The monkey is finally off the back. For the first time since Round 2 the North Melbourne Kangaroos head into a fixture in search of back-to-back wins.

A sublime first-half performance from North Melbourne set up a nail-biting finish against Richmond last week, with the Tigers' inaccuracy in front of goal opening the door for Cam Zurhaar to be the hero in the final moments of the game.

For the second time this season North will take on Hawthorn, with the Hawks overcoming the team in royal blue and white by 20 points in Round 1 this season.

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

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Saturday, July 23
North Melbourne v Hawthorn at Blundstone Arena, 1.45pm AEST

North Melbourne returns to its home away from home with wind in its sails after last week's victory, and the confidence gained from the last time the side took on Hawthorn in Tasmania will still be strong in the mind.

The Hawks started the season in red-hot form but have dipped in recent weeks, however a 25-point victory over the Eagles last week has seen them steady the course as they hope to return to form.

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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 there as possible as we look to take down the Hawks at our home away from home.

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!

It's been easy for North Melbourne fans to dwell on last week's victory. Amid a difficult season it represents not only a massive release of pressure, but an exciting look at how good this Kangaroos side can actually be on its day.

As interim coach Leigh Adams keeps saying though, footy stops for no one. Last week's drought-breaking win is now firmly in the past. This week's opposition is also one of the most exciting young lists in the competition. Hawthorn.

After a hot start to the season the Hawks suffered something of a mid-season slump by losing nine out of their 10 games between rounds six and 16. With the potential return of veteran forward Jack Gunston to a side that's won two games on the bounce though, they're now a team high on confidence.

Which young side comes out on top?

Both Hawthorn and North Melbourne have approached the 2022 campaign with the goal of building for the future. They are, after all, two of the youngest lists in the competition.

The average age of the players on the Kangaroos list this season is just 23.7. For Hawthorn, that average age is 23.8. They're the second and third youngest sides in the AFL respectively.

For context, Geelong is the oldest side with an average age of 25.7 years and almost 40 more games of experience than the Kangaroos.

Jason Horne-Francis has earned a Rising Star nomination for the Kangaroos this season, while Hawthorn midfielder Jai Newcombe was an early frontrunner for the award following his recognition in Round 5.

The Hawks' Josh Ward earned last week's nomination for his 34 disposal performance against West Coast, while Roos forward Paul Curtis can feel unlucky for missing out following his three goal masterclass against the Tigers.

There'll be countless individual battles between young stars this weekend, whether it be the aforementioned Horne-Francis and Newcombe in the midfield, Callum Coleman-Jones and Ned Reeves in the ruck, or Mitch Lewis and Ben McKay in North's backline.

This weekend's clash will offer an exciting glimpse into the future of the AFL.

Can last week's drought-breaking win make the difference?

Nothing that boosts the confidence of a playing list like a win. If the scenes in the changing rooms after last week’s victory over Richmond were anything to go by, the Kangaroos' hard-fought victory certainly provided some reward for the players.

The game was the first victory in royal blue and white for a number of North players with Phoenix Spicer, Paul Curtis and Callum Coleman-Jones all on the receiving end of Gatorade showers during the team song.

Flynn Perez was noticeably absent from the middle of the circle, despite it being his first career win as well. Drafted ahead of the 2020 season, Perez made his debut in Round 16 of that year before sitting out the 2021 campaign with a ruptured ACL.

Almost an ever-present in the side this season, Perez had been on the losing side in his first 15 games of senior football, but finally has a much-deserved win to his name.

After fighting so hard for a victory for so long, the palpable reward of a win will do wonders for the confidence of so many young Roos. Getting two in a row would be a fantastic achievement.

Can Zurhaar replicate his massive performance?

Cam Zurhaar was on fire in last week’s game with Richmond. After he kicked five goals from five first-half disposals, he popped up with the match-winner in the final minutes of the contest to finish with a career-best six majors.

This week he may have to try to do it all again without forward partner Nick Larkey, with the popular No.20 in doubt for the Hawthorn clash due to a heel injury.

Since the beginning of the 2020 season Zurhaar has played in just six games that haven’t featured his forward partner, and he's kicked 13 goals across those games. The most recent of those was Round 8 of this season where he kicked two goals and had nine disposals against Fremantle.

Zurhaar has continued his career trend of hitting his stride mid-season, and has been an immense presence in the forward line in recent weeks.

If he can have a similar performance to the one he put in last week against the Tigers, the Kangaroos will certainly be in with a strong chance of victory.

Will the demons of Round 1 be put to bed?

This weekend’s clash with Hawthorn will represent the second time the Kangaroos have played a team twice this season, and they’ll certainly have some demons to put to bed after the Round 1 defeat.

In a game that saw Jason Horne-Francis, Callum Coleman-Jones and Hugh Greenwood play their first games for North Melbourne, the Kangaroos shot out to a 21-point lead but went on to lose by 20 points at the MCG.

While the first half was full of class and composure, Hawthorn revealed some of North’s weaknesses to rapid counter-attacks through the middle of the ground in the second half of the fixture. Mitch Lewis and Jack Gunston thrived off the silver service from the Hawks' midfield by kicking three goals apiece.

While North has experienced a tough season since that sunny opening day at the MCG, they've shown signs of immense improvement over the year. This week's game offers an opportunity to show it.

The North Melbourne Kangaroos have returned to earth with a 46-point defeat to Hawthorn in Hobart on Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks slotted eight unanswered goals in the first quarter at Hobart's Blundstone Arena on Saturday, with the Kangaroos failing to back up last round's upset over Richmond under caretaker coach Leigh Adams. 

Playing his first match following two weeks off after the sudden death of his father, three-time premiership winner Gunston was a shining light in the 19.7 (121) to 11.9 (75) result.

The 30-year-old fittingly opened the scoring and pointed to the heavens to pay tribute to his father Ray, who was a former executive at the AFL. 

Gunston's best came in the fourth quarter from a set shot from the boundary line, as the Hawks registered their third win on the trot.

Busy Hawthorn midfielder Jai Newcombe picked up two goals, 30 disposals and nine clearances.

KANGAROOS v HAWKS Full match coverage and stats

North Melbourne, which mutually parted ways with coach David Noble less than a fortnight ago, was dealt a late blow when key forward Nick Larkey was ruled out with a heel problem.

Larkey had been under an injury cloud after being subbed out in the drought-breaking win over Richmond but made the trip south to Hobart.

His replacement Aaron Hall picked up an equal team-high 30 disposals.

Tempers flared in the fourth quarter when several Hawthorn players objected to North Melbourne's Jy Simpkin flinging one of their teammates to the ground.

Hawthorn racked up a 49-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Kangaroos clawed back some momentum by winning the second term with two goals to the Hawks' single major.

However, the Hawks got rolling again in the third, with Gunston contributing two goals. 

North Melbourne fans had something to cheer about when 20-year-old Phoenix Spicer kicked his maiden goal in the third quarter.

Skipper Jack Ziebell booted three in front of a crowd of 9713. 

The Kangaroos remain anchored to the foot of the ladder with two wins for the season and next meet Essendon, while Hawthorn plays top-eight hopeful St Kilda. 

Safe passage for Hall in first game back

A revelation for North Melbourne behind the ball last season, former Gold Coast forward and wingman Aaron Hall has this year been frustrated by soft tissue injuries. The 31-year-old missed seven weeks in the middle of the season having been substituted out of the Good Friday SuperClash with a hamstring injury. Having completed his rehabilitation, he featured in three consecutive games on either side of the Kangaroos’ bye. When North Melbourne made the trip to Geelong in Round 16, Hall was forced from the field only minutes into the game with a quad injury, and was visibly distraught. The ex-Sun could be forgiven for lacking trust in his body, but presented again and again and brought his audacious kicking game. In his 50th game for the club, Hall finished with a team-high 30 disposals, seven marks, seven intercepts and 757 metres gained.

'Buckets' the bulwark

Key defenders are often forgiven for having been beaten when the opposition have gone inside 50 at volume. On Saturday afternoon, Roos linchpin Ben McKay needed no absolution. At the final change the Hawks had doubled North Melbourne’s forward entry count (26-52), but the 24-year-old had a game-high 11 intercepts. Hawthorn spearhead Mitch Lewis had kicked 36 goals for the season from only 13 games, including five in the Hawks’ win over the Crows two weeks ago. In Lewis' 50th game, McKay held him to just five marks and a goal. North Melbourne’s No.23 has been frustrated by knee injuries and concussion throughout the season, and his current streak of five games is his longest this year. When he has played, he has flashed the potential of an All-Australian key defender. Fingers crossed both circumstance and his body can allow him to achieve it.

Phoenix rises to the occasion

It was largely a day to forget for the Kangaroos but there was a moment of joy for the battling side when Phoenix Spicer booted his first AFL goal in his second senior game. Taken with pick No.42 in the 2020 NAB AFL Draft, the 20-year-old got his name on the scoresheet with a composed set shot early in the third term, and as is customary, was mobbed by teammates.

NORTH MELBOURNE      0.3   2.5    4.8    11.9    (75)
HAWTHORN                    8.1   9.4   14.5    19.7   (121)

GOALS  
North Melbourne: Ziebell 3, Davies-Uniacke 2, Horne-Francis, Powell, Spicer, Stephenson, Taylor, Zurhaar
Hawthorn: Gunston 5, Breust, Morrison, Newcombe, O’Meara, Reeves 2, Impey, Lewis, Maginness, Mitchell

BEST  
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Hall, McKay, Ziebell, Scott, Anderson
Hawthorn: Gunston, Newcombe, Mitchell, Scrimshaw, Hardwick, O'Meara, Moore

INJURIES  
North Melbourne: Nil
Hawthorn: Nil

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Larkey (heel) replaced in selected side by Hall
Hawthorn: Nil