Essendon v North Melbourne, Round 3 2026
2026 AFLRound 3
| Club | QT | HT | 3QT | FT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESS | 2.5 17 | 4.8 32 | 5.12 42 | 9.15 69 |
| NTH | 3.2 20 | 7.2 44 | 12.6 78 | 12.9 81 |
Marvel Stadium, MelbourneLead changes 6
Recap
North beat Essendon by 12
North 12.9 (81) beat Essendon 9.15 (69) at Marvel Stadium in Round 3, a 12-point win. The lead changed 6 times.
North led at every change.
Zane Duursma kicked three goals for North and Nick Larkey two; Peter Wright kicked two for Essendon.
Luke Parker led the way with 33 disposals and 13 marks.
North won the clearances 31–21, and Essendon laid 54 tackles to 39.
In context
- North’s first win over Essendon since 2016.
- Essendon’s 16th loss in a row, going back to last season.
- AFL debut for Jacob Farrow.
- A career-high 13 marks for Luke Parker (previous best 11).
- A career-high 11 marks for Luke Davies-Uniacke (previous best 10).
- A career-high 13 marks for Tom Powell (previous best 9).
Brownlow votes2026 count
Score worm
Essendon aheadNorth aheadGoalFour or more goals in a row
- North lead by 37Q4 0:24
- 4 goals in a row to EssendonQ4 8:03 – 24:20
EssendonGoals
- P. Wright 2
- N. Caddy 1.2
- J. Caldwell 1.2
- L. Blakiston 1.1
- S. El-Hawli 1.1
- J. Gresham 1.1
- Z. Merrett 1.1
- I. Kako 1
NorthGoals
- Z. Duursma 3
- N. Larkey 2.1
- C. Trembath 2.1
- L. Dovaston 1.1
- C. Zurhaar 1.1
- T. Blamires 1
- P. Curtis 1
- T. Xerri 1
- Field umpires
- Robert O'Gorman, Nicholas Brown, Nathan Williamson, Brent Wallace
EssendonFinal team
Interchange
EmergenciesH. El Achkar, B. Fiorini, J. Nguyen
In
- +Matt Guelfi
- +Archer Day-Wicks
- +Jade Gresham
- +Jacob Farrow
- +Saad El-Hawli
- +Archer May
Out
- −Mason Redman · Injured
- −Jayden Nguyen · Omitted
- −Max Kondogiannis · Omitted
- −Hussien El Achkar · Omitted
- −Dyson Sharp · Injured
- −Brayden Fiorini · Injured
Milestones
- Jacob Farrow · Debut game
First game for the club
- Jacob Farrow · Joondalup Kinross JFC/West Perth (WAFL)
North MelbourneFinal team
Interchange
EmergenciesJ. Darling, J. Konstanty, Z. Banch
In
- +Aidan Corr
- +George Wardlaw
- +Callum Coleman-Jones
Out
- −Griffin Logue · Injured
- −Jacob Konstanty · Omitted
- −Jack Darling · Omitted
How the FanCrew rating works
FanCrew rating: Champion Data rating points and AFL Fantasy points together, on a 0–10 scale against every AFL game since 2001 (Fantasy points alone before 2012). 6.5 is a typical game, 8.5 and up a standout. Players need 15% game time to be rated.
North won the clearances 31–21, and Essendon laid 54 tackles to 39.
ESSAttackNTH
- Inside 50s 49
- Scoring shots 12.921
- Accuracy 57%
52
249.15
38%
The ball
- Disposals 405
- Contested possessions 116
- Clearances 31
- Marks 138
- Tackles 39
- Free kicks 23
- Biggest lead 37
328
105
21
85
54
24
5
Essendon9.1569
| Player | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25J. Prior | 18 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 87 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| 20P. Wright | 15 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 77 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 7 | |
| 21A. Roberts | 25 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 82 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 0 | |
| 6J. Caldwell | 22 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 86 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 0 | |
| 7Z. Merrett | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 71 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1A. McGrath | 22 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 80 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | |
| 4K. Langford | 19 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 86 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 | |
| 3D. ParishInt | 19 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 73 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 0 | |
| 28X. Duursma | 17 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 65 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 0 | |
| 16A. Perkins | 16 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | |
| 46L. Blakiston | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 70 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 18 | |
| 10I. Kako | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | |
| 22S. Durham | 19 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 45 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 0 | |
| 41S. El-HawliInt | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | |
| 31Z. Reid | 11 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 44A. Day-Wicks | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 52 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2J. FarrowInt | 13 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 11J. GreshamInt | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 47 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| 26A. MayInt | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 30N. Caddy | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
| 32B. McKay | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 35M. Guelfi | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | |
| 40Z. Johnson | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team | 328 | 9 | 13 | 85 | 54 | 21 | 1352 | 178 | 150 | 52 | 25 |
North Melbourne12.981
| Player | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26L. Parker | 33 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 135 | 19 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3H. Sheezel | 33 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 136 | 18 | 15 | 6 | 0 | |
| 10C. McKercher | 35 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 116 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 0 | |
| 9L. Davies-Uniacke | 31 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 125 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2F. O'Sullivan | 24 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 98 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 0 | |
| 24T. Powell | 23 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 115 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 0 | |
| 12J. Simpkin | 22 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 82 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | |
| 39T. BlamiresInt | 17 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 75 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | |
| 11L. McDonald | 18 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 82 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | |
| 5C. Daniel | 23 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
| 6G. WardlawInt | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 54 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| 32T. Pink | 19 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 0 | |
| 15D. Stephens | 23 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 85 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 0 | |
| 47C. Trembath | 9 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 20N. Larkey | 12 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 38T. Xerri | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 55 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 11 | |
| 7Z. DuursmaInt | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 30C. Comben | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25P. Curtis | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 44C. Zurhaar | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1L. DovastonInt | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 21C. Coleman-JonesInt | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
| 4A. Corr | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Team | 405 | 12 | 7 | 138 | 39 | 31 | 1677 | 254 | 151 | 49 | 13 |
Bold marks each side's best in a column; tap a heading to sort. RTG is the FanCrew rating, AF is AFL Fantasy points.
First quarterESS 2.5 (17) · NTH 3.2 (20)
- 0:55BehindD. StephensNTH0.0 (0) – 0.1 (1)
- 1:58GoalL. BlakistonESSLead change1.0 (6) – 0.1 (1)
- 6:07BehindT. PowellNTH1.0 (6) – 0.2 (2)
- 7:23GoalC. ZurhaarNTHLead change1.0 (6) – 1.2 (8)
- 8:39BehindJ. CaldwellESS1.1 (7) – 1.2 (8)
- 9:46BehindA. PerkinsESSLevel1.2 (8) – 1.2 (8)
- 12:03BehindK. LangfordESSLead change1.3 (9) – 1.2 (8)
- 14:13GoalZ. DuursmaNTHLead change1.3 (9) – 2.2 (14)
- 16:39BehindN. CaddyESS1.4 (10) – 2.2 (14)
- 19:05BehindS. El-HawliESS1.5 (11) – 2.2 (14)
- 20:35GoalZ. DuursmaNTH1.5 (11) – 3.2 (20)
- 27:53GoalI. KakoESS2.5 (17) – 3.2 (20)
Second quarterESS 2.3 (15) · NTH 4.0 (24)
- 2:12GoalN. CaddyESSLead change3.5 (23) – 3.2 (20)
- 4:35GoalN. LarkeyNTHLead change3.5 (23) – 4.2 (26)
- 6:57GoalZ. DuursmaNTH3.5 (23) – 5.2 (32)
- 10:01GoalT. XerriNTH3.5 (23) – 6.2 (38)
- 13:05BehindN. CaddyESS3.6 (24) – 6.2 (38)
- 13:38RushedEssendonESS3.7 (25) – 6.2 (38)
- 16:28GoalP. WrightESS4.7 (31) – 6.2 (38)
- 23:49BehindK. LangfordESS4.8 (32) – 6.2 (38)
- 27:21GoalL. DovastonNTH4.8 (32) – 7.2 (44)
Third quarterESS 1.4 (10) · NTH 5.4 (34)
- 1:12BehindA. PerkinsESS4.9 (33) – 7.2 (44)
- 2:28GoalN. LarkeyNTH4.9 (33) – 8.2 (50)
- 4:57RushedNorthNTH4.9 (33) – 8.3 (51)
- 8:04GoalC. TrembathNTH4.9 (33) – 9.3 (57)
- 9:50GoalP. WrightESS5.9 (39) – 9.3 (57)
- 12:45BehindL. DovastonNTH5.9 (39) – 9.4 (58)
- 14:30BehindL. BlakistonESS5.10 (40) – 9.4 (58)
- 15:35BehindA. MayESS5.11 (41) – 9.4 (58)
- 17:01GoalP. CurtisNTH5.11 (41) – 10.4 (64)
- 18:12BehindZ. MerrettESS5.12 (42) – 10.4 (64)
- 19:13GoalC. TrembathNTH5.12 (42) – 11.4 (70)
- 23:24BehindC. ZurhaarNTH5.12 (42) – 11.5 (71)
- 24:44RushedNorthNTH5.12 (42) – 11.6 (72)
- 25:53GoalT. BlamiresNTH5.12 (42) – 12.6 (78)
Last quarterESS 4.3 (27) · NTH 0.3 (3)
- 0:24BehindC. TrembathNTH5.12 (42) – 12.7 (79)
- 2:19BehindJ. GreshamESS5.13 (43) – 12.7 (79)
- 4:02BehindN. LarkeyNTH5.13 (43) – 12.8 (80)
- 6:26RushedEssendonESS5.14 (44) – 12.8 (80)
- 8:03GoalJ. CaldwellESS6.14 (50) – 12.8 (80)
- 9:58BehindJ. CaldwellESS6.15 (51) – 12.8 (80)
- 17:56BehindL. Davies-UniackeNTH6.15 (51) – 12.9 (81)
- 19:02GoalS. El-HawliESS7.15 (57) – 12.9 (81)
- 20:48GoalJ. GreshamESS8.15 (63) – 12.9 (81)
- 24:20GoalZ. MerrettESS9.15 (69) – 12.9 (81)