Melbourne fly past Kangaroos in Clarkson’s return

Ethan James | August 6, 2023

Melbourne have turned on the jets after a slow start to register a 32-point win over a Kangaroos side celebrating the comeback of coach Alastair Clarkson.

The high-flying Demons trailed by 33 early in the second quarter to second-bottom North Melbourne before running out 15.13 (103) to 10.11 (71) victors at Blundstone Arena on Sunday.

But they have a nervous wait determining the severity of an ankle injury to Harrison Petty, who left the field in the third quarter and didn’t return.

Petty had earlier kicked two goals on the back of a six-goal haul against Richmond last round.

Melbourne’s Kysaiah Pickett provided a spark, kicking three goals including a miraculous left-foot effort from the left boundary line, and a fleet-footed snap.

Pickett picked up two goal assists, while teammates Alex Neal-Bullen and Kade Chandler also slotted three goals.

The win was Melbourne’s fifth in a row and their largest comeback win of the year, with three regular-season fixtures remaining before the finals.

The Demons moved to second on the ladder, but could shift down to third if Brisbane beat Fremantle on Sunday afternoon.

Melbourne put on seven straight goals either side of halftime to take the lead after trailing 35-9 at the first break.

It was the 18th defeat in a row for the Kangaroos, the club’s worst losing streak since 1935.

North Melbourne’s Eddie Ford kicked a team-high three majors – all in the first quarter – to give Clarkson something to smile about in his 400th game as an AFL coach.

It was Clarkson’s first match back in charge after he took an indefinite mental health break in May citing the toll of the Hawks racism saga.

The AFL made no adverse findings against Clarkson, Chris Fagan or Jason Burt over the historical racism allegations.

Retiring Kangaroos veteran Jack Ziebell, who hadn’t featured in the AFL since round eight, notched a team-high 32 disposals.