The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos will be looking to launch their AFLW Season 7 campaign in successful fashion as they host the Gold Coast Suns at Blundstone Arena.

With a swarm of eager players primed to debut and a healthy Round 1 record of 3-1 since entering the competition, it's going to be a must-watch occasion when the Roos run out on Saturday.

Make sure you're prepared with the first gameday guide for the season.

Set your matchday reminders

Saturday, August 27
North Melbourne v Gold Coast at Blundstone Arena, 1.10pm AEST

Opening their season at Blundstone Arena for the first time, the Kangaroos will again commence an AFLW season as one of the flag contenders.

Although the team is yet to achieve premiership glory, and despite losing some experience in the off-season, plenty of exciting young talent has been introduced while star players such as Jasmine Garner, Ash Riddell and Emma Kearney remain in the royal blue and white.

Free entry

Entry into Blundstone Arena will be free for our Round 1 clash so whether you're a Tassie-based North fan or you're thinking of travelling from elsewhere, get down to the ground to cheer on the Roos.

Membership

If you haven't already, become an AFLW Season 7 North Melbourne member.

Joining up is a great way to support not only the AFLW team, but the entire football club and AFLW competition. 

Watch on TV or stream on your phone 

The game will be broadcast live for Foxtel and Kayo Sports subscribers.

Stay connected on social media

For behind-the-scenes access and all the best highlights, photos, stats and stories, we’ve got you covered.

Follow the @northmelbournew accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with everything happening at the match.

Bring on Round 1!

Saturday afternoon against the Gold Coast Suns at Blundstone Arena will mark the first game of AFLW Season 7 for the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos.

There's also only been one meeting between the two clubs and that took place way back in Round 4, 2020, where Jas Garner led the way with 30 disposals and six clearances in North's 13-point win.

Although both sides have changed significantly since then, there's no reason why history can't repeat itself, and a first-up win would do wonders for a North squad that has the pieces necessary to make a deep finals run.

Five fresh faces

It was a whirlwind of emotions earlier in the week as five new North Melbourne recruits discovered that they would be debuting in Round 1.

Draftees Taylah Gatt, Sophia McCarthy and Charli Granville will join the Irish duo of Erika O'Shea and Vikki Wall as the club's latest Shinboners.

Taken with the club's first selection in the 2022 AFLW Draft (No.28 overall), Gatt is a natural winger who can cover ground amply and use the ball dangerously, while key forward McCarthy (pick No.39), and small forward Granville (pick No.50) will add plenty of spark to a forward line that has struggled in recent times.

O'Shea and Wall have been standouts in pre-season and look set to bring their Gaelic background and attack on the contest to the fold.

The club saw several departures ahead of Season 7 due to the expansion draft, but under the coaching of Darren Crocker, expect these five players to flourish as they take their first step towards establishing themselves as regular starting team members.

Strong starters

While the club is yet to achieve the ultimate glory at the back end of a season, it has had little trouble kicking off their campaigns successfully since entering the competition.

North currently holds a 3-1 record in Round 1 clashes with its only blemish coming from a two-point defeat to Melbourne at the beginning of Season 4.

Last season, the Roos were able to narrowly defeat the Cats in their opening bout by eight points after making a comeback in final term.

There will likely be cobwebs that need to be shaken off, but with a proven track record, it shouldn't take long for North to find its stride.

Keep your eye on … Ash Riddell

One of the most elite ball-winners of the competition, Ash Riddell is primed for another year atop the charts.

Last season, fans had the pleasure of watching Riddell's most explosive and influential campaign so far.

Season 6 saw her break records as she collected the most individual disposals in a game with 42 in Round 10, which included nine clearances, and the most disposals in total for a season with 299.

On the back of that stellar season, she was rewarded with North's best and fairest award as well as a second All-Australian selection and has since been named at No.5 in AFLW guru Sarah Black's top 30 players heading into Season 7.

Complemented by the likes of Jasmine Garner, Ellie Gavalas and Jenna Bruton, it's going to be joyous watching Riddell dive back into action this weekend.

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have had no trouble kicking their season off successfully, with a dominant 26-point win over the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday.

The Kangaroos kept the Suns goalless until the 12th minute-mark of the fourth quarter in their first-ever game at Blundstone Arena, and ultimately triumphed 6.4 (40) to 2.2 (14) in Jasmine Garner and Emma Kearney's 50th games.

Forward Tahlia Randall had a career-best day kicking three goals in the clash while Garner was all class and lead all comers with 27 disposals, six inside-50s and a goal.

North's five freshest Shinboners had no issue adapting to the play and displaying their key attributes either, with Irish duo Erika O'Shea and Vikki Wall, and 2022 draftees Taylah Gatt, Charli Granville and Sophia McCarthy, all showing glimpses of why they were provided with debuts.

The lack of forward-line presence from the Suns throughout the afternoon allowed captain Emma Kearney to play freely and control the game off half-back. She finished with 18 disposals, four rebound-50s and four marks.

North gained the ascendancy early goaling through Garner and Randall in the first term, and from then on it was all royal blue and white.

A heavily one-sided inside-50 count was the story of the first half as scoring opportunities continued to arise off the back of North's midfield dominance.

While several chances to impact the scoreboard went begging in the second quarter, Randall and Kim Rennie managed to benefit from the repeat forward entries to add two more majors to the total giving the Roos a 26-point lead heading into the main break.

KANGAROOS v SUNS Full match coverage and stats

A goal from 20-year-old McCarthy was the highlight of the second half. The key forward marked strongly mid-way through the third quarter and converted truly for the first of her career to give North a game-high 39-point lead.

Staring down a goalless afternoon, the Suns managed to lift their game to outscore the Roos 13 to zero in the final term, but the bridge was always too large to gap despite North going scoreless.

What's next?

North Melbourne will face a tougher test as it takes on Melbourne in a Round 2 blockbuster next Friday evening, prior to the AFL qualifying final between Melbourne and Sydney.

NORTH MELBOURNE     2.1     4.3     6.4     6.4     (40)
GOLD COAST                   0.1     0.1     0.1     2.2     (14)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Randall 3, Garner, McCarthy, Rennie
Gold Coast: Howarth, Stanton

BEST
North Melbourne: Garner, Randall, Kearney, Gavalas, M.King
Gold Coast: Drennan, Rowbottom, Bella

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Nil
Gold Coast: Nil