Kangaroos elated by narrow win over Tigers

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott was unable to contain his emotions after the Kangaroos finally clinched a close AFL game against Richmond at the MCG on Sunday.

In a spirited, see-sawing thriller, a five-goal last quarter from inspirational spearhead Drew Petrie drove the Kangaroos to a 15.13 (103) to 14.15 (99) victory.

North’s fifth win in six games lifted them into the top eight, leaving the Tigers two games adrift and all but out of the finals race.

For Scott, whose side had lost three previous matches this season by two points, the Kangaroos’ ability to hold on was enormously encouraging.

“There was some genuine elation in that today,” Scott told reporters.

“We’d lost some close games, so if you ever get a shot of the (coaches) box, we lost the plot there when the siren went.”

Scott said while he had not felt his side had an underlying issue in their narrow losses, Sunday’s win was a big step.

“You make mistakes throughout the whole game but we were starting to stack them up at the end of games,” he said.

“So the ability to withstand the pressure, we’re really proud of our leadership.”

Earlier, the Kangaroos had led by as many as 22 points in the second term, helped by Richmond giving away consecutive goals from 50m penalties.

But a five-goals-to-two third quarter from the Tigers, in which Jack Riewoldt and Dustin Martin, returning from a club-imposed suspension, kicked two goals each, put them seven points in front at the last change.

Then Petrie, kept to two goals in the first three terms by Alex Rance, took centre stage.

He marked almost everything that came his way to kick five goals in the first 22 minutes of the last term.

Substitute Matt Campbell then snapped truly to put the Kangaroos 17 points clear at the 25-minute mark and seemingly home.

But the Tigers kept coming, speedsters Robin Nahas and Shane Edwards notching quick goals, before Shaun Grigg missed with a snap that could have given Richmond the lead with 57 seconds left, the Kangaroos holding firm in the frenzied final seconds.

It was Richmond’s fifth loss by two goals or less this season, a pattern coach Damien Hardwick said showed they were improving, but not fast enough for their liking.

But he refused to give up on finals.

“Once the door shut, it shuts,” he said.

“But as far as we’re concerned it’s well and truly still open.”

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