Zurhaar goal seals North’s comeback win over Suns

Roger Vaughan | May 23, 2026

Cam Zurhaar’s goal after the final siren has sealed a pulsating six-point North Melbourne win over Gold Coast.

The Kangaroos rallied from more than seven goals down in the second quarter on Saturday at Marvel Stadium and won 17.9 (111) to 16.9 (105).

Zurhaar was thrown forward at halftime and it proved a masterstroke from North coach Alastair Clarkson.

Luke Davies-Uniacke, North’s best player, goaled from a set shot with a minute left to tie the scores.

The Suns won the crucial centre clearance, but the Kangaroos rebounded off half-back. A long ball found Zurhaar deep in attack and Suns defender Oscar Adams gave away an obvious free kick.

Zurhaar was mobbed by teammates after he kicked the match-winner. It is a massive win for the Kangaroos, who have struggled to claim a big scalp this season.

Jack Darling kicked three goals for North, while Jed Walter did the same for Gold Coast in a clash peppered with contentious umpiring calls.

North’s Jy Simpkin and star Suns midfielders Noah Anderson, Christian Petracca and Matt Rowell all stood out.

The Suns shot out of the gates, kicking the first three goals of the game in 10 minutes.

They kicked seven straight to take a 17-point lead at quarter-time and did not miss a shot until early in the second term.

Late in the second quarter, Gold Coast had kicked five of their first 12 goals from centre ball-ups.

With in-form key defender Sam Collins again impregnable, the Suns were also putting the squeeze on the North forwards.

Gold Coast took a game-high lead of 43 points late in the second quarter and it looked like being a long afternoon for the Kangaroos.

But Zurhaar’s move from defence back into attack at halftime had an immediate impact. His pass found Nick Larkey and the captain kicked accurately early in the third quarter to spark North.

The Kangaroos kicked four goals to one in the third quarter and reduced the deficit from 38 points at the long break to only 20 at the last change.

Coach Damien Hardwick had spoken of how banged-up his players were from the two wins in Darwin, and North were finishing the game better.

But a minute into the final quarter, Zeke Uwland kicked an outstanding goal from a tight angle to give Gold Coast a much-needed boost.