BRAD Scott had picked a strategy to beat Richmond.

All his players had to do was execute it.

There was understandably plenty of anticipation around North Melbourne’s clash with the reigning premiers, given the Kangaroos’ fine form of late.

And from the opening bounce it was clear the Roos were up for the fight, with a focus on winning the contested ball, overlapping through the midfield by hand and quickly delivering the ball inside 50.

Finals Week 1

Ben Cunnington set the tone from the beginning, cracking in hard from the opening bounce. He would go on to register an AFL record for 32 contested possessions – three more than the previous benchmark (set by Patrick Dangerfield and Josh P. Kennedy), engaging in a brilliant clearance head-to-head with Trent Cotchin.

But early in the piece, the Kangaroos struggled to execute at the crucial moments.

Scott’s side overused the handball, while some of their kicking left a bit to be desired.

Meanwhile, the Tigers eagerly pounced on turnovers, slicing ribbons through the Kangaroos with their work off half-back, with big-bodied half forward Josh Caddy inflicting plenty of damage on the scoreboard.

And although Ben Jacobs had the clamps on Dustin Martin, his teammates were more than willing to do the hard work to keep their noses in front.

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“For Richmond it’s really been the ability for them to cause turnovers. We knew coming into the game that they were the two best defences in the league,” St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.

“But North have invited that pressure through their overuse of the handball and we’ve seen it probably 20 or 30 times, this is just an example. They turn the ball over themselves with great tackles then overpossessing the ball, handballs. In that situation, you need to go quickly.

“You can’t handball against the Tigers and particularly the forward handball because they come forward and defend so well, they’re just going to cut you in half.

“The over handball just invites pressure and Richmond are the number one team in the competition at scoring from turnover and that has been the difference today. 20 point lead and you look at the score from turnover, 20 point lead.”

That said, the margin was just 20 points at the main break.

Inconvenient, but far from insurmountable.

Ben Cunnington. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

“For mine it’s the uncontested game, Richmond have controlled it by foot,” former Hawthorn forward Ben Dixon said on Fox Footy.

“North Melbourne have just rushed themselves at times, just a little more over handball and the turnover game. So I think if they can just reign it in a little bit, that’ll be pivotal in the second half.”

In the third quarter, it all clicked.

The Roos found the fine line between breaking into space and overusing their handball.

All of a sudden, those rushed kicks down the line were replaced with clinical efforts.

Between the 28th minute of the second term and the eighth minute of the fourth quarter the Kangaroos kicked seven goals to Richmond’s two.

Their class was on show, with Shaun Higgins among the players showcasing plenty of skill going forward.

Shaun Higgins. (AAP Image/Hamish Blair) Source: AAP

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“They’ve loaded up on their front half in particular, that’s where they’ve stacked up on all their class,” Riewoldt said.

“Jarrad Waite, (Ben) Brown, (Jack) Ziebell’s spent a lot more time in there, Higgins can go through there.

“So when they are going forward, they’re making the most of their opportunities with those sorts of players around them.”

Then, two minutes into the fourth term, they hit the front – and a boilover was on the cards.

“Irrespective of the result today, this is just indicative of what a great job Brad Scott and this group of players have done so far this season,” Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy said.

“They’ve just emerged as a very, very competitive unit. If they continue on like this, they’re playing finals and they’ve got some weapons.”

While the Tigers steadied late to seize the four points, there was no doubt the Roos had showcased the bold, tough brand of football required to beat the reigning premiers.

But they also showcased an attitude, and ability, that will hold them in good stead going forward – and make them a fearsome prospect this season.

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