North Melbourne young gun Harry Sheezel has etched his name into AFL history, equalling the all-time disposal record with a staggering 54 touches in the Kangaroos’ final match in Hobart.
The 20-year-old’s remarkable performance helped propel North Melbourne to a convincing 48-point victory over Richmond at Ninja Stadium on Sunday, farewelling Tasmania with a 20.15 (135) to 13.9 (87) win.
Sheezel matched Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell’s record set against Collingwood in 2018, falling agonisingly short of claiming the record outright when he couldn’t get his hands on the ball in the dying moments.
The rising star surpassed North Melbourne’s club record of 44 disposals – previously shared by Brent Harvey, Phil Kelly and Ryan Bastinac – during the fourth quarter, while also contributing two goals to the scoreboard.
By half-time, Sheezel had already amassed 28 disposals and five clearances before continuing his dominance after the main break.
North Melbourne’s performance marked their fifth win of the season, though it came at a cost with forward Cam Zurhaar suffering an ankle injury early in the second quarter.
The contest marked the end of North Melbourne’s 13-year arrangement to play home games in Tasmania, with 11,176 spectators attending the farewell fixture.
North Melbourne CEO Jennifer Watt said in November the decision was made to secure the club’s financial future and will allow them to bring two games back to their “Melbourne heartland supporters”.
“The club began planning for our post-Tasmania future once Tasmania was granted an AFL licence,” she said.
“Having explored a number of options, this three-year agreement stood alone in delivering multiple benefits to the club, our members and supporters.”
From 2026, the club will return two AFL home games to Melbourne fans at Marvel Stadium, increasing the total number of matches there to nine each season, along with 2 games in Perth.
