After experiencing a bye in Round 14, North Melbourne should enter this week's clash with Adelaide refreshed, recharged and ready to revamp its season.

The Kangaroos will look to the impact the bye had on their campaign last season, with the side registering three of its four wins for the season after the 2021 mid-season break.

Make sure you're prepared with this week's gameday guide.

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Sunday, June 26
North Melbourne v Adelaide at Blundstone Arena, 1.10pm AEST

The Kangaroos will be hoping their strong record in Tasmania will prove to be a crucial advantage this weekend, with the side to return to their home away from home for the third time this season.

Adelaide enter the fixture after suffering a tough 43-point loss to Gold Coast. Much like the Kangaroos, they're looking to turn their form around. The Crows have won just one of their last five games - their Round 12 victory over West Coast.

North will enter the clash without Jason Horne-Francis and Lachie Young, both of whom will miss the clash due to suspension, while skipper Jack Ziebell has undergone surgery on a facial fracture.

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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 are back in action in Round 15 after experiencing the bye last week. This weekend it's the Crows who take on a refreshed and revamped North Melbourne outfit.

Adelaide come into the clash fresh off a disappointing defeat to Gold Coast. Their midfield performed well in the 43-point loss, but the Suns' forward group proved far too strong for the Crows' backline.

While they started the season with three wins in their first six games, Adelaide's form has slipped drastically and the club has won just one of its last eight fixtures.

A season-defining clash?

Whether they like it or not, both North Melbourne and Adelaide are not in the positions they’d have hoped to be at the start of the year. Finishing as the bottom two sides in 2021, neither team has seen the strong push up the ladder they would have been aiming for.

The Kangaroos currently sit 17th, and the Crows 15th. Both teams will be hoping to register a much-needed win to not only please the fans, but enter the second half of the season with a bit of positive momentum.

Last season the bye proved to be a shot in the arm for the Kangaroos. They won three of their next seven games as well as registering a draw against the Giants. Last year’s uptick in form will certainly be on the mind of this determined North side.

Who will lead from the front?

Jack Ziebell is the captain of North Melbourne for a reason. Both on and off the field he’s a fearless leader who represents so many values the club holds dear. In his absence the baton of leadership will be passed on the weekend.

As co-vice captains, Jy Simpkin and Luke McDonald will take on the brunt of the leadership responsibilities in Ziebell’s absence.

A true North Melbourne man, McDonald’s association with the Kangaroos goes back to when his father Donald played for the club, while Simpkin represents the emerging generation of young players coming through the ranks. Both bring entirely different skillsets and qualities to the table.

In a team that will be sorely lacking in veteran talent - it can be expected that the only Kangaroo to have played more than 200 senior games on the weekend will be Todd Goldstein - the opportunity for the next generation to stand up and lead will be well and truly present.

Can the potential inclusions be the difference?

Much like the Kangaroos, Adelaide’s issues in 2022 haven’t come at the contest in the midfield, but rather they’ve struggled at either end of the ground.

The Crows rank 14th in the AFL in goals per game this year with 10.7, and they’ve conceded the fifth most points at 93.3 per game. The strengths and weaknesses of either side run almost parallel to each other.

Should each team’s midfield continue to fire, the game will be won or lost at the weakest areas of the ground. Not the strongest. Whoever can use the ball most efficiently and tighten the screws on the opposition will be on the front foot.

The potential returns of Cam Zurhaar and Tarryn Thomas should help the Kangaroos forward of the ball, while Ben McKay can help shore up what’s been a leaky defence in recent weeks.

While football is a team game, the inclusion of these three immensely talented individuals at each end of the ground could prove pivotal to the Kangaroos’ fortunes.

Can Greenwood fire against his former side?

For the first time since joining forces at North Melbourne, Hugh Greenwood and David Noble are set to come up against their former side.

While both took detours to Arden Street via Queensland, Greenwood through the Suns and Noble through the Lions, the pair’s association with the Crows was a successful one.

After turning his back on a potential professional basketball career at the end of 2016, Greenwood made an immediate impact at the Crows and was included in their 2017 Grand Final side. Noble, who had been a long-time admirer of Greenwood, had departed from the Crows just 12 months earlier.

Players and coaches coming up against the former sides always adds an extra element of spice to a game. The fortunes of the Crows have somewhat changed since Greenwood and Noble’s tenures there, and the pair will be hoping to add to the pain of their former side on Sunday.

Taylor Walker and his heir apparent Darcy Fogarty combined for 10 goals to drive Adelaide to a 57-point win over a misfiring North Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.

The 32-year-old Walker (six goals) and 22-year-old Fogarty (four) were too strong up front, consigning the Kangaroos to a 12th-straight loss and last position on the ladder.

The 17.13 (115) to 8.10 (58) victory in Hobart on Sunday afternoon was the Crows' fifth this year and second from their past three games.

Walker, who is yet to be offered a deal by Adelaide for 2023, picked up three goals in the first term and two in the crucial third.

In his 50th appearance, Fogarty produced the highlight of the game with a flying grab in a second term in which North Melbourne failed to kick a goal.

The Kangaroos trailed 33-24 at the end of the first quarter but couldn't keep pace with the Crows, who extended the margin at each change.

North Melbourne coach David Noble pulled a selection shock, shifting defender Ben McKay to the forward line.

He slotted one goal but sprayed a couple of set shots wide of all the posts.

KANGAROOS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

North Melbourne's Jackson Archer, son of club legend Glenn, didn't look overawed on debut and picked up 15 disposals including six in the first term.

Tempers flared early in the game with Adelaide's Shane McAdam and North Melbourne's Luke McDonald coming together off the ball.

The Kangaroos lost Bailey Scott to a hip problem at half-time while Adelaide's Will Hamill was subbed out of the match in the third term with concussion.

Adelaide forward McAdam twisted his ankle late and was assisted from the field.

North Melbourne drops to last on the ladder, with just one win for the year, after fellow strugglers West Coast upset Essendon on Friday night.

The next generation of North royalty
The ‘Shinboner of the Century’ is a tough act to follow, but Jackson Archer held his own on debut in Tasmania. Applause rippled around Blundstone Arena when Archer, son of Glenn, ran onto the ground in the seventh minute of the game as the next chapter of the legacy began. Archer picked up 15 touches against the Crows and showed some promising signs – including a competitiveness his old man would have been proud of.

McKay swung forward
The Kangaroos' backline had been crying out for reinforcements in recent weeks, and the return of Ben McKay from concussion should have provided just that, but McKay was swung forward. While McKay presented an excellent target inside 50, it was a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. McKay’s height may have allowed the Roos to exploit the Crows’ undersized backline, but as a result left its own undermanned and vulnerable to the aerial threat of Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty.

NORTH MELBOURNE     4.0     4.4     6.8     8.10     (58)
ADELAIDE                       5.3     7.6     11.9     17.13     (115)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Zurhaar 2, McKay, Curtis, Larkey, Taylor, Powell, Xerri
Adelaide: Walker 6, Fogarty 4, Rowe 2, Keays, McAdam, Smith, O’Brien, Soligo

BEST
North Melbourne: Simpkin, Hall, Greenwood, Davies-Uniacke
Adelaide: Walker, Laird, Fogarty, Dawson, Keays

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Scott (hip)
Adelaide: Hamill (concussion), McAdam (ankle)

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Perez (replaced Scott in the third quarter)
Adelaide: Jones (replaced Hamill in the third quarter)