It was a momentous occasion for North Melbourne who notched their first win of the season on the weekend.
The Kangaroos found themselves 32 points behind Hawthorn in Launceston but rallied to pull off a stunning comeback, resulting in a stirring win on coach David Noble’s 54th birthday.
The Roos had plenty of key contributors on the day but none were more important than inside midfielder and spiritual leader Ben Cunnington.
The 29-year-old finished with 37 disposals, 13 clearances, nine intercepts and a massive 27 contested possessions in a fearless and tireless display.
Cunnington was enormous in the final quarter with 11 possessions – remarkably all contested – and five clearances as the Roos got themselves over the line in a seven-point thriller.
He wasn’t alone though. The veteran formed a powerful midfield partnership with vice-captain Jy Simpkin who had 38 touches to go with 13 clearances (five centre clearances), nine tackles and five score involvements.
Simpkin pinpointed Cunnington and ruckman Todd Goldstein for their roles in allowing him to find plenty of the ball.
“It makes it a lot easier when I have Todd Goldstein and Ben Cunnington feeding me the ball through the midfield,” he said on SEN's Whateley.
While it will be seen as a team effort, the influence of Cunnington on those around him was clear for all to see and key to North’s season-first triumph.
Cunnington is TopSport's Best of the Best for Round 9.
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