked by some deft work in the midfield and moments of brute force.
Harley Bennell, who finished with three goals, was particularly good during Gold Coast's cracking second term.
Scott said his side fixed a few defensive mechanisms at half-time, which sparked the turnaround in the second half. But he preferred to dwell on the performance of the Suns, saying they gave the AFL a taste of how good they could become.
"I thought they were fantastic and gave everyone a glimpse of what they could be," Scott said. "And anyone who has criticised Karmichael Hunt should also apologise and eat their words because on that performance he's a bona fide AFL midfielder."
Next week, North faces a difficult trip to Patersons Stadium on Sunday evening to meet the unbeaten West Coast, while the Suns are back at home for a twilight clash on Saturday against Fremantle.
NORTH MELBOURNE 4.9 8.13 14.22 17.25 (127)
GOLD COAST 2.5 9.8 10.12 12.16 (88)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Petrie 3, Thomas 3, Edwards 3, Harper 2, Adams 2, McIntosh, Harvey, Cunnington, Macmillan
Gold Coast: Brown 2, Day 2, Bennell 2, Dixon 2, Illes, Lynch, Swallow, Russell
BEST
North Melbourne: Swallow, Macmillan, Atley, Cunnington, Thomas, Bastinac
Gold Coast: Bennell, Horsley, Swallow, Bock, Hunt
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Levi Greenwood replaced Daniel Wells in the last quarter.
Gold Coast: Luke Russell replaced Matt Shaw in the third quarter.
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Ryan, Schmidt, Jennings
Official crowd: 17,680 at Etihad Stadium.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
