After two consecutive losses to flag contenders Melbourne and Adelaide, the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos will be eager to keep their unblemished Tassie streak intact as they take on Geelong at UTAS Stadium.

Sitting on eight points, a win for the Cats would likely see them finish the second week of Indigenous Round action in the top four, while the Roos require a victory to keep within touch of the top eight.

Make sure you're ready to go with this week's gameday guide.

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Friday, September 16
North Melbourne v Geelong at UTAS Stadium, 5.10pm AEST

After a hot start in Adelaide a week ago, the Roos struggled to trouble the scorers post-quarter time and were ultimately overrun by the reigning premiers in the final term.

The 14-point loss sees North in 11th spot heading into its clash against the Cats, and with a challenging set of fixtures ahead, Friday night's result could prove crucial to how the rest of the season plays out.

With perhaps the stingiest defence in the competition right now, Geelong has managed to keep its total score conceded in this campaign to just 27 points, which may be an issue for a Roos forward line that has some issues clicking since Round 1.

However, the Cats haven't been notable scorers either, having managed totals of only 15, 27 and 11 so far. 

The Roos have won all three clashes against Geelong since both clubs entered the league, will they make it four from four?

No tickets required

Entry into UTAS Stadium will be free for our Round 4 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.

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Bring on our second Indigenous Round clash of Season 7!

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos will be looking to bounce back from two consecutive defeats as they host a fifth-placed Cats line-up in a must-win affair.

After entering the competition at the same time in the 2019 season, the Roos have had their way with Geelong each of the three times the sides have met.

With an average winning margin of just under 39 points, this time around is expected to serve as a much more captivating contest between two clubs fighting for finals positions.

Like North, Geelong will also be eager to return to the winners list after suffering a narrow four-point loss to Collingwood last Saturday.

Here are three narratives to follow in Friday night's clash.

Undefeated in Van Diemen's Land

North Melbourne has had no trouble walking off Tasmanian playing surfaces with four points in their back pocket.

In fact, the club hasn't lost a game in the Apple Isle since entering the competition three years ago.

As it stands, the Roos have won all eight games they've played in Tasmania and have managed to defeat the Western Bulldogs (2019), GWS Giants (2020) and Carlton (2021) to maintain a perfect record at UTAS Stadium.

The stadium's sizeable deck lends itself well to the way North prefer to play, so if the Roos can get their free-flowing game style running early then the Tassie streak will be set to continue.

Stoppage supremacy

Across the first three weeks of Season 7, Geelong has risen to become one of the better clearance teams in the competition.

The Cats have edged their opponents in the clearance count by an average of four per game this season, with Amy McDonald leading the way with six a game and teammate Georgie Prespakis averaging five.

However, North has the great equaliser in Jasmine Garner who has started this season in red-hot form with 26 AFLCA AFLW Champion Player of the Year Award votes.

The star midfielder currently has 23 clearances to her name and will undoubtedly have a massive role to play in the engine room once again on Friday night.

She'll be complemented by the likes of Jenna Bruton and Mia King, as well as Ash Riddell who racked up 35 touches last time out against the Cats.

Stingy defence

Another aspect of Geelong's game that has stood out so far is their commendable ability to defend and pressure the opposition.

The Cats have conceded just 27 total points from their three outings this season and managed to hold Fremantle to a solitary point from four quarters back in Round 2.

Despite not prevailing a week ago, they gave themselves the best chance to snatch a win in the tight encounter by holding a strong Pies outfit to 15 points.

With six goals over the past two matches, it's fair to say the Roos have struggled to produce match-winning scores. But on a bigger ground against a side that they've outplayed before, a clicking forward line may not be too far away.

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have kept their undefeated Apple Isle record intact, knocking over Geelong on wet and slippery Friday night at UTAS Stadium in Launceston.

Geelong conceded its largest score of the season, with the Kangaroos claiming a 12-point victory, 4.4 (28) to 2.4 (16).

The damage was done early in the game, where the Roos kicked the first four goals of the game through Sophie Abbatangelo, Brooke Brown and two to Irishwoman Vikki Wall.

It was North Melbourne's ability not only to adapt to the slippery, fumbly conditions, but a willingness to take chances inside 50. Kicks toward goal didn't always come off, but it created goals like Vikki Wall's second - a quick soccer off the ground. Geelong simply wasn't taking those chances in the first half, preferring instead to move the ball around to a better option and ultimately turning it over.

Jasmine Garner was involved in everything early, and Jenna Bruton had 25 disposals as she played a super consistent game covering plenty of ground. Meanwhile Emma Kearney was a wall in defence and Alice O'Loughlin laid eight tackles across the forward half.

In the third quarter, however, Laura Gardiner broke through for the Cats' – and her own - first goal by winning the ball in attack and simply taking a shot at the big sticks. It gave the Cats some much-needed momentum from which they controlled the remainder of the quarter.

KANGAROOS v CATS Full match coverage and stats

Former Demon Jackie Parry backed it up for Geelong in the opening minutes of the final quarter, getting on the end of an impressive Amy McDonald forward drive and kicking truly for her first goal in the hoops.

McDonald starred through the middle with her elite evasion, alongside young star Georgie Prespakis. Between them they had 58 disposals and 15 clearances to give the Cats first use out of the middle. Captain Meg McDonald took an impressive seven marks in the wet, while Nina Morrison looked like she was playing with a dry footy.

With the result, both North Melbourne and Geelong sit with an even 2-2 ledger after round four.

Wet weather footy

It was a rainy, bleak day in Launceston in the lead up to the game, which caused wet and slippery conditions on the UTAS Stadium surface. With every step causing a splash, it was always going to favour whichever side who adapted faster. North Melbourne's awareness to gain ground any way possible, which often meant not taking possession but instead soccering the ball along the ground, put it in the box seat immediately as Geelong fumbled attempting to cleanly handball out of trouble.

What's next?

Geelong is set to return home to GMHBA Stadium on Thursday afternoon where they will face fellow improvers St Kilda, while North Melbourne will take on the undefeated Bulldogs at Punt Road Oval on Friday afternoon.

NORTH MELBOURNE          1.2     3.4     4.4     4.4     (28)
GEELONG                            0.0     0.2     1.3     2.4     (16)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Wall 2, Abbatangelo, Brown
Geelong: Gardiner, Parry

BEST 
North Melbourne: Garner, O'Loughlin, Bruton, Kearney
Geelong: Prespakis, A.McDonald, M.McDonald, Morrison

INJURIES 
North Melbourne: Nil
Geelong: Crocket-Grills (head knock, passed concussion test)

LATE CHANGES 
North Melbourne: Ella Maurer replaced Sophia McCarthy (managed) in the selected side
Geelong: Nil

Reports: Nil