The Kangaroos once again return to their home away from home this week and are set to take on Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena.

North will be hoping to put last week's stuggles against Fremantle behind them. The long flight back to Melbourne would have provided plenty of time for some internal reflection.

Whether you're a Tassie-based fan, making the trip across the Bass Strait or watching from your couch, make sure you're prepared with this week's gameday guide.

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Saturday, May 14
North Melbourne v Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena, 2.10pm AEST

North Melbourne enters the clash with a point to prove.

Last week's disappointing showing against the Dockers shouldn't be forgotten, but rather overcome by this list of players who are hanging out for a win.

The Kangaroos will need to defeat a firing Port Adelaide side this weekend to overturn the side's recent poor run of results against a Power side who approach the game high on form and morale.

After losing their first five games of the season, Port has bounced back to win three games on the bounce and put themselves within touching distance of the top eight.

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Whether you're a Tassie-based North fan or you're travelling to follow your Roos, we want as many fans as possible in our home away from home cheering as we look to take down the Power.

Be part of history as we target 50k members in 2022

The North Melbourne Kangaroos have reached a new membership record of 46,401 so far in 2022, surpassing the club’s previous record of 46,357, set only last year.

With the continued support of members and fans, the club’s 50,000 membership target is within reach for the first time in its 153-year history.

Joining up as a member is a great way to support not only the AFL team, but the entire football club. 

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Bring on the big game!

The Kangaroos travel to their home away from home this weekend to face-off against a resurgent Port Adelaide side. Blundstone Arena is set for a clash filled to the brim with exciting and intriguing football.

Given current form the Power certainly look to enter the clash as favourites. The game isn't played on form or on paper though, and North Melbourne fans will be hoping for a stirring response from their side following a batch of tough losses.

There are a number of questions to be answered and stories to be told this weekend, but here are four of the most pressing.

How do the Kangaroos combat Port's trio of tall forwards?

When Charlie Dixon went down with a severe ankle injury in pre-season, Port Adelaide's forward structure was suddenly under the pump. Who would step up and fill a those massive boots Dixon had left? When the Power lost their first five games of the season that pressure became almost unbearably immense.

Enter the forward trio of Todd Marshall, Jeremy Finlayson and Mitch Georgiades. A switch to a forward structure boasting three bona fide key-sized players has worked wonders for the Power and has helped turn their season around.

After languishing at the bottom of the ladder after five weeks the Power have leapt up to 10th and are just a game out of the eight. It's been a strong turnaround.

Marshall, Finlayson and Georgiades have kicked 29 goals between them this season, 17 of those have come in the last three weeks when the Power have been electric.

Marshall leads the way for Port with a superbly accurate 14 goals and two behinds for the campaign so far. Finlayson has a respectable 9.9, while Georgiades has struggled to lock-in in front of goals, kicking 7.11 for the season so far.

North Melbourne's defensive trio of Ben McKay, Aidan Corr and Josh Walker looked well-placed to dampen the threats of Port's forward line this week. Three talls against three talls. The maths worked out. However injuries to McKay and lockdown defender Aiden Bonar have muddied the match-up waters.

Does Matt McGuinness come in for his long-awaited debut to, most likely, play on Georgiades? Does Jack Ziebell float back and play as a third tall? Does Kyron Hayden come in for his first senior appearance of the year?

The danger of this forward trio is they can all take big marks, they can all draw strong defenders, and they can all kick bags of goals. How the Kangaroos' back six looks to negate them will be an interesting match-up come the first bounce.

How much can Anderson improve as he continues to find fitness and form? 

The return of Jed Anderson to senior football last week was a happy sight for Kangaroos fans. After building his fitness through an altered pre-season program and two games of VFL football he returned to senior level last weekend.

He showed definite signs of rust on his return, and playing in his secondary position of pressure forward for much of the contest certainly didn't help him stamp his usual authority on proceedings.

Suffering a minor hamstring injury at a key point of his return schedule, coupled with playing on limited match time ahead of the Dockers clash meant it wasn't surprising that Anderson was carefully managed through his return game, but he'll be so much better for having returned to senior level as soon as possible.

He brings some much-needed grit and desire to this young North side, and regardless of whether he attends centre bounces his application in the contest sets a strong example for some of his teammates.

It's good to have one of the most experienced players at the club back in the side, now he needs show why he deserves to keep his spot ahead of some of the club's exciting young talent who are pressing their own claims for a return to the senior side.

Will a week of external noise lift the Shinboner spirit?

The emergence of a report that David Noble felt the need to apologise for his post-match address following the Round 3 defeat to Brisbane has not exactly allowed for the most streamlined of preparation heading into this weekend's clash with the Power.

While Noble has been forced to deal with what is, frankly, a now out of date story, his charges have come out and defended his methods during the week. There's no room to doubt the commitment of North Melbourne to Noble, or vice-versa.

Jack Ziebell delivered a powerful interview on SEN during the week, while a number of Kangaroos players vocally showed their support for their spearhead on social media on Wednesday night.

This story had the potential to create some cracks in the camp at Arden Street. If anything it's only made the bond between players and coaches even stronger heading into a tough fixture.

What could have been a worrying blow to the camp ahead of such a crucial clash could well turn out to be the catalyst needed to jump-start the Kangaroos' season.

Can Larkey and Zurhaar rediscover their brutal one-two punch?

There's no doubting that North's forward line struggled in the absence of Nick Larkey against the Dockers. One look at the scoreboard makes that blindingly obvious.

It can be difficult to draw positives out of such a big loss, especially when you offer such limited scoreboard pressure for almost the entirety of the game, as happened last Friday night.

One major positive that goes hand in hand with Larkey's impending return this weekend though is the individual performance of Cam Zurhaar on a tough night at Optus Stadium.

Kicking two of his side's three goals for the night, Zurhaar also flew high to pull down a Mark of the Year contender, using teammate Todd Goldstein and 204cm giant Sean Darcy as a brilliant platform to launch from.

His intent to attack both player and ball was unquestionable and he emerged as, by some margin, North's best player from a pretty dire display.

If Larkey and Zurhaar can rediscover the form that led them to be the AFL's leading goalkicking pair in the second half of the 2021 campaign it would go a long way to pulling their side out of the slump they currently find themselves in.

Becoming the main man for a night in Larkey's absence may just have given Zurhaar the jolt he needs to return to his electrifying best.

North Melbourne has been defeated by 69 points in Hobart, outmuscled by a slick and mature Port Adelaide team.

After an early Power surge, the Roos kept the margin steady throughout the game, and trailed by only 32 points at the last change, but they were worn down in the last term.

Despite missing skipper Tom Jonas in defence due to health and safety protocols, the Power pocketed their fourth straight victory on the back of a six-goal-to-one first quarter.

Tall forwards Mitch Georgiades (three goals), Todd Marshall (three) and Jeremy Finlayson (two) did the damage in the 17.13 (115) to 6.10 (46) result on Saturday afternoon.

Port Adelaide midfielder Ollie Wines was outstanding, picking up a game-high 32 touches, two goals, nine clearances and two goals assists.

KANGAROOS v POWER Full match coverage and stats

The Kangaroos have slumped to their seventh loss in a row after a week in which they made headlines for the wrong reasons.

It was revealed coach David Noble issued an apology to his players for delivering a stern post-match address after their heavy 108-point loss to Brisbane in round three.

North Melbourne copped a big blow pre-game, with midfield gun Jy Simpkin ruled out late with a hamstring problem.

It didn't get much better early on, as Port Adelaide dominated contested possession to race to a 41-6 lead at quarter-time.

North Melbourne won the second quarter 16-15 and could have been in a better position on the scoreboard if not for simple misses by Jaidyn Stephenson and Tarryn Thomas in front of goal.

Cameron Zurhaar (three goals) was a bright spark for the Kangaroos, with three majors for the match, including a brace in a tightly fought third quarter in which both sides kicked two goals.

Port Adelaide, who are on the rise after a horror 0-5 start to the season, pulled away with a run of five goals early in the final term.

The Power play Geelong on the road next round, while North Melbourne faces a massive challenge against undefeated reigning premier Melbourne.

Jed Anderson is inching closer to his best

Having missed the first seven rounds of the season, the 28-year-old was eased back into life at the elite level against Fremantle, deployed on a forward flank for most of the match.

On Saturday afternoon, the hard-nosed midfielder was thrown into the contest and instantly appeared as though he felt at home.

Anderson won the pill on the ground, dished it out to teammates and dealt out bumps in the manner North Melbourne fans have come to expect. Tough, but fair.

He ran out the game with 26 disposals, four inside 50s and two clearances from the heart of the contest.

Going into Round 10, he could be joined by Jy Simpkin (a late withdrawal due to hamstring tightness), Jason Horne-Francis and Hugh Greenwood.

It’s been a disjointed start to the season, but the gathering depth will give the onballers a chance to showcase their unique traits, and build chemistry and momentum as the campaign wears on.

The ‘Bull’ is on the charge

Last season, Cam Zurhaar didn’t register a goal until Round 7, but stormed home to finish with a career-best 31, second only to Nick Larkey at the club.

This time around he had to wait until Round 4, but a similar pattern is emerging. Zurhaar has kicked at least one goal in each of his last five games, for a tally of 11 in eight games.

His three against Port Adelaide in Hobart on Saturday were demonstrative of the threat he poses to defenders who can’t necessarily canvass both his height and mobility.

The No. 44 was first infringed as he went for the ball and kicked truly from his set shot, and later guided through two snaps in live play as defenders closed him down.

His strength and agility lend him an aura of unpredictability, and having been given the licence to thrill, Zurhaar has confidence on tap.

How he combines with Nick Larkey, wily veteran Jack Ziebell and raw prospect Charlie Comben over coming seasons will pose opposing defenders many a headache.

North Melbourne       1.3   3.7     5.9     6.10     (46)
Port Adelaide              6.5   8.8   10.11  17.13   (115)

Goals
North Melbourne: Zurhaar 3, Larkey, Powell, Thomas
Port Adelaide: Georgiades, Marshall 3, Duursma, Finlayson, Motlop, Wines 2, Byrne-Jones, Farrell, Powell-Pepper

BEST
North Melbourne: Zurhaar, Davies-Uniacke, Anderson
Port Adelaide: Wines, Powell-Pepper, Rozee, Amon

INJURIES
North Melbourne: None
Port Adelaide: None

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Jy Simpkin replaced in selected side by Kyron Hayden
Port Adelaide: None

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Charlie Lazzaro (unused)
Port Adelaide: Orazio Fantasia (unused)