NORTHERN Knights top-ager Riley Ormerod had a day out on Sunday, booting six goals in Northern’s runaway win over Bendigo. The 173cm prospect snared four in a second quarter shootout to help turn a one-point deficit into an 11-point lead at half time. We recap all the action in his 15-minute purple patch.

BREAKDOWN

TIME PERIOD: Quarter 2 | Minutes 8:44-22:58 (14:14 overall)
ELAPSED SCORE: Northern Knights 4.1 (23) – Bendigo Pioneers 2.1 (13)

GOAL #1: 8:44 | Northern Knights 5.3 (33) – Bendigo Pioneers 4.4 (28)

With Bendigo taking the lead up the other end just a minute earlier, the Knights transitioned quickly and locked the ball in their attacking half. Ormerod followed the play and snuck free inside 50 to mark low down on the entry kick. The conversion was relatively straightforward, slotting the 40m set shot on the angle to give Northern the ascendancy.

GOAL #2: 11:06 | Northern Knights 6.3 (39) – Bendigo Pioneers 4.4 (28)

Having been waved off by the bench after his first goal, Ormerod proved he didn’t need the rest and struck while the iron was hot. On the end of another attacking wave, the diminutive talent reacted well to crumbed Tom Sims‘ forward 50 entry off hands and drew a high free kick in the same motion. Again, Ormerod converted his set shot with aplomb, from 35m out on a slight angle. Back to back goals.

GOAL #3: 14:35 | Northern Knights 7.3 (45) – Bendigo Pioneers 5.4 (34)

Jobe Shanahan bagged a goal for Bendigo in between Ormerod’s second and third, though the Knight hit back almost instantly. Northern broke forward from the centre bounce via Gabriel Stumpf, who drilled a pass into Sims. The big man couldn’t reel in his diving attempt to mark but recovered to hand off to Ormerod, who was again waiting front-and-centre, broke a tackle and snapped the ball home.

GOAL #4: 22:58 | Northern Knights 8.4 (52) – Bendigo Pioneers 6.4 (40)

The second quarter shootout continued as Archer Day-Wicks reigned back the margin, only for Ormerod to restore Northern’s two-goal buffer just before half time. After Sims missed a set shot, Northern forced two re-entries and on the second, Ormerod again found space to mark uncontested. This time, he played on near the boundary, baulked an opponent and snapped the goal after an audacious bounce. His tail was up, and so was Northern at the main break.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

Ormerod went on to snare two more goals, one each in the middle of the third and fourth quarters. He finished the game with 14 disposals, four marks and five tackles to go with a high of six majors, as Northern’s consistent scoreboard pressure yielded a runaway 39-point win on the road.

WHAT DID IT PROVE?

Above all else, that the Knights many avenues to goal. While Sims looked like being his side’s focal point in the first half, Ormerod was the one to take advantage of the tall’s aerial competitiveness and Northern’s strong frontal pressure.

Sims has already broken two games open this year – in wins over Western and Oakleigh – but has good tall and small outlets who can provide a chop-out around him. It was Ormerod’s turn to shine in Round 7, thriving on an extended run up forward.