Geelong Advertiser |NORTH Geelong coach Daniel Kee never lost faith in his side's ability to fight back after being jumped against Belmont on Saturday.
The Magpies came from 34 points down at quarter time to win by 60 points in blustery conditions at Osborne Park.
So influential was the howling wind, 34 of the 39 of the day's goals were scored to the southern end of the ground.
Kicking with the wind, the Lions got the jump in the first quarter and looked in control, kicking eight goals to two.
But the Magpies looked like a different side in the second quarter, responding to Belmont's strong start by kicking 11 majors of their own to take a 35-point lead into half time, capping a stunning turnaround in just one quarter of footy.
Belmont rallied with the wind in the third quarter, but was up against it after going into the final change 10 points down.
The Magpies then put the icing on the cake, notching 9.3 in the last quarter as they cruised to a resounding victory.
Despite the shaky start, North Geelong coach Daniel Kee was confident his side was up for the challenge.
"Even though the scoreboard said we were seven or eight goals down I had confidence we would be able to grind our way back into it," he said.
"At quarter time I basically just went over my pre-game speech again.
"It was just about putting our teammates first. We knew this would probably be our biggest test for the year and it showed in that first quarter.
"We just went back to basics and played the way we know how to play."
