Josh Goater goes down with suspected Achilles injury during North ...

Impressive North Melbourne youngster Josh Goater has gone down with a suspected Achilles injury late in the Kangaroos’ AFL clash with GWS on Saturday.

The 20-year-old had no one within 10 metres of him when he suddenly collapsed onto the ground inside North Melbourne’s defensive 50, immediately grabbing at the back of his lower leg.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Josh Goater goes down with awful suspected Achilles injury.

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Giants defender Nick Haynes was about to kick the ball into Goater’s area when the game was immediately stopped as medical staff rushed to the North Melbourne player’s aid.

“That looks bad. Let’s hope it’s not broken, but that looks really, really bad,” Jason Dunstall said on commentary.

“That’s a shame. We just hate seeing that in our game.

“It’s so innocuous, isn’t it? There is no one else around. He pushes off and it just goes.”

Dwayne Russell added: “We might even take the cameras off that because that looks horrific.”

The youngster immediately hit the ground. Credit: Fox Sports

Players from both teams congregated in their own huddles as the match, which only had six minutes left of game time, was delayed while the stretcher was brought out onto the ground.

Goater was visibly in extreme pain as he lay on the ground for a number of minutes.

“He’s distressed and distraught,” Nathan Buckley said.

“What would be dawning on the young fella is (that) he’s got a long time out of the game, which is a shame, because he’s had a big pre-season, he’s actually played really well today.

“The last thing any team wants is to not have access to your best players, to be able to put your best group together. When you haven’t got a mature list (and) you lose a couple of talented young players ... it creates some holes that everyone else needs to cover, and you lose a little bit of momentum.”

Josh Goater went down with an awful injury. Credit: Fox Sports

Medical staff were in the slow process of getting Goater onto the stretcher when he eventually decided to stand up and hop off the ground in the hands of the trainers.

He was clapped off by both teams’ fans as his teammates got to him to show their support as he left the ground.

“You can’t help but have your thoughts go to his family; his mum and dad would be watching this,” Buckley said.

“The excitement that they would have seeing their young fella, or daughter if it’s in the AFLW, play at the top level — then the sinking feeling in your guts, and the pain seeing one of your loved ones go through this.

“It’s inevitable, it’s part of the industry, the caper — but it’s not great to watch,”

Teammates got around Goater as he hopped off the ground. Credit: Fox Sports

When the match was eventually resumed, and finished minutes later, it was a Jesse Hogan special that propelled the Giants to a 39-point win over the Roos.

Flaunting his strength on the ground and prowess in the air, Hogan spearheaded a potent GWS attack with six goals to help them storm to a 17.19 (121) to 13.4 (82) victory at Engie Stadium.

Running without injured powerhouse midfielder Callan Ward, Tom Green was a beast in the corridor for the Giants, collecting a monster 37 touches, six clearances and a goal.

Giants co-captain Stephen Coniglio was just as influential in the midfield with 30 disposals, while Josh Kelly recorded 24 and two goals in his 200th game against his childhood club.

Hogan’s efforts were also backed by Jake Riccardi (three goals), Callum Brown (two) and Aaron Cadman (two).

Jesse Hogan was on fire for the Giants. Credit: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

All-Australian defender Sam Taylor proved a mighty roadblock for the Roos’ attack with five contested marks and 12 intercept possessions.

With North captain Jy Simpkin ruled out with concussion, Nick Larkey shone as stand-in skipper with a haul of three goals, joined by draftee Zane Duursma, Paul Curtis and Jaidyn Stephenson who kicked two each.

Harry Sheezel (32 disposals) worked overtime in the guts alongside Luke Davies-Uniacke (29, eight clearances) and Tom Powell (26, six), while Tristan Xerri (19 hitouts, nine tackles, one goal) used his body well to outplay the Giants’ Kieren Briggs in the ruck.

Cam Zurhaar, in his 100th appearance, was also among the Roos’ eight goalkickers with one major.

North Melbourne took time to find their legs in their first hit-out of the year while GWS ran rampant early with a 32-point drubbing of Collingwood already under their belts.

A Riccardi hat-trick set up a 15-point lead at quarter-time though debutant Duursma momentarily stole the show when he slotted his career-first goal to open the account for the visitors.

Nick Larkey was a shining light for the Kangaroos. Credit: MARK EVANS/AAPIMAGE

Larkey led the North charge in the second term, finding his goal-scoring boots to snatch two majors before Duursma added another to momentarily make it a one-goal game.

The ‘orange tsunami’ went full-throttle in the second half on the way to a game total of 145 contested possessions to 113, to put the result well out of doubt.

Up by 19 points after the main break, Hogan monstered Alistair Clarkson’s charges with three goals in the third quarter to blow the margin to 37 points at three-quarter time.

Xerri and Liam Shiels hit the scoreboard in the final term in a bid to keep the game alive, but North were well out of the contest by then.

Matters were then made worse when Goater limped off the field.

The Giants hit the road to take on competition strugglers West Coast next round, while North Melbourne host Fremantle for their first home game of the season.

- With AAP