#(hello again fellow skippers!)

[kissorkill16]

A Wonderful Prize: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: Dead animals are such wonderful prizes to give to children,...Delroy doesn't think so.

Delroy walked down the street, carrying a dog collar.

Apparently, the mayor gave him a task to find his missing dog that ran away. He didn't understand why he was looking for it. Why doesn't he just get off his ass and find the damn mutt himself?

"Stupid dog.", Delroy grumbled.

He spotted the dog peeing on a fire hydrant, and he ran to it, grabbing it by the neck and trying to get the collar on it.

"C'mon, Skipper. Your daddy's too lazy to get you himself.", he said.

Skipper broke through Delroy's grasp and ran across the street, into the long blades of grass. The boy went after it, still holding the collar.

"Get back here you dumb dog!", he screamed.

The dog ran straight to the house of Otto Kinander, and Delroy stopped in his tracks.

He knew this guy was creepy, and he didn't want anything to do with him, he didn't even want to be near his house. But Skipper ran in.

"Hey!", he called after the dog. He started running to him, but stopped in his tracks.

He started to debate going after the dog. If he didn't, he'd teach the mayor a lesson about keeping an eye on your pets and not sending a random person after it.

But if he didn't, the mayor could sue him and make his life hell.

Delroy slowly walked to the door and creeped inside. He was greeted by a long line of dead animals and the smell of rotting flesh. Immediately, he wanted to turn back, but he needed to find Skipper.

He tip-toed around the hallway, trying to ignore all of the stuffed bears and wall mounts of deer and bulls.

He didn't see Skipper anywhere.

He stilled in his spot when he heard the sound of an old man singing an old tune. Despite his better instincts, he followed the sounds and was met face to back with the Raven Brooks Taxidermist.

Otto Kinander.

"Yes...yes...", he mumbled. "Oh! Yes! That'll do great. And maybe some green too! Yes, definitely some green! Oh, and some pink. Pink, such a wonderful color!"

Delroy didn't get what he was talking about,...until he saw that he was standing in between a long line of dead, painted foxes and crows.

He jumped and stumbled back on a creeking floorboard it was too late to avoid.

Otto turned around at lightning speed, and Delroy stilled once again in his place.

They stared at each other in the eye.

Delroy didn't know what he was expecting. Otto's angry ass to scream or chase him out of his house, an explanation for all of this, or if he was expecting an explanation from him...

But what he wasn't expecting was for Otto to smile.

The taxidermist smiled widely at him, and slowly trodded towards him.

Otto leaned down to him.

"Why hello there!", he said. "And just what's a little fellow like you doing here all alone?"

Delroy swallowed to wet his dry throat, "I was looking for someone's lost dog, sir. I saw it run here, so..."

Otto stood back up, "Oh of course.", he said. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen a dog around here, so I'm afraid you're in the wrong place, kiddo."

Delroy turned to leave, but Otto grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back to where he was standing. "But while you're here, maybe you could help me with these little toys!"

"T-Toys?"

Those things certainly didn't look like any kind of toys he's seen.

"Of course I won't let you hook them on, so you can help me paint them instead. Let me show you how to do it.", said the taxidermist.

He picked up a jar filled with gold coins. "And look!", he said. "If the children are lucky enough, they'll find a shiny gold coin inside their animal! Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

Delroy didn't answer, he just looked at him.

"Let me show you how I do it, boy."

Otto took a coin from the jar, and stuffed it deep into a dead crows mouth and stomach. He plucked the crow from its hook and rolled it around in some pink and blue paint, once he was finished, he just stuck the poor crow back onto the hook.

"Oh, you'll make a wonderful prize for the children.", he said.

The man let out a sickly disturbing laugh that made Delroy nearly piss himself.

He knew he had to get out of here, because this man was crazier than crazy. Skipper can die out here if he wants to, because there was absolutely no way he was going any deeper into the depths of these woods just to look for him.

"Sorry, dog. I'm out.", he said. He turned around and ran away, and Otto turned around.

"Hey! Where you going, kiddo? I was just about to let you take one home for free!"

Delroy pushed the door open, running out of the house, not daring to look back.

When he got to the sidewalk, he fell to the ground on his knees and leaned against a fire hydrant. Then he felt something sniff his arm, and he turned to see Skipper.

"What the hell, you stupid dog?!", he said. "You made me go in there and you weren't even -"

The boy couldn't even finish his sentence before he felt bile rise in his throat, and out of his mouth. He fell to the ground, his hands accidentally falling in his own filth. But he didn't care, he felt too sick to care.

He grabbed onto Skipper and put the collar back on him. "I'm taking you home.", he said. "And afterwards, I'm going to tell Trinity."

[simple-scps]

SCP-020: Invisible Mold

A type of mold invisible to the naked eye. It invades human habitats and releases spores which affect the behaviour of those living there, including making them alter the temperature and humidity of their house to suit the SCP's needs and inviting other people round to their house so that the organism can spread to other households. When spores reach a critical concentration level, the humans affected will rapidly deteriorate in health and die. TL;DR? Invisible mind-control fungal infestation. Also death.

[gokul2181]

RR vs MI Live Score: Rajasthan face Mumbai in must-win encounter | Cricket News

New Post has been published on https://jordarnews.in/rr-vs-mi-live-score-rajasthan-face-mumbai-in-must-win-encounter-cricket-news/

RR vs MI Live Score: Rajasthan face Mumbai in must-win encounter | Cricket News

LIVE BLOG Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of the IPL 2020 match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. PREVIEW: Skipper Rohit Sharma‘s fitness would be a concern for defending champions Mumbai Indians as they aim to continue their dominant run, while a depleted Rajasthan Royals would hope to stay afloat when the two teams clash in an IPL match. Mumbai roared back to form by crushing Chennai Super Kings by 10 wickets on Friday after their Super Over loss to the Kings XI Punjab. RR, on the other hand, lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets in their last game. Table-toppers MI are on course to make it to the play-offs but the game is crucial for Rajasthan, who are languishing at seventh place and a loss would mean a step closer to elimination. Questions remain on whether Rohit, who suffered a hamstring injury and missed the game against CSK, will be available on Sunday for MI. But Rohit’s absence was hardly felt on Friday as the young Ishan Kishan (261 runs) launched into CSK bowlers with gusto. So did Quinton De Kock (368 runs), continuing his sublime run. In the event of Rohit missing out on Sunday as well, the two will open again. Mumbai’s middle-order has also been among runs — be it Suryakumar Yadav (243 runs), Hardik Pandya (164 runs), swashbuckling West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard (208 runs) or Krunal Pandya (82 runs). With their big-hitting ability, the Pandya brothers and Pollard are a threat to any opposition. MI bowlers are also wreaking havoc, especially New Zealand left-arm pacer Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah, who are lethal upfront and in the death. The two have accounted for 33 wickets, while Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile (2 wickets) has supported the duo. Spinners Krunal (5 wickets) and Rahul Chahar (13 wickets) are equally aggressive in the middle overs. For Rajasthan, the biggest worry is the form of skipper Steve Smith, who has made 265 runs from 11 matches and a mis-firing top-order. In the course of the season, Rajasthan have made constant changes at the top and that has hurt them badly. The team does possess quality players like Ben Strokes (110 runs), Sanju Samson (272 runs) and Jos Buttler (271 runs), but the trio has failed to deliver collectively. With two crucial points at stake, the management would be hoping that the three click on Sunday, something which has not happened this season. All-rounder Rahul Tewatia (224 runs and 7 wickets) has been a revelation with both the bat and ball, but too much is being left for him to achieve. On the bowling front too, RR lack consistency. Only Jofra Archer (15 wickets) has been effective with his pace but has failed to get support from fellow pacers Karthik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat and Ankit Rajpoot, who have 12 wickets combined. Spinner Shreyas Gopal has leaked 343 runs from 11 games. Stokes, as a bowler, has also been unimpressive and has failed to get a single wicket so far. RR head coach Andrew McDonald said the team has not been able to be at its best and it chances of making the play-offs are fading. “Our destiny is probably in other teams’ hands now and as for us we need to keep believing, our challenge is seven wins and we’ll try to give our best to achieve that,” he conceded. Teams (From): Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Chris Lynn, Dhawal Kulkarni, Digvijay Deshmukh, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, James Pattison, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Prince Balwant Rai, Quinton De Kock, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult. Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Andrew Tye, Kartik Tyagi, Steven Smith (c), Ankit Rajpoot, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Mahipal Lomror, Oshane Thomas, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Akash Singh, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Shashank Singh, Varun Aaron, Tom Curran, Robin Uthappa, Aniruddha Joshi, Jofra Archer.

Source link

[footyplusau]

Saints skipper thrives on new challenge

SOME of the big-ticket items when you knock around the streets of Caulfield include the fate of Frank Penhalluriack’s iconic and historic hardware store and the chronic shortage of playing fields for the area’s burgeoning number of sporting clubs. And a new café seems to open up every second week.

But as Jarryn Geary has discovered, Caulfield and its immediate surrounds are also heavily invested the fortunes of the St Kilda Football Club, wedged as it is half-way between its first home at the Junction Oval and its spiritual home at Moorabbin.

The newly-installed captain of the Saints moved into the area about a year ago and now understands there are St Kilda fans to meet, whether he’s grabbing a coffee, a litre of milk or walking the dog.

“There’s a lot more people saying hello,” he told the AFL Record with a laugh ahead of this week’s clash with the Sydney Swans, his 150th game.

“I have a lot more friends now.”

What the Saints fans know and what the rest of the AFL is cottoning on to quickly is that Geary was a good choice to be the new captain of St Kilda.

The shoes left by Nick Riewoldt, who skippered the Saints for 11 years, would seem impossibly large to fill, but the 28-year-old is carving his own niche and quickly.

Acts like his crunching tackle on the hulking Jonathon Patton a fortnight ago made the rest of the competition sit up and take notice.

The Greater Western Sydney forward was charging forward, with teammates waiting ahead of the ball to run into an open goal, when Geary brought him to ground and forced a ball-up.

It was a statement move on the big stage – St Kilda’s first Friday night game for more than two years – and it helped pave the way for a statement 23-point win that underlined that, after a few years in the wilderness, the Saints might be back.

“I had to influence the contest,” he said. “I knew I had to stick the tackle.”

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson wasn’t surprised one bit.

“He does that often. That got highlighted because we were able to consolidate a victory against a really good opponent on a Friday night. But it doesn’t matter how big they are, he’s a ferocious, aggressive player. He doesn’t blink; he goes.”

Geary has been thereabouts at the Saints for a while. He came through the ranks in Bendigo with great mate, now Geelong star Joel Selwood.

One of those ‘I really know I’m now the captain’ moments came when he got to spend time with Selwood in an environment the Cats skipper is most comfortable – the pre-season AFL captains’ day at Etihad Stadium.

“It was great to share it with someone I grew up with,” Geary said.

But whereas Selwood was the No. 7 selection in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft and an instant star, Geary was the 58th selection at the Rookie Draft 12 months later.

He played 10 games in an improving St Kilda side under Ross Lyon in 2008 and 19 in 2009, but was overlooked for the Grand Final that year as Lyon opted for as much experience as he could muster.

He played 15 games the following year, but again missed out on the dual Grand Final experience.

But rather than be chastened by the memories of again spectating at a St Kilda Grand Final, Geary cites it as one of the best periods of his career.

“The Grand Finals weren’t to be. I obviously played a lot of footy both those years, but they were still good experiences to be part of.”

It is that sort of comment that teammate Leigh Montagna believes endears Geary to everyone at St Kilda.

“It speaks to his selfless character doesn’t it? He puts the team and the club ahead of his own desires and what he wants to achieve, and that’s why he’s a great player around the footy club,” Montagna said.

Geary bridges two eras at St Kilda and one of the reasons he emerged as the obvious replacement for Riewoldt as skipper was his ability to mix equally with all the young players brought to the club over the past five years and what’s left of the old guard.

Only he, David Armitage and Sam Gilbert straddle that generational gap.

“The good thing about ‘Gears’ is that he gets on well with the younger players and having some fun with them, but he also has the ability to get on with the older players and the staff around the club,” Montagna said.

“He’s probably one of the characters around the club with pranks and being silly, but when it’s time to work he knuckles down and gets things done.

“And what he produces on the ground is exactly what you want from a leader. It’s a nice blend and a nice balance. He leads through his deeds.”

“At some stage I can be a bit immature and other times more mature. It keeps things interesting,” Geary said, adding that some of his renowned pranking has been delegated to Jimmy Webster.

But once the games start, Geary takes his cue from Riewoldt – like pretty much everyone at St Kilda – but also the likes of recently retired fellow defender Sean Dempster. Statistics don’t matter as much as one percenters and team-oriented acts.

“Being a team player and sacrificing my own game for others is what I hold in high regard,” he said.

Richardson loves much of what Geary brings to St Kilda’s back half.

He can play lockdown football and one of the few highlights of an otherwise awful 88-point drubbing from Adelaide last year was keeping Eddie Betts to just one goal. Other times he fits into the overall mix.

He came second in last year’s best and fairest and has finished in the top 10 on four occasions.

“He’s just so consistent. There’s not a big gap between his best performance and his lesser performances,” Richardson said.

“He rarely gets beaten in contests, he’s got this terrific ability to be able to know when to stay or when to leave and run to a contest either in the air or on the deck.

“He’s very clean, able to control the footy and he provides our team with enormous energy and run.”

If anything, Geary’s future might be as more of a negater.

A feature of St Kilda’s fast-improving backline is the ball use and rebounding of the likes of Dylan Roberton and Webster, leaving Geary to win the ball and get it to them so they can attack the game with their run and ball use.

Montagna isn’t quite so sure just yet. He believes Geary is more than handy with ball in hand.

“When he’s playing his best footy, he’s able to intercept well, run and dash off half-back and be third man in a contest,” he said.

“With his spoiling and tackling pressure, he is everything you want from a defender.”

And from a captain.

Geary had to jump through a few hoops before being named as Riewoldt’s successor.

Discussions with possible replacements started even as far back as two years ago and the players nominated him for the job once Riewoldt formally stood down.

The final step was Richardson’s sign-off, which was soon forthcoming, and with genuine excitement.

“He’s the complete package with his ability to play the game the way we want him to play, to be able to train and prepare and set a great example of what we want at the Saints,” Richardson said.

“And he has a really good balance with how he communicates with his teammates, whether they are younger or older.

“He can strike that great balance of being direct and challenging if need be, but also showing empathy and care at the right time.”

Added Montagna: “The key thing that was explained to him was that he didn’t need to be Nick Riewoldt. He just had to be himself and lead in the way that’s just an extension of how he’s been the last few years.”

Like all new captains, Geary has had to learn to strike the balance between leading the team and readying himself to play the best he can.

It took him a couple of weeks to work through that, but his preparation as a player and leader is now where he wants it.

The key, he said, is to communicate and reinforce the key messages of the week.

And he got plenty of practice ahead of the Hawthorn game in round five, which came as the team was teetering at 2-3, having blown three comfortable leads in the process.

It was an edgy week at the Linen House Centre, but the Saints came out and walloped the Hawks by 75 points, putting their third quarter struggles and road woes to bed at the same time.

“The reason why I was put into this role was partly because of the way I am when I wasn’t the captain, so to get away from that would have taken something away from my own game,” he said.

Addressing the team in the moments before the game is still taking some getting used to, but this captaincy caper is starting to take shape for Geary just as the season is for the Saints.

His leadership was tested over the past week in the fallout from last Saturday’s game against Carlton.

Geary acknowledged some of his teammates “overstepped the mark” and he personally apologised to Marc Murphy for comments directed at the Blues skipper and his family during the game.

It was a situation a bit like having Patton hurtling forward at a million miles an hour. Firm leadership was required. Someone at St Kilda needed to be the adult in the room so the formerly self-described “pest” didn’t blink; he picked up the phone.

“That comes with being more comfortable in the position,” he said.

The post Saints skipper thrives on new challenge appeared first on Footy Plus.

from Footy Plus http://ift.tt/2rBXdQq via http://footyplus.net

[gokul2181]

DC vs RR Live Score: Jofra Archer strikes, Prithvi Shaw departs for a first-ball duck | Cricket News

New Post has been published on https://jordarnews.in/dc-vs-rr-live-score-jofra-archer-strikes-prithvi-shaw-departs-for-a-first-ball-duck-cricket-news/

DC vs RR Live Score: Jofra Archer strikes, Prithvi Shaw departs for a first-ball duck | Cricket News

LIVE BLOG | LIVE SCORECARD Jaydev Unadkat comes into the attack End of OVER 1: 3 runs off Archer’s wicket. DC 3/1 Ajinkya Rahane comes to the crease OVER 0.1: WICKET! Jofra Archer strikes, Prithvi Shaw departs for a first-ball duck. What a start for Archer and RR. Archer castles Shaw in style. Shaw can’t believe this. Archer celebrating the wicket with an Assamese traditional dance – Bihu dance. DC 0/1 Jofra Archer will open the attack for RR. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw are at the crease. PANT NOT PLAYING TODAY

A quick fitness test for Rishabh Pant ahead of today’s game.#Dream11IPL https://t.co/WGjJpvZIqH

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 1602681080000

PLAYING XIs: Rajasthan Royals: Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Smith (captain), Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tushar Deshpande, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje

A look at the Playing XI for #DCvRR #Dream11IPL https://t.co/txye8JU3nz

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 1602682902000

CAPTAINS’ TAKE: Steve Smith (Rajasthan Royals): I was gonna bat as well. Hopefully we can bowl well, restrict them and chase it later on. It’s obviously used wicket and hopefully we will put some pressure with the ball. We are playing the same team. And yes, Ben (Stokes) will open again. Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Capitals): We will bat first. It’s been dry and like we saw the other games, it’s holding a bit. We want to approach every game positively and we got really good bowling attack to execute our plans. We got good back-ups who can come and perform, we are definitely missing him (Pant). We got one change. Tushar Deshpande is making his debut for us and he comes in for Harshal Patel. TOSS: Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer wins toss, opts to bat against Rajasthan Royals

#DelhiCapitals win the toss and they will bat first against #RajasthanRoyals.#Dream11IPL https://t.co/kKiNOpgHvP

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 1602682548000

Both the captains – Shreyas Iyer (DC) and Steve Smith (RR) are in the middle. It’s time for toss. What’s your prediction

Let the g̶a̶m̶e̶s̶ names begin! 😎#DCvRR | #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2020 https://t.co/GKAY2bGanJ

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) 1602669650000

It’s Match 30 of the cash-rich league

We’re at the halfway mark in #Dream11IPL as @DelhiCapitals will take on @rajasthanroyals in Match 30.#DCvRR https://t.co/gz8jjM3O9m

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 1602678311000

It’s not just Wednesday, it’s #WallpaperWednesday 📱 #DCvRR | #HallaBol | #IPL2020 https://t.co/cX9zaTMw79

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) 1602678554000

#DelhiCapital will target winning return while #RajasthanRoyals will seek their second win on the bounce in Match 3… https://t.co/0KgetoaIaN

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 1602657566000

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of IPL 2020 match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals. PREVIEW: Bolstered by the arrival of Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals will hope for a stronger show from its slightly off-colour top order when the side tries to settle scores against second-placed Delhi Capitals in their return leg IPL match. The Capitals had beaten RR by 46 runs last week and Steve Smith’s men will look to return the compliment when they meet for the second time in the tournament. The last time the two teams clashed, RR didn’t have Stokes in the ranks and even though the England all-rounder didn’t set the stage on fire in his first game but his presence inspired the former champions to snap a four-match losing streak with a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. “With Stokesy back, it brings a nice balance to us. He just bowled one over as he just got out of a lockdown and is just working back into things,” Smith had said. While Stokes will be an important cog in the RR wheel, the team will also have to fix its top order which has been short of runs in the last five games, leaving too much for the lower-order to get. Skipper Smith and Sanju Samson have failed to make any significant contribution with the bat since setting the Sharjah ground on fire in their first two matches. Jos Buttler produced a superb 44-ball 70 against Mumbai Indians but didn’t capitalise on the starts in the last two matches. In fact, if it wasn’t for Rahul Tewatia, the Royals would still be in the dumps. The all-rounder, who had blasted five sixes against Kings XI Punjab, once again rescued RR with a 28-ball 45 in their last game against Sunrisers. Delhi, on the other hand, were brought down by Mumbai Indians in their last game and Shreyas Iyer’s men will look to shrug off the odd defeat and get back to the top with a professional display. The Capitals possess an explosive batting department as well as a formidable bowling unit with Kagiso Rabada emerging as the best bowler this season, snaring 17 wickets so far. He has been supported well by fellow South African pacer Anrich Nortje (8 wickets) and Harshal Patel. Ravichandran Ashwin too has bowled well in the power-play and along with Axar Patel, has done well to suffocate the opposition teams. However, it was Marcus Stoinis, whose all-round show floored RR in their last face-off and Smith would hope that his side has his match in Stokes. In bowling, Jofra Archer has led the charge for RR. He, along with the spin duo of Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal, have consistently figured in the XI, which has gone through a lot of chopping and changing. For DC, Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form further boosts their batting order, featuring Prithvi Shaw and Iyer in the top four. However, with wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant ruled out for a week due to a hamstring injury, DC have been forced to drop Shimron Hetmyer and include Australian Alex Carey. It also gave Ajinkya Rahane his first match of this IPL. Teams: Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Andrew Tye, Kartik Tyagi, Steven Smith (c), Ankit Rajpoot, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tewatia, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Mahipal Lomror, Oshane Thomas, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Akash Singh, David Miller, Manan Vohra, Shashank Singh, Varun Aaron, Tom Curran, Robin Uthappa, Aniruddha Joshi, Jofra Archer. Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shimron Hetmyer, Kagiso Rabada, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishant Sharma, Axar Patel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Keemo Paul, Daniel Sams, Mohit Sharma, Anrich Nortje, Alex Carey (wk), Avesh Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harshal Patel, Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav.

Source link

[footyplusau]

Eagles coast to win

A SAM Mitchell master class and a seven-goal haul from Josh Kennedy steered West Coast to a 43-point win over North Melbourne as the Eagles started their 2017 campaign in perfect fashion.

Mitchell gathered 38 disposals in the 21.10 (136) to 13.15 (93) victory at Etihad Stadium and was clearly the most influential player on the ground in his Eagles debut.

Only a week earlier at the Docklands venue, British megastar Adele graced the centre of the Etihad Stadium surface and opened her record-breaking show with hit song Hello.

But Sunday was Mitchell’s turn to greet the football world following his shock exit from Hawthorn during last year’s trade period after four premierships and five best and fairests with the club. And he did it in style with a typically controlling performance.

‘Pritchell’ delivers on debut

It was a less influential West Coast debut for former North forward Drew Petrie, who was forced off the ground early in the game with a hand injury. He returned to the field with it bandaged and was limited, but kicked a sealing goal in the final term.

Petrie’s quiet day didn’t make much of a difference for the Eagles, however, as they showed their firepower in attack. Reigning Coleman medallist Kennedy was superb throughout, kicking goals from all angles and distances, while fellow forwards Mark LeCras (four goals) and Jamie Cripps (three goals) also did their bit.

Mitchell’s new midfield partner – fellow Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis – was excellent with 29 disposals, while Andrew Gaff (35 disposals), Luke Shuey (31) and Elliot Yeo (26 and two goals) were also important and too dynamic for the North onballers.

The Roos entered the game with a new-look outfit, but it was mainly their most familiar names who had the biggest say in keeping North in the game until half-time.

New skipper Jack Ziebell led the way with 31 disposals, while former captain Andrew Swallow was dogged with 23 touches and eight tackles. More midfield time made for a productive performance from Trent Dumont (25 disposals) and Shaun Higgins (25 touches) showed his skill after an injury-impacted season last year.

The Roos’ four debutants, plus recruits Nathan Hrovat and Marley Williams, were all relatively quiet for the blue and white but ruckman Braydon Preuss did impress at times in combination with important big man Todd Goldstein.

North had the better of the start, posting the first two goals in the opening three minutes and continuing to dominate play for the quarter.

Their nine-point advantage at the first change didn’t quite reflect the level of their control, however, after recording 18 inside-50s to 11 and peppering the goals without making the most of their chances.

It didn’t take long for their misses to prove costly. The Eagles booted three goals in the opening three minutes of the second term to grab back the lead, and they held a six-point advantage by the main break.

LeCras booted three for the term – and had a hand in another – to prove his class in West Coast’s forward line and highlight his unique qualities as a medium forward and ever-present danger.

The Eagles kicked six goals for the second term but were unable to break the Roos, who returned fire whenever West Coast looked like pulling away. Ben Brown’s aerial ability in attack, alongside the courageous and crafty Kayne Turner and imposing Jarrad Waite offered some presence to their forward set up.

But West Coast stepped up its game in the third term to stamp itself on the contest by converting seven goals to three and opening up a 28-point lead at the final change.

North had its chances again early in the fourth term, but Waite’s wastefulness (he finished with 1.7) continued with two early misses. Moments later, Petrie booted a goal from outside 50 for the Eagles to extend his new team’s lead to 31 points and all but end the contest, starting his career at his new club in a winning way.

Jarrad Waite’s radar was off-target, kicking 1.7 for the afternoon. Picture: AFL Photos

WHAT’S NEW

North Melbourne: Lots was new about North in terms of personnel. First-round pick Jy Simpkin picked up nine touches and put his body on the line in attack, while former Bulldog Nathan Hrovat tried hard in attack and kicked a nice goal. Mitchell Hibberd, Braydon Preuss and Declan Mountford were quiet on debut, while former Pie Marley Williams (11 disposals) struggled to get involved.

West Coast: Sam Mitchell will get plenty of attention, and deservedly so, for his brilliant first game at the Eagles. But Nathan Vardy, with West Coast’s ruck division decimated by injury, also needs to stand up this year, and he started well on Sunday. The former Cat had 10 disposals and 16 hit-outs and was competitive around the ground.

MEDICAL ROOM

North Melbourne: The Roos appeared to get through without any real injury concerns ahead of next week, but Waite did end the game with his shoulder being iced after a contest late in the match.

West Coast: It was a dire start for Drew Petrie in West Coast colours, with the former Roo leaving the field early in the first term with a hand injury. He returned to the field after receiving treatment and played out the game, but will doubtless face scans during the week to check the severity of the problem.

NEXT UP

West Coast head home to host St Kilda at Domain Stadium next Saturday, with Saints champion Nick Riewoldt to miss the clash with his knee injury. North takes on Geelong at Etihad Stadium next Sunday.

NORTH MELBOURNE     4.6     8.8     11.10     13.15 (93) WEST COAST 3.3     9.8     16.8     21.10 (136)

GOALS North Melbourne: Goldstein 3, Brown 2, Turner 2, Atley, Ziebell, Waite, Preuss, Hrovat, Tarrant West Coast: Kennedy 7, LeCras 4, Cripps 3, Yeo 2, Darling 2, Jetta, Hill, Petrie

BEST  North Melbourne: Ziebell, Dumont, Higgins, Swallow, Goldstein West Coast: Mitchell, Kennedy, Priddis, LeCras, Gaff, Yeo

INJURIES North Melbourne: Nil

West Coast: Petrie (hand) 

Reports: Nil 

Umpires: Margetts, Nicholls, Mitchell  

Official crowd: 21,997 at Etihad Stadium

The post Eagles coast to win appeared first on Footy Plus.

from Footy Plus http://ift.tt/2njqjm3 via http://footyplus.net