Hawthorn and North Melbourne face off at MCG to open a big Sunday of AFL action.
It marks Sam Mitchell’s first official role as Hawthorn coach after taking over from Alastair Clarkson to mark a new era at the club.
North Melbourne will release Pick 1 draftee Jason Horne-Francis as one of several young guns in hopes of loading the Rose up the ladder in 2022.
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The match started at 13:10 by MCG AEDT.
Tom Powell replaced Jared Polec (ankle) as a late replacement, while Tom Phillips (Hawthorn) and Charlie Lazzaro (North Melbourne) were named as medical subs.
North Melbourne got off to a warm start, with Jy Simpkin scoring the first goal of the game within the first 20 seconds.
Luke Davies-Uniacke was busy early in the contest, while Hawthorn forward Mitch Lewis was dangerous at the other end of the field, scoring two goals in the first nine minutes of play.
“He’s already a topic for them Mitch Lewis,” said Fox Footy commentator Anthony Hudson.
Horne-Francis was busy early, apparently things happened when he touched the ball, setting up a Nick Larkey goal.
“There are not that many people who can do this kind of thing,” Hawks great Dermott Brereton said.
“We see something exciting.”
Neither side could benefit from their 50s, with 2.5 (17) to 2.4 (16) lead in the first half.
Ben McKay was dismissed from the game at quarter-time with a cruel blow as the North’s best defender, especially with Lewis coming out on top.
“That’s going to be a dangerous shuffle around now because he’s the size and shape to play on Lewis,” Brereton noted in the first quarter.
The Roos had the Hawks better in the second quarter, but could not put it on the table, and scored only one goal in the first 10 minutes.
Horne-Francis scored his first goal after a 40-yard cut as Roos fans went crazy in the stands while his mother was seen wiping a tear from her eye.
“Believe the hype,” Hudson said.
King added: “That’s the reason kangaroo fans get on their feet. So exciting.”
Brereton added: “For all the evidence presented to us, all the tapes we saw of Horne-Franics before his first game, there was every reason to think that this kid could get into Round 1 and have a really meaningful effect.on AFL level.It’s exciting to see it does not.
Max Lynch was also substituted in the second quarter for Tom Phillips from the game with a concussion.
The Roos took the lead at the break with 5.8 (38) to 4.7 (31).
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