The North Melbourne Kangaroos will be looking to bounce back after last week's heavy defeat to Geelong, and the tough opponents keep on rolling in.

This week the Roos play at the home of football, the MCG, against a red-hot Collingwood side that has defied all pre-season expectations to sit sixth. With six straight wins they're the in-form side of the competition.

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

Set your matchday reminders

Saturday, July 9
Collingwood v North Melbourne at the MCG, 1.45pm AEST

Visits to the MCG have been few and far between in recent years, and this fixture represents the second and final time the Kangaroos will play there this year after the Round 1 clash with Hawthorn.

North Melbourne showed a strong period in the first term against the Cats last week and, as is the story of much of the season, they showed they can fight it out with the best when they're on form - it's just the consistency of a full four-quarter performance that's eluding them.

There's no better place to break the current difficult run of defeats than the MCG, and there's no better time to do it than this week.

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Be there to cheer on our boys and help give them the boost they need to overcome the Magpies.

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!

Trips to the MCG are, unfortunately, few and far between for the North Melbourne Kangaroos, but a trip to the home of football awaits the young side this week. In their way stands an in-form Collingwood line-up looking to make it seven wins in a row.

After suffering a handsome loss at the hands of Geelong last week, North Melbourne will be determined to put in a much improved performance this week to remind fans of the talent that's held within this youthful side.

First-year coach Craig McRae has the Magpies playing some of the best football they have in years, and as the season has progressed they've improved from bottom six fancies to genuine finals contenders.

Key Roos forward or back?

With players’ positions rarely set in stone, the question of who plays in what line is one that pops up on a weekly basis, but ahead of this weekend’s clash with Collingwood there are two names on the lips of North Melbourne fans. Ben McKay and Jack Ziebell.

Ziebell’s positional versatility has been one of the greatest strengths across his storied career with the Kangaroos. After starting his career as a hard-nosed inside midfielder, he shifted forward to great effect under Brad Scott before a move to the backline last season saw him finish third in the Syd Barker Medal.

McKay, on the other hand, has been a key defender for most of his career. David Noble has elected to swing him forward as a marking target in recent weeks and, despite the team’s struggles to get the ball inside 50 against the Cats last week, he’s looked dangerous.

Having such versatile options in the side certainly represents an added string to North’s bow, especially with the impending return of Jeremy Howe and a fitness cloud over Darcy Moore for the Pies.

If both Collingwood defenders play, the added height of McKay in the forward 50 could be utilised to great benefit. If Moore fails to return to fitness, it could be Ziebell who is primed to shine in a smaller forward line against the Pies.

Is selection pressure at an all-time high under Noble?

Despite the difficult loss to Werribee in the VFL on the weekend, the selection pressure being exuded by a number of individuals currently plying their trade in the reserve side is, quite possibly, at a level never before seen under David Noble.

Leading the pack of those who are banging the door down for senior selection is Callum Coleman-Jones. The young ruck is thriving after being presented with more time to hone his craft as the side’s number one ruck, and he’s heaping the pressure on senior ruck pair Tristan Xerri and Todd Goldstein.

Coleman-Jones’ VFL form is almost a mirror image of Xerri’s last year. In 2021, ‘X’ forced his way into the senior side off the back of some incredible performances in the reserves, namely his 36-disposal and eight clearance effort in the Round 6 win over Essendon.

While ‘CJ’ has certainly been the star of the VFL side this season, the likes of Eddie Ford and Flynn Perez were also exceptional against the Tigers and are pushing for a recall, while Josh Goater is continuing his rapid improvement to launch himself into senior calculations.

The best part about the players who are performing the best in the VFL for the Kangaroos? They’re all young, exciting and have their best football ahead of them. 

How to stop the Pies' rapid pace of play?

Under Nathan Buckley, Collingwood’s modus operandi was their slow build from the back. The Magpies go-to strategy was to patiently build up the play until a clear, high-quality option presented itself. Under Craig McRae this season, they’re playing a different brand of football entirely.

With their penchant for fast-paced, high-risk football, the Magpies have quickly become one of the most exciting sides in the competition to watch, and their recent form-line suggests their newfound plan seems to be working.

North Melbourne has had difficulty limiting turnovers this season, while Collingwood has been strong at scoring from forced turnovers. 

Limiting basic turnovers in dangerous areas of the ground goes a long way to winning any game of football. Limiting the speed at which the Magpies can build their attack from these turnovers will go a long way to winning this game of football.

Six tight wins on the trot for Pies

After six wins on the trot, the ‘Flagpie’ army is currently out in force. Currently sitting in sixth on the ladder, the Pies have been one of the surprise packets of the AFL season so far.

In those six victories they’ve defeated, in order, Carlton, Hawthorn, Melbourne, GWS and Gold Coast. Of those six teams three sit in the top eight, with Melbourne still top of the ladder despite suffering three losses in a row.

Of those wins, only the victory over Melbourne came by more than two goals. Four of the wins have come by less than six points.

The ability to win tight contests when the game is on the line is the hallmark of any good team, but despite their strong form-line Collingwood hasn’t been blowing teams away by any stretch of the imagination.

There’s no doubting the impressiveness of this run, but sooner or later they’ll surely lose one of these tight contests. Could it be this week?

A valiant North Melbourne Kangaroos have gone down to a fast-finishing Collingwood by seven points at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

In what was arguably the club's best performance of the season, the Roos fell just short to lose 13.10 (88) to 12.9 (81).

The Magpies finished with the last five goals of the game as the visitors ran out of legs after an impressive opening three quarters.

Despite the final result, the Roos' effort was there all afternoon and it was vital following last week's 112-point loss to Geelong.

The Kangaroos' intent was on show early with a goal in the opening seconds of the match through Todd Goldstein.

A Luke Davies-Uniacke clearance from the opening bounce found Goldstein up forward who converted one of the Roos' four opening-quarter goals as scores were locked up at the first break.

The Roos continued their brilliant start in the second term with returning skipper Jack Ziebell kicking a goal on the run within the opening minute of a four-goal-to-one quarter to help hold a 20-point lead at half-time.

MAGPIES v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

Nick Larkey, who kicked five goals on the day, continued the trend of fast starts with yet another major in the opening two minutes of the third term before the Roos extended their lead to 28 points at the final change.

Davies-Uniacke was sensational all afternoon with 33 disposals, 11 tackles and 12 clearances, while Ben McKay was a rock in defence with 14 disposals and 11 intercepts.

Next up for the Roos will be a return to Marvel Stadium to host Richmond on Saturday afternoon.

Roos' response to big week
Following last week's 112-point loss to Geelong, the Roos needed a big response and they delivered, making a statement from the very first minute against the Pies. North has made some surprise opening position changes in recent weeks, and did so again on Saturday, sending first-choice ruck Todd Goldstein into the forward line for the opening bounce. And it immediately paid off. North won the clearance – courtesy of Luke Davies-Uniacke who has been having an impressive season – and sent the ball straight into big Goldy’s lap. He converted the set shot, gifting North the early momentum and leaving the Pies shellshocked. While they ultimately couldn’t hold on until the end, North’s effort was unlike anything we’ve seen from them all season.

COLLINGWOOD             4.2     5.3     8.5     13.10     (88)
NORTH MELBOURNE     4.2     8.4     12.7     12.9     (81)

GOALS  
Collingwood: Cameron 3, Sidebottom 2, Ginnivan 2, Elliott 2, J.Daicos, Mihocek, McCreery, N.Daicos
North Melbourne: Larkey 5, Goldstein 2, Ziebell 2, Zurhaar, Taylor, Curtis

BEST  
Collingwood: J.Daicos, Cameron, N.Daicos, Adams, Elliott
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Simpkin, Anderson, McKay, Larkey, Goldstein

INJURIES  
Collingwood: Nil
North Melbourne: Stephenson (hip)

SUBSTITUTES  
Collingwood: T.Brown (unused)
North Melbourne: Mahony (replaced Stephenson in fourth quarter)