Jones boots seven as Roos knock Tigers
An early goal blitz by North Melbourne forward Corey Jones set the Kangaroos up for a comfortable 20.7 (127) to 13.8 (86) AFL victory over Richmond at the MCG.
Jones kicked four goals in the opening quarter to steer the Kangaroos to a 27-point buffer at the first change, with the Tigers never able to work their way back into the match.
He added three more after halftime to finish with seven.
Shannon Grant kicked four, including three in the second term, to be the other main North dangerman.
Richmond defender Jake King was on the wrong end of both forwards' goal blitzes.
He had three goals kicked on him by Jones in the first term, with the versatile North forward able to lose him both on the lead and when the ball hit the ground.
After being moved onto Grant late in that quarter, King had three kicked on him by that player in the second term.
The first was a clever kick out of mid-air to send a bouncing ball sailing through from 15m out.
He followed up two minutes later with another piece of inventiveness, a one-handed mark against King.
It was a big reversal of fortunes for King, who was one of the stars of the Tigers' opening round win over Carlton, but the feisty little defender was forced to start the second half on the bench.
The win was the Kangaroos' first of the season, after a disappointing fadeout against Essendon in the opening round.
The other bright news for North was the return to form of midfielder Daniel Wells, after his poor performance against the Bombers.
Wells had 24 disposals and was particularly good in the opening stages when the 'Roos established their dominance, hurting Richmond with his run through the middle of the ground and quality delivery into attack.
Daniel Harris was also good for the Kangaroos, with his ball-winning ability in the middle of the ground.
The Tigers showed some fight in the second quarter, with Jay Schulz (three goals), moved from defence to attack, providing some spark and helping them move back to within 20 points.
The lead blew out to 46 points again at the last change, with Richmond kicking the opening three goals of the final term to move within 28 points and momentarily create hope of a comeback.
But that was snuffed out by a snap by goalsneak Matt Campbell and then a free kick to Jones, which set him up for his seventh.
The Tigers lost running defender Andrew Raines in the third term, with what looked like a knee injury, while North Melbourne forward Aaron Edwards was reported in the second term for crashing into Raines in a marking contest.
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