A catastrophic injury to North Melbourne youngster Charlie Comben compounded the Kangaroos’ dismal defeat to Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday night.
Comben clutched at his lower left leg in agony after going down 12 minutes into the first quarter, after the Demons had already inflicted five-straight painful goals to jump the visiting side.
Charlie Comben was stretchered off after suffering a significant lower leg injury.Credit: Getty Images
Play was halted for seven minutes as Comben was attended to by medical staff and taken from the field on a stretcher, before the Demons opened a 44-point margin at the first change.
Comben was taken by ambulance to the Epworth Hospital during the second quarter, where he was to have X-rays to confirm a suspected broken leg, and potentially ankle damage.
The Roos also lost Callum Coleman-Jones to concussion in the third term, and Tom Powell to a left ankle injury in the fourth, leaving them with just two on the bench midway through the final quarter.
The Demons showed some of their most clinical form early, led by Clayton Oliver in the opening half-an-hour. He had 15 disposals by quarter-time and finished with 37 disposals and six clearances, but he was hardly a lone hand in the slaughter.
Kysiah Pickett and Bayley Fritsch had three goals apiece to their names in the opening half, and Fritsch added a fourth in the second half, while Christian Petracca was at his damaging best, collecting 35 disposals, four clearances and three goals, as the Roos had only one answer to stem the bleeding, by playing keeping’s off.
After the Demons amassed 37 more uncontested possessions in the first quarter, North Melbourne went to work at keeping them accountable defensively, taking a high number of marks and spreading the ground, and at three-quarter time, the uncontested possession differential was 36.
It also produced back-to-back goals in the third term, but that was little consolation given how far ahead the Demons were by then, and they showed no mercy in the final quarter, pushing the gap out to triple figures before the 90-point final margin.
One cause for consideration for Simon Goodwin, however, will be whether Jacob van Rooyen and Josh Schache are the right spearheads to lead the Demons’ forward line, given premiership players Ben Brown and Tom McDonald remain on the outer. Defender Harrison Petty, who has played forward this season, will be available to return from concussion next week.
Schache did receive plenty of love from his teammates, however, when he kicked his own goal of the night with seven-and-a-half minutes left on the clock.
Moments to forget
A couple of moments in the second quarter summed up North Melbourne’s night.
Jaidyn Stephenson clumsily gave away a free kick for high contact on Trent Rivers early in the second term, when the Dees defender put his head over the ball on centre wing.
Ray Chamberlain paid the free kick to Stephenson’s disliking, and the former Magpies’ response triggered a 50-metre penalty for dissent.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Stephenson challenged Chamberlain’s decision again and ‘Razor’ paid another 50-metre penalty, taking Rivers all the way to the goal line for a certain goal.
Later in quarter, Luke McDonald nonchalantly scanned the outer side of the field for an exit, but Alex Neal-Bullen rushed on him from McDonald’s blind side and caught him holding the ball, only to get up and pick up the ball and walk in the Demons’ 11th goal for the night.
Percentage boost
Melbourne jumped temporarily to top spot following the win, improving their percentage from 129.4 to 143.5 per cent with the comprehensive result.
The win took them to 5-2, equal with St Kilda, Brisbane and Port Adelaide, with Collingwood at 5-1 and boasting the chance to take top spot if they beat the Crows on Sunday.
Games against Gold Coast and Hawthorn in the next fortnight will put the Demons in a position to set up a 7-2 win-loss record.
North Melbourne’s loss was their fifth on end. They face St Kilda next weekend.
Best
Melbourne: Petracca, Oliver, Pickett, Fritsch, Chandler, Viney.
North Melbourne: Simpkin, Hall, Sheezel.
