A BURST artery in his foot and a bout of illness during the week wasn't enough to throw North Melbourne forward Cam Zurhaar off his game.
Instead, his four-goal turn against Richmond on Sunday afternoon was instrumental in the Roos' first win on the MCG since 2017, and just their second of 2025.
"(He was) a really good example for all our players, just sometimes you've got to play under a little bit of duress, and he just managed his mind really, really strongly today and made a contribution for the team that was pretty important," North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson said post-match.
Zurhaar wasn't the only one with some disruption heading into the game, with captain Jy Simpkin mourning the loss of his grandmother during the week.
But the gritty win was built on a six-goal first quarter, leading to the Roos' first quarter-time lead of the year.
And while Richmond got the game back into an arm wrestle, controlling long portions of the game after the first break, it will be ruing late missed opportunities.
TIGERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats
Tigers coach Adem Yze was pleased with his team's ability to turn the game around, and come within four points the Roos, he lamented the head start they gave up.
"Our start wasn't good enough," Yze said frankly post-match.
"The first quarter, we got smashed in inside 50, smashed in clearances, yeah they dominated territory, they kicked six goals from 16 entries. You're not going to win many quarters of footy doing that."
A late non-call by the umpires to pay Richmond a free kick inside 50 for insufficient intent had the crowd restless, after Luke Davies-Uniacke creatively fumbled the ball over the boundary line in the Tigers' forward pocket, with less than a goal the margin.
"I reckon 'Clarko' would have heard me yell out," Yze said, tongue-in-cheek.
"You get frustrated with that sort of stuff, because if it was early in the game, they might have paid it. But yeah, it is what it is. It's a hard one to umpire at the best of times… but we gave ourselves a chance to win it. We had a few shots on goal in the last quarter with tight game scenario.
"That's all you can do is get the opportunity to win the game, and we had a few of them in the end and I know those boys (who) have missed those opportunities will be feeling that, but the method's right. We got those chances, and we'll take (them) next week."
The number of goals Richmond conceded from stoppage – four in the first quarter, seven for the game – was a concern for Yze, but the Tigers were able to tighten up after the first break and bring the game back to an arm wrestle.
It was a stoppage-heavy game, and Yze wanted his charges to "embrace the fight", which included applying immense pressure. With the eventual tackle count sitting at 91-92 in North Melbourne's favour, Tigers captain Toby Nankervis led the way with 13, meanwhile a record four Roos recorded double-digit tackles for the game.
"That's the game, trying to nullify (North Melbourne's) strength. They've got a really potent midfield crew that are in good form, they have been for the last month, so there's a bit going on around those stoppages," Yze said.
"But yeah, that's the fight that we got in and obviously they were just a bit better at it today."
For North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson, it wasn't a pretty spectacle, but he's pleased his side was able to grind out the win.
"It just became a real arm wrestle and I'm not sure what (Yze) said about the game, but it felt like going to the dentist. It was hard work," Clarkson said with a laugh.
Richmond key defender Noah Balta will be unavailable for Richmond's next two games, including Friday night's Dreamtime match due to a court-ordered curfew, and will also be unlikely to play VFL due to evening fixtures and an interstate game.
"We obviously know he's not available for Dreamtime, which is disappointing, but he'll do what he did last time, and that's train hard and get ready to play," Yze said.
"If it's the next two games that he's missing, he'll go into a training block and be ready to play when he's next available."
Both coaches took the time to share their condolences for the families of Robert Walls and Adam Selwood, who both passed away during the week, while Clarkson also addressed the loss of Simpkin's grandmother.
"It's just been a pretty tragic week for a lot of people involved in footy. But everyone's got their own personal circumstances they've got to deal with too," Clarkson said.
"It's nearly like you want the whole world to stop for a couple of days, just so you can get your head around things and put things back in perspective again, because we love this game, but there's nothing compared to the love of our family and our friends."
