Collingwood narrowly defeats North Melbourne in a thrilling AFL match

FT: Collingwood 13.11 (89) defeats North Melbourne 12.13 (85)

By Kyle Pollard

COLLINGWOOD WIN!

By Kyle Pollard

It's a hurried kick from the ball up from Harry Sheezel! It almost hits the Docklands roof!

Cooper Trembath is the best chance, he flies, it hits his chest, it hits the ground! Had he taken it it would have been a kick after the siren!

Collingwood wins and September is looking odds on now!

10 seconds left!

By Kyle Pollard

Ball up at the North F50!

Lipinski marks in the F50!

By Kyle Pollard

There's 1:30 left! He can kill a heap of clock!

He hits the post! One last chance for North!

Collingwood in front! The Magpies are in front!

By Kyle Pollard

There's three minutes left!

Oh my word, what play from Nick Daicos through the middle of the field.

Luke Davies-Uniacke puts a cracking tackle on Jordan De Goey at Collingwood's defensive 50, but De Goey just gets the handball out and Daicos launches. He runs, he bounces, he handballs, and it ends with Darcy Cameron, who finds Tim Membrey free in the F50.

The set shot is stunning from Membrey! Pies lead!

Five minute warning

By Kyle Pollard

There's five minutes left, North leads by three, and it's a ball in at the North end of the ground.

Huge goal Collingwood! Huge!

By Kyle Pollard

Jack Crisp has kicked the goal to get the Pies back within a kick!

It's Josh Daicos and Scott Pendlebury who open it up through the middle. It's an uncharacteristic handball miss from Pendlebury to Daicos, but Daicos kicks it off the ground to give Crisp the advantage.

The veteran breaks through a tackle and converts! It's two points!

Free kick count

By Kyle Pollard

It's 21-11 in favour of North Melbourne.

And as I always say, free kick counts aren't meant to be even.

I'm just recording this for any interested Collingwood fans at Docklands.

North goal! It's controversial!

By Kyle Pollard

Oh the Collingwood players are furious!

Matt Whitlock turns out of a tackle in the goalsquare and he is caught cold by Billy Frampton, holding the ball!

But it's a dump tackle and the other umpire has called it as such! He's overruled his mate!

Nick Larkey takes the advantage and kicks the goal!

Collingwood players are remonstrating but there's no changing it, it's a major!

Lipinski goal ... or is it!? Zurhaar touched it?

By Kyle Pollard

Patrick Lipinski has launched from 50 and by the eye alone it looks like he's kicked a long goal as Cameron Zurhaar lunges to touch the ball.

But the umpire wants a review! His soft call is behind!

The replay drags on and on and honestly, I can't tell if Zurhaar has got a finger on it with the ball full behind the line ... it's umpire's call! It's a behind!

There's one point in it!

It's Daicos! Of course it is!

By Kyle Pollard

Scott Pendlebury roves the pack in the F50 and pumps out a quick handball to the speeding Nick Daicos, who hooks the goal!

Pies down by two!

You knew he was going to do something special!

Crisp might be OK

By Kyle Pollard

Just had a frame by frame look at Jack Crisp’s tackle. He doesn’t wrap Tom up ( Tom’s left arm is completely free and Jack takes him shoulder high on right arm) nor does Jack ride him to the ground . I think Tom let his right arm collapse which caused him to roll over and hit his head. Whilst I’d never try to read MRO logic I think Jack might be ok with this.

- Phillip

A fair assessment from Phillip here, but who knows how the MRO will take the concussion.

Larkey gives North the break!

By Kyle Pollard

Moments ago Nick Larkey hit the post for a third time.

This time he clunks a big contested mark and Docklands holds its breath as he shoots from 30m out on a slight angle.

It's right through the middle! He punches the air! Crucial goal!

Kangaroos in front!

By Kyle Pollard

We're straight out of the middle to start the final term and it's a chaos ball out the back of the pack.

Charlie Spargo puts a nice little boot on it into the path of Paul Curtis, who taps it through the goals!

North lead!

The run home

By Kyle Pollard

Keep in mind this is a super important game for both teams, with Collingwood currently 7th on 38 points and North in 11th on 32.

Collingwood's run home is: Blues (MCG), Crows (AO), Cats (MCG), Eagles (PS), Hawks (MCG), Lions (MCG)

North's is: Demons (Dock), Saints (Dock), Hawks (YP), Bulldogs (Dock), Cats (Dock), Swans (SCG)

Tough runs for both.

3QT: Collingwood 10.7 (67) leads North Melbourne 9.10 (64)

By Kyle Pollard

It's another odd quarter where North Melbourne dominated field position but just couldn't get on the board when they went inside 50.

Collingwood was the better team around the stoppages and it looked like that was going to be enough for them to potentially put a decent lead on the Kangaroos, but North just kept working and working to grind out a few late goals to make it a one kick game heading into the final quarter.

Josh Daicos (25 disposals) and Jy Simpkin (23 disposals) have found the ball the most, but there hasn't been one dominant force in this game yet.

Who can break this open in the final term?

The Xerri on top!

By Kyle Pollard

I hate that I used the pun but I had to!

It's Tristan Xerri straight out of the ruck after a boundary throw in, as he tosses Darcy Cameron aside and then awkwardly throws the pill onto his left shoe!

It's all thanks to Finn O'Sullivan who made the desperate spoil to force the throw in.

McStay answers straight back!

By Kyle Pollard

They have all the answers, Collingwood.

This time they're straight out of the middle via Darcy Cameron and Jordan De Goey, launching long to Dan McStay who flies and takes the grab!

He kicks truly and settles the Pies.

It's a bomb from Hardeman!

By Kyle Pollard

Riley Hardeman has his first AFL goal and he wasn't even trying to kick one!

He launches from well outside 50 to the top of the goalsquare where a pack forms. Jeremy Howe flies over the top and just misses the punch altogether! The ball goes over the top and rolls untouched through the goals!