North Melbourne has put an end to a streak of 14 straight defeats in the unrest of the year that left fans staring in disbelief on Saturday.
The interim coach hit again, with serious help from Cameron Zurhaar and a sadly inefficient Richmond.
Leigh Adams, as Rhyce Shaw did against those same Tigers three years ago, started his coaching career with victory on Saturday, as North Melbourne won only for the second time in 21 games.
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The Kangaroos ended a hellish week with a four-point win following the dismissal of coach David Noble half a week after just five wins in 38 games.
In the craziest game of the year, Zurhaar regained the lead for the Kangaroos in the final three minutes after Richmond looked likely to break the hearts of their last opponents.
It was Zurhaar’s sixth goal – he threw five in the half – and left him as the undoubted hero.
In a crazy end to a weird afternoon at Marvel Stadium, the Tigers scored the ball twice in midfield in the final minutes, only to turn Sherrin around horribly each time.
But there is a moment that Richmond fans, players and coaches will remember above all others.
Jake Aarts, who came on as a medical substitute when Josh Gibcus was replaced by a shoulder injury, scored the ball within 50 in the final minute, with the Tigers five minutes ahead.
With 28 minutes played, Aarts’s Richmond fell dramatically just outside the penalty area.
It has been an expensive fortnight for the Tigers, who took a 40-point lead in the second half in a defeat after the siren against Gold Coast last week.
They are now in a stalemate bottleneck and run a genuine risk of missing the final again.
After jumping a 29-point shock at the end of the third quarter against Collingwood seven days ago, the Roos had to once again resist a furious fight.
Paul Curtis crowned the exciting first half of North Melbourne with a brilliant disputed mark and then a goal after the siren to give his team a 32-point lead, the maximum of play.
Five goals from Zurhaar with so many touches, three of them offside, and 22 discards from Jy Simpkin inspired the Kangaroos to get that advantage by entering the main break.
Simpkin finished with 34 dismissals, 18 disputed possessions, nine dismissals and nine stakes.
But Richmond returned to competition as soon as he corrected his bewildered radar in front of the goal.
After reaching a barely credible 3.15 early in the third quarter, a seven-pointer from Jayden Short overfed the Tigers ’concentration.
They fired 6.1 on their next seven scoring shots and were 10 points behind when Noah Balta scored a 50-meter goal after the three-quarter siren.
Richmond’s goal-scoring run continued into the final period, although Jack Riewoldt added two more last to his 2.6 mark, and the result seemed inevitable for North Melbourne when Graham actually shot.
But there was always another twist on that day, as the kangaroos left with weird smiles in an otherwise nightmare season.
Highly contrasted efficiency
None of the North Melbourne players should lack motivation after this week’s events and frankly throughout the season, but the Tigers made it easier for them to make the statement.
Richmond fired a 0.6-yard shot from within 40 yards in the first half, with Jack Riewoldt among the worst culprits, while co-captain Tony Nankervis missed a hasty shot from the top of the goal.
Meanwhile, the Roos really shot from their first eight goals until Jack Ziebell spotted his perfect night in the middle of the second season.
They went to the half with a score of 10.2 (62) once impressive first-year player Paul Curtis made the second after beating Nick Vlastuin.
The Tigers at this stage? 3.12 (30), including an accurate Liam Baker pump from over 50 m.
They added three more to start the third season before Jayden Short was blown away with a seven-pointer that seemed to end the rot.
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