Cats' Cameron stars with career-best bag to roast Roos
The Coleman Medal leader and star midfielder Bailey Smith (43 possessions, 13 clearances) ran riot in the Cats' merciless 22.18 (150) to 7.7 (49) thumping at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
The result came close to eclipsing Geelong's greatest winning margin against the Kangaroos, 114 points back in 1981.
Geelong took a whopping 106-point lead into three-quarter time, but North at least added four goals to win the final term after only kicking three before that.
In pole position to add to the Coleman Medal he won in 2019, Cameron slotted through his 10th goal early in the final quarter.
The 32-year-old had previously kicked nine goals in a game twice.
Naturally his Cats teammates looked for him when going inside-50 as the prospect of the rare feat became possible.
Cameron did as he pleased for most of the night, with many of his goals coming because he was given so much space by North's defenders.
Cameron's bag took him to 69 goals this season, 20 ahead of Gold Coast spearhead Ben King.
While the left-footed wizard ran riot up forward, star recruit Smith was electric in the midfield.
The Brownlow Medal fancy had 25 possessions at halftime, finishing with an equal career-best 43.
The finals-bound Cats were doing it so easy they decided to tactically sub out captain Patrick Dangerfield in the third quarter.
So relaxed was Dangerfield, he ate a souvlaki on the bench in the final term.
Former Sydney star Luke Parker was easily North's best player, having 31 disposals and a team-high seven clearances.
The result left Geelong in fourth place on the ladder, with a favourable run in their four games before finals.
North appear headed for a sixth straight season stranded in the bottom two.
The Kangaroos are 4-1-14, with coach Alastair Clarkson left to do some soul-searching before he starts his fourth season in charge of North in 2026.
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West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Motormouth Mitch: The mature Eagle who West Coast need to demand more of to help younger teammates
From the mature Eagle who didn't stand up in the western derby, to the Fremantle star who needs to find form. Football writer Mitchell Woodcock takes a no-holds-barred look at the week of footy. Eagles' Lack of Baz Ball West Coast need to ask more of Bailey Williams. It was disappointing that he wasn't able to stand up on Saturday afternoon and be more of a presence to ease the pressure on his younger teammates. Williams has been admirable over the past few seasons as the Eagles' No.1 ruck since the retirement of Nic Naitanui. But he had to be better than he was in a forward line which was being spearheaded by two teenagers against Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. Jobe Shanahan and Archer Reid were left to shoulder too much for the Eagles. Williams was the forward-ruck on the night and while he shouldn't be expected to kick a bag, he had to have more of an impact. The 25-year-old has now played 85 AFL games. That is more than enough to have an expectation put on you to lead when called upon. Williams didn't take one mark against the Dockers, which is damning enough for the 201cm powerhouse. But what was more disappointing was his lack of physicality in the contest. He laid only two tackles and there weren't any signs of him trying to impose his body on the contest. Williams should've been crashing packs and making his size felt even if it cost them a few free kicks. Instead, he was barely sighted throughout the contest. Williams is finally in his preferred role with the forward-ruck split and should be thriving as a big man about to enter the prime of his career. Shanahan and Reid are going to be good players for the Eagles, hopefully for the next decade. If they are going to get there though, they need more from the likes of Williams around them as they develop. West Coast need to demand Williams shoulders this responsibility. It's his time. Cyclone Warning There is a big watch on the form of Josh Treacy in the back half of this season as the Dockers drive towards finals. For the sixth time in the past 12 games Treacy went goalless and while it isn't affecting Fremantle yet, they will be hoping it clicks for the big Cohuna sooner rather than later. Treacy was one of the top forwards in the AFL earlier this year when he kicked 20 goals from his seven games to have tongues wagging. Since then, he has kicked only 12 in as many games, and it has seen him drop well out of the race for the Coleman Medal. I argued when Jye Amiss was battling that if Fremantle were getting six to eight goals a game out of the combination including Pat Voss it didn't matter too much. But there is a strong sense that if the Dockers are going to be more than just playing in the finals, they're going to need Treacy at his damaging best. His presence on a field can be game changing and there are few in the purple chevrons who can grasp the moment better than the intimidating 193cm beast. If Treacy can get off the leash against Carlton or Port Adelaide in the next two weeks, it could kick-start him back into the form of earlier this year. And this could be the difference between them going deep into finals or being bundled out. It's not panic stations right now, but coach Justin Longmuir would love for Cyclone Tracey to get to a category five sooner rather than later to help blow their premiership window wide open. AFL's Equalisation Woes Forget in-season tournaments. Forget 20th teams. Forget Tasmanian stadiums. The AFL has an urgent problem they need to fix and it's equalisation. For weeks now only nine teams have been able to realistically make finals and while that isn't ideal, it's just sometimes an anomaly. But what is clearly poor for the game is the one-sided affairs that are becoming all-too commonplace each week. West Coast have won only one game this season. North Melbourne couldn't even outscore Jeremy Cameron in a 101-point defeat to Geelong. And a wounded Essendon looked like a VFL side at times against a talent-filled Western Bulldogs outfit, while the Showdown was one of the most one-sided in history, with Adelaide claiming a 98-point win. It's not going to get any better next week. Gold Coast will likely smash Richmond. Essendon aren't going to get an easy game from Sydney at the SCG. And if Fremantle head the words from Longmuir about being ruthless, Carlton could be headed for disaster in their trip to WA. The AFL has made player movement easier than ever but right now it is only making the strong teams stronger and the gap between the good and the bad is growing. Bailey Smith choosing to go to Geelong when he left the Western Bulldogs rather than a cashed-up club like a North Melbourne or an Essendon is not surprising but tells you all you need to know about where the AFL's issues lie. Bad teams can't attract good players no matter how much they're willing to pay. And this year's draft is going to be so compromised with academy and father-son selections that there isn't going to be much help for those at the bottom of the ladder. It's going to get worse when Tasmania come in and get heavy draft concessions to build their inaugural list. Whether West Coast deserve a priority pick or not is one thing, but there should be no argument when it comes to whether they should ask for one. The AFL must find a way to bridge the ever-growing distance that is coming between the two halves of the ladder or risk having too many unwatchable games. Fixture Chaos The WAFL were the biggest losers by the AFL's fixtures this weekend when the western derby was played at 2.15pm on Saturday. It overlapped with three of the four state league games this weekend and will undoubtedly have hurt their crowds. There is nothing the WAFL could do about it. They don't have a fixture like the AFL where they lock in the dates and times for the first half and then roll the second half out within the season. They can't do that because of ground availability among several other factors. West Coast and Fremantle should ask not to play on a Saturday afternoon, especially against each other. The state leagues are vital for the game. They develop players for the AFL. And financial hits when crowds are sitting at home watching the western derby rather than attending WAFL games is too much to cover. There was no reason why the derby couldn't have been played at 6.10pm on Saturday. The WAFL then could've brought the league games forward a bit and likely had at least marginally bigger crowds. And a bonus is we wouldn't have had that horrible shadow over half of Optus Stadium that was an eyesore both live and on TV early in the derby. It is just a little thing for the AFL, but for WAFL clubs they are big and should be factored in better.
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Roos' identity crisis amid Clarko question as ‘sickening' loss lays bare failed draft trade gamble
Questions continue to be asked of North Melbourne's on-field identity after a 'sickening' 101-point loss to Geelong on Saturday night amid more evidence of a failed draft gamble. The Kangaroos finished a staggering -41 for inside-50s, -10 for clearances, -16 for contested possessions, and -18 for marks inside 50 on a night they couldn't come close to halving the territory battle nor begin to contain the Cats' purring forward line, with superstar Jeremy Cameron running riot for 11 majors. It was North Melbourne's 14th-straight defeat at the hands of Geelong and its fifth-straight loss as it remains with a measly four wins to its name for the season. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. 'For North Melbourne fans, that would've been a sickening watch; incredibly frustrating. You feel sorry for the Kangaroos fans, who have watched this for six years,' the Herald Sun's Jay Clark told Fox Footy's Super Saturday Live post-match coverage. Dual All-Australian and two-time Kangaroos premiership player David King pondered the machinations of the club's game plan and lamented its inability to adequately defend. 'This (the North Melbourne rooms) would be an awful place to be, at the moment. It's a tough one, because when you watch them play, it's kind of difficult to work out what they're trying to execute,' he began. 'Are they handballing when the options are available, and then run and gun? Or is it take territory and get numbers to drop of ball? Is it a mix of both? I don't know what they're doing defensively; that's just not working at all — 40 (Geelong) scores tonight.' The Cats scored 27 times from 58 intercepts on Saturday night, exemplifying the ease of which they were able to transition and punish the Roos on the counter. 'They just smashed them; they walked through them. The amount of times Jeremy Cameron was out the back by himself, and it'd be uncontested possession, uncontested possession, goal,' King continued. 'I'd love to ask Alastair Clarkson 'what are you trying to achieve?' Show us what it should look like, and then we can at least enjoy the ride. Because we just go from week to week and not see it. We have seen it in patches throughout the year, but we're not seeing it now. 'I know the ruckman's (Tristan Xerri) not there, I know Nick Larkey's not there, but that shouldn't have as big an effect as what it does on their ability to stop the opposition moving the ball full length of the ground.' Patrick Dangerfield was tactically substituted out of the game, his 200th for Geelong, and the sight of the veteran sitting on the bench munching on a kebab while the game was still going on would have rubbed salt into the wound for North fans. Serious questions continue to be asked of the Roos' direction under Alastair Clarkson in the third year of the four-time premiership coach's reign, with the club benefitting from top picks for the better part of the past six years. In 55 games under Clarkson, North Melbourne is 10-44-1. The club has finished 17th on the ladder in consecutive seasons and currently sits 17th with four games left to go this season. Asked when the pressure on Clarkson genuinely gets turned up, King answered: 'It's a great question; it's hard to answer. I think you have a blind faith in the club that the decision-makers will get it right. 'Words are cheap; it's really hard to just listen to the same conversation over and over and over. It's a tough place to be, there's no doubt about that ... third year in, a penny for his thoughts, is he able to do what he once thought he could do with this group? Are there any doubts there? 'You walk off the ground tonight, you have to doubt your own plan. You've got (Jack) Darling, (Luke) Parker and (Caleb) Daniel to the club to try and stiffen up with a bit of seniority; that doesn't look like it's working as well as it probably should.' North Melbourne fielded eight former top-12 draft picks against Geelong, as King declared the club's issues didn't revolve around an absence of talented players. 'It's not a talent issue; it's a system problem,' he said. 'You can be really brutal and say 'it's coaching', right, but it's also performance of that system. 'Where's the disconnect? Are the players not understanding? Are they not prepared to work hard enough to ensure the system works? I think they're good enough, and I don't think they're that young that they can't compete defensively. That's not really a talent issue. 'I'm the same as all those people in the room and all those watching on, I don't understand the system, because I see so many flaws in it, so many holes in it. 'I don't see it; it's not consistent enough to say 'this is their identifiable brand'. And I think when you see 150 points against, I think even they'd say 'you wouldn't be able to see it tonight'.' Speaking post-game on Saturday night, Clarkson, who lamented glaringly obvious deficiencies in contest, clearance and territory, made it a point to highlight the discrepancy in experience between the sides. 'The Geelong forward line versus the North Melbourne backline, just see the void that sits there in terms of just experience and exposure,' he said. 'And I don't want to make excuses for our players, but it's where we're at, though. 'And we're giving these young players some exposure and opportunity, and in our back end in particular, we're going to be left very, very vulnerable down there against a formidable forward line if we couldn't control the middle of the ground as well as we'd like. And Geelong was too good in that space.' The Roos fielded the second-youngest team in the competition in Round 20, with eight-game key defender Wil Dawson among those in royal blue and white tortured by Cameron and the Cats, who licked their lips each time they entered forward 50. 'Everyone will look at win-loss and all that sort of stuff, and making progress — and even if it is just win-loss, we have made some progress,' said Clarkson in his press conference. 'But we've had three performances that were well below our best, which (were) the Carlton game in Round 6 here, the Hawthorn game about a month ago down in Tassie, and tonight. 'But outside of that, we've been much more competitive than what we were last year, winning more quarters and being in more games at three-quarter-time than we had last year.' But while Clarkson continues to preach that non-linear progress continues to be made at Arden Street, the Roos' list management's choice to trade away the club's first-round pick this year has come back to bite hard. Last November, North Melbourne — banking on a significant uptick this season — traded its future first-round pick to Richmond to secure the No.27 selection, key-position utility Matt Whitlock, who has played just one senior game in his debut season. That future choice is currently slated to wind up as the second overall pick. Injecting young talent isn't as urgent for the Roos as it has been in previous seasons, but given the stagnancy of this season, it's premium draft capital they'd absolutely love to have this off-season. 'I think they thought they would be further progressed, because they did trade that pick away,' Clark said on Fox Footy. 'Would they have traded that No.2 pick away if they thought they were going to finish second-last on the ladder? No way. They thought they would be up the ladder; they thought they would improve, that's why they gave that pick away. 'So, it tells you that they thought they would be better than they're at; that's really clear.' The Roos are currently slated to make their first draft choice this November at No.20, holding a pair of picks at the top of the second round.
7NEWS
10 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Nick Daicos firms as Brownlow fancy after insane masterclass against Richmond
Brownlow Medal favourite Nick Daicos put on a clinic as AFL ladder leaders Collingwood ended a two-match losing skid with a hard-fought 36-point win over Richmond. Daicos shone in the wet conditions and was clearly the best player on the ground in the Magpies' 13.15 (93) to 8.9 (57) victory at the MCG on Sunday. It ensured Collingwood (15-4) finished an 11th consecutive week on top of the ladder, ahead of a huge clash with third-placed Brisbane next round. Daicos almost certainly claimed another three Brownlow votes against the Tigers as he tallied 42 disposals — one short of the personal best he set a week earlier — to go with three goals, 14 score involvements and 884 metres gained. Daicos switched with brother Josh (30 disposals) between midfield and half-back, and also pushed forward with great effect, in the highest-rated performance of any player this season. 'Whatever the measure is, to be the most of anyone in the competition this year says a lot about his game,' Pies coach Craig McRae said. 'That's two weeks in a row he's been able to create off half-back in moments and then still not lose that dynamic stuff around the ball, and even moving deep forward. 'That's a year full of planning somewhat, and then finding out what the game needs and what we need.' Tom Mitchell (29 disposals) and Ned Long (23, six clearances) were also busy for Collingwood, and Tim Membrey (two) was one of four multiple goal-kickers on return after a week off. Richmond slumped to a 5-14 record, but the rebuilding Tigers were far from disgraced, taking the fight to their opponents despite a gulf in class. Tim Taranto (calf) was a late withdrawal, leaving Jacob Hopper (33 disposals) and Tyler Sonsie (28) to win the bulk of the Tigers' ball in the middle. Steely Green kicked two goals on his return, including an audacious effort from the boundary line, and Taj Hotton also kicked two in his third senior game. Richmond showed plenty of pluck and were within two points midway through the second term when Green converted a free kick. But the Pies kicked the next three goals without reply before halftime, opening up a 7.6 to 4.4 lead by the main break. Daicos was a class above every other player in wet conditions, tallying 22 touches, two goals and seven score involvements to that point. Green and Noah Balta kicked the opening two goals of the second half for Richmond, while Collingwood lost Lachie Sullivan to a suspected season-ending posterior cruciate ligament injury. But the Pies again accelerated, with Daicos's brilliant left-foot goal one of five in a row that pushed the margin out to a game-high 41 points before three-quarter time. They were never challenged from there, winning as expected after successive defeats by single-figure margins against Gold Coast and Fremantle. Richmond coach Adem Yze said he decided against tagging Daicos, opting to keep the plan simple for his young players. 'You've got a responsibility as a midfielder when you're leaning on someone, but he's just such a talented kid,' Yze said. 'The three goals probably did hurt us in the end, but the last few weeks he's had 40 (touches) and it hasn't guaranteed wins for them. 'My eye was more to what we were doing, and in the last quarter I didn't think he had a huge influence, and we kept playing our way.'
