North Melbourne takes on its first interstate trip of the home and away season, with the side travelling to Brisbane to take on the Lions on Saturday night.

Whether you're travelling to the game, a Queensland local or watching from your couch, make sure you're prepared for the game with this week's gameday guide.

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Round 3 - Brisbane Lions v North Melbourne at the Gabba
Saturday, April 2 - 8pm AEDT

This weekend is the Kangaroos' first Saturday night game for the season. Prime time under lights against strong opposition? We live for it!

You can click here to sync the AFL fixture to your calendar.

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Bring on the big game!

Who covers for the Kangaroos' key outs?

While North Melbourne's team is filled with young and exciting talent, no pair of players have defined David Noble era quite like like Luke Davies-Uniacke and Tarryn Thomas.

Near automatic selections when fit, Davies-Uniacke will miss this weekend's clash due to concussion, while Thomas is sidelined by internal bruising. Their teammates will have to step up and fill the void until they return.

Jaidyn Stephenson should come back into the side to provide some relative experience, while Noble has earmarked the likes of Cam Zurhaar and Curtis Taylor for increased responsibility in the middle of the ground.

It's been some time since the Kangaroos haven't been able to call on either talent - not since Round 9, 2020 in fact. Which Kangaroo will take the opportunity to impress in the star pair's absence?

Who goes to Lachie Neale?

Lachie Neale isn't just an accumulator of cheap possessions. He's one of the most dangerous and damaging inside midfielders in the competition. He's capable of winning the ball at the coalface, earning possession on the outside and even sneaking forward to hit the scoreboard. He's an all-around offensive package.

Neale was certainly the best player on the ground in Brisbane's victory over Essendon last week. He collected 41 disposals and 12 clearances while also kicking two goals. Every aspect of his ability was on show as he dragged his team to victory over the inaccurate Bombers.

The role of the tagger seems to have been left behind as AFL football has evolved, but a taggers effectiveness at shutting down an opponent, no matter the cost, always comes into a coaches thinking when assessing an opposition player like the 2020 Brownlow medallist.

While North has not consistently engaged a proper tagger under David Noble, Luke McDonald and Kayne Turner have shown the ability to lock down opposition threats in the middle of the ground before, while Jy Simpkin has shown promise when playing a run with role.

Time will tell whether Noble will turn to his entire midfield structure or a smaller crop of individuals to stop Lachie Neale. Either way, if the Lion gets off the leash it could spell trouble for the Kangaroos.

Can Nick Larkey back up his stellar six-goal performance?

Playing as a key forward in a struggling side is a difficult task. A general lack of service can mean opportunities are few and far between. Not for Nick Larkey though.

After a top-20 Coleman Medal finish last season, Larkey has started his 2022 campaign in strong form, and his six goals against the Eagles last week has seen him jump into the lead for the Coleman at this early stage, tied with Hawthorn's Mitch Lewis and Sydney's Isaac Heeney.

The hallmark of an elite key forward is the ability to impact the play and hit the scoreboard every week, regardless of opposition. Brisbane boasts a strong and settled back line that includes two-time All-Australian key defender Harris Andrews.

If Larkey is to throw his name amongst the elite key forwards of the competitions, these are the games he needs to find a way to consistently impact in the face of close attention from the opposition.

Will North's good Gabba form continue?

The Gabba is something of a fortress for the Lions, especially in recent years. Their strong record there makes it somewhat surprising then that they've defeated North there just once in their last five attempts.

That victory came in the most recent clash between the two sides in Brisbane, with the Lion overcoming a 19-point half-time deficit to win by two goals.

Prior to that, North had won three games on the bounce at Brisbane's home ground dating back to, including a massive 72-point win in Round 17, 2015 where the home side was restricted to just five goals.

Can the Kangaroos continue their recent happy hunting at the Gabba, or can the Lions turn it around and defend their home deck?

North Melbourne has been defeated by 108 points at the Gabba, outmuscled by an experienced Brisbane Lions team.

The match loomed as the Kangaroos’ sternest test so far this season, having faced Hawthorn in the season opener and hosted West Coast after the Eagles were forced to make 14 changes, 12 of them on account of the AFL health and safety protocols.

Unlike their slow starts in wins against Port Adelaide and Essendon, the Lions smelt blood early, slamming home seven first-quarter goals to set the tone for a 23.18 (156) to 7.6 (48) romp.

LIONS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

They were unrelenting until the final siren, bookending the match with another nine goals in the final term to crack the century margin.

It was both the biggest win and highest score kicked by the Lions in Chris Fagan's six-year tenure as coach.

Brisbane played quick and precise football, moving it swiftly at every opportunity and overwhelming North with skill and overlap run.

Lincoln McCarthy kicked five goals in a career-best outing, Zac Bailey added four, Joe Daniher three and only poor goalkicking stopped Charlie Cameron (2.6) from having a huge night.

The Lions finished with 11 goalkickers and at times were raffling their chances as players queued up to add their name to the list.

The Kangaroos were error-prone with the ball and far too loose defensively without it, allowing Brisbane to pick them apart with surgical kicking that changed angles and created all sorts of space inside forward 50.

Captain Dayne Zorko (31 disposals) flourished at half-back, Hugh McCluggage (29) was busy and Jarryd Lyons (28, two goals and four assists) was damaging in the forward half.

Fresh off his marvellous 41-disposal, two goal outing against the Bombers, Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale (27) had a comparatively quieter night but still played a significant role.

When North did get their hands on the ball, which they did enough in the first half and still won the clearance count 46-39, they often took poor options, opening the door for Marcus Adams and Harris Andrews to intercept at will.

Brisbane stormed to a 55-point lead midway through the second quarter before some ill-discipline brought North back into the game before the main break.

The second half was one way traffic though.

X marks the spot

Having wrested the primary ruck mantle over the summer, Tristan Xerri franked his form with five clearances, eight tackles and a match-high 26 hitouts. The 23-year-old won four hitouts to advantage in the first quarter and a half, demonstrating his capacity to connect with his teammates. 

More improvement for JHF

In just his third career game, Jason Horne-Francis showed just why he was taken at No.1 in the draft. David Noble plonked the South Australian in the centre square for much of the night and the 18-year-old delivered, fighting against the tide to finish with 21 disposals and a match-high seven clearances. Horne-Francis was clean with his hands, used the ball well by foot and was a shining light on a dark night.

What’s next?

North Melbourne will travel to Sydney to take on the Swans. John Longmire’s men were beaten by the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night, but won well over Greater Western Sydney and Geelong in the first two rounds. The Swans won by 14 points when the sides last met, at Marvel Stadium in the penultimate round of 2021. The opening bounce at the SCG next Saturday afternoon is at 2:40pm AEST.

BRISBANE                     7.2  11.6   14.13  23.18  (156)
NORTH MELBOURNE    2.2   5.3     6.5      7.6     (48)

GOALS 
Brisbane: McCarthy 5, Bailey 4, Daniher 3, Cameron 2, Lyons 2, McStay 2, Ah Chee, Cockatoo, Fort, McInerney, Robinson
North Melbourne: Larkey 2, Goldstein, Hall, Polec, Powell, Taylor

BEST  
Brisbane: Zorko, McCarthy, Bailey, Adams, McCluggage, Lyons, Andrews
North Melbourne: Simpkin, Horne-Francis, Xerri

INJURIES  
Brisbane: Nil
North Melbourne: McKay (quad)

SUBSTITUTES  
Brisbane: Harry Sharp (unused)
North Melbourne: Aiden Bonar (replaced McKay in the fourth quarter)