Isaac Heeney has once again been a key performer for Sydney as the AFL ladder leaders extended their winning streak to six matches with a hard-fought eight-point victory over North Melbourne. Heeney, who has consistently troubled the Kangaroos in recent encounters, kicked three crucial goals in the Swans' 16.9 (105) to 14.13 (97) triumph at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Sydney (8-1) reclaimed top spot from Fremantle on percentage, while North Melbourne (4-5) will finish the round outside the wildcard positions. The Swans were well served by Heeney (24 disposals, seven clearances), Chad Warner (18 disposals, one goal), Nick Blakey (26 touches), and ruck star Brodie Grundy, who was involved in an absorbing battle with Tristan Xerri. Blakey provided his trademark run off half-back despite appearing troubled by a right shoulder issue.
Post-Match Reactions
Speaking after the match, both Blakey and Heeney praised North Melbourne's performance. "It was bloody tough, North are in some great form. We probably weren't at our best, but their pressure was unreal," Blakey said. "It's exciting, 8-1 ... last few weeks probably haven't been at our best but we're still scoring at over 100 points. We're in a good spot, but there's no point being good now. We need to be good at the end of the year so a long way to go."
Heeney added: "They're a very good side, their contest and pressure was outstanding and they beat us on the night. We've got plenty to work on, we were a bit patchy tonight so we'll go back to the drawing board."
Key Contributors
Hayden McLean and Logan McDonald each kicked three goals in the absence of fellow tall forward Charlie Curnow (abdomen), while Tom Papley provided a spark with two goals. For North Melbourne, Luke Davies-Uniacke (34 disposals), Luke Parker (29), and Harry Sheezel (31) fought hard, but despite having more scoring shots and inside-50s (67-51) than their opponents, they couldn't convert their dominance into a win. Finn O'Sullivan, Jack Darling, and Zane Duursma each kicked two goals for the Kangaroos.
As North Melbourne celebrated the 30-year anniversary of their 1996 premiership, with Wayne Carey among the former stars in attendance, Alastair Clarkson's current team stunned the Swans early. Davies-Uniacke and O'Sullivan were prominent as the Kangaroos dominated stoppages and territory in a six-goal first term, leading by as much as 19 points. However, two late Swans goals trimmed the margin back to seven by quarter-time, and the visitors added the first three majors of a see-sawing second term.
The Kangaroos led by one point at halftime, when they held a 36-24 advantage in inside-50s, before Papley and Warner ignited Sydney with clever snaps on goal. The Swans added 6.3 to 4.1 in the third quarter, but North refused to lie down and weren't out of the contest until after Cam Zurhaar narrowly missed a flying shot at goal in the final minute. The victory marked Sydney's 11th consecutive win over North Melbourne, continuing a run of dominance that started in 2018.
