The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos are gearing up to face expansion club Sydney this Sunday with a third win in a row the goal at hand.

A 15-point win over the Western Bulldogs saw Darren Crocker's side hop into the top eight last Friday and stay there as the remaining Round 5 games concluded.

Now sitting in seventh, the Kangaroos will host the winless Swans at the Swinburne Centre as they look to continue their rise up the ladder after a 1-2 start.

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

Set your matchday reminders

Sunday, October 2
North Melbourne v Sydney at the Swinburne Centre, 5.10pm AEDT

Last week was as close as North Melbourne has come to a full four-quarter performance this season as they recorded their highest score of Season 7 to down the Bulldogs 43-28 at the Swinburne Centre.

The royal blue and white will be back at Punt Road Oval for Round 6 - after a venue change away from Arden Street - to take on the Swans and former coach Scott Gowans for the first time ever in AFLW.

After falling short by four points against fellow expansion side Hawthorn last week, Sydney is now the last remaining winless team this season.

The Swans scintillated in the opening minutes thanks to three Brooke Lochland majors, but Hawthorn mounted a comeback after the first change and successfully completed it in thrilling fashion.

2022 draftee Cynthia Hamilton was one of Sydney's best, coming away with a game-high 19 disposals and five tackles.

It was a performance that the Swans will gain confidence from, but North Melbourne will be determined to extend its string of victories.

Will North add to Sydney's first-year woes?

Ticketing

Fans who have purchased tickets will be able to use them to access the Swinburne Centre, while refunds will be available for anyone who is unable to attend the relocated game.

If you haven’t already, you can buy tickets for the game here.

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 6!

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos jumped into the top eight with a 15-point win over the Bulldogs last week and will look to make it three wins in a row when they 'host' Sydney at the Swinburne Centre on Sunday.

Led by Jasmine Garner in the middle, it was North's midfield contingent that stood tall against an equally stacked Bulldogs' crew, while Sarah Wright and the backline were able to intercept opposition attacks at will.

This week, the team in royal blue and white will square off with the winless Swans, and although they have struggled to make an impact in their first season, Scott Gowans' side has the potential to catch oppositions off-guard early.

Sydney shot out of a cannon to kick the first four goals – all in the opening term – in its round five bout with the Hawks, but they failed to add another major after the first change as the Hawthorn took control to eventually run out four-point victors.

Check out the three narratives as we approach round six action.

First date

This Sunday evening will mark the first time North meets one of the four new expansion clubs, and consequently, the first time it does battle with the Sydney Swans.

Across the Kangaroos' first-time meetings with other clubs since entering the league in 2019, the club has won on 10 occasions out of a possible 13.

The three losses have come to Adelaide, Brisbane, and Fremantle, but the overall record shows that North has regularly done its homework when coming up against fresh faces.

And while the Swans boast several young guns like No.1 draft pick Montana Ham, this fixture feels like one that will be controlled by experienced North Melbourne stars Jas Garner, Emma Kearney and Jenna Bruton.

Happy hunting ground

It was announced mid-week that the match between North Melbourne and Sydney had been relocated to the Swinburne Centre away from Arden Street, but that won't bother the Roos.

Since starting life in the AFLW, North is yet to succumb to defeat at Punt Road Oval, winning all three matches at the venue including last week's triumph over the unbeaten Bulldogs.

As for the Swans, their only game on the Punt Road Oval deck was last round's loss to Hawthorn where they struggled to hold onto the healthy lead they set up in the first term.

It may not have the same feeling as Arden Street Oval, but the ground across town has certainly served as a place North enjoys coming to.

Beaming Bruton

Jenna Bruton's season has well and truly kicked into gear.

The inside midfielder's last two performances have been her best so far this campaign, gathering 24 disposals and five marks against Geelong in difficult conditions in round four and 20 touches in last week's clash opposite her former side.

And from these two outings, Bruton has polled 14 AFL Coaches Association AFLW Champion Player of the Year Award votes.

Without Ellie Gavalas in the line-up, Bruton has seen extended minutes in the middle and her experience and cleanliness with the ball post-clearance has been a vital element in North's two-game win streak.

Averaging 18.2 disposals and 3.2 clearances per game this season, it's expected that Bruton, and the rest of the midfield, will cause plenty of headaches for the Swans.

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have notched their biggest ever AFLW win after systematically dispensing of Sydney as the sun set on Round 6.

Registering their fourth straight win at Punt Rd, their home away from home, the Kangaroos kicked 9.13 (67) to 0.1 (1), keeping the Swans scoreless after quarter time.

Unsurprisingly, North Melbourne's midfield took control at the contest, dominating the clearances 37 to 15 and then spreading expertly once the ball was won, often leaving their Sydney opponents trailing behind them. The experience of the Kangaroos midfield group was evident as they repeatedly pushed forward and found space inside 50 while the Swans were caught napping.

North was able to hit up targets around the ground and because of that, they had breathing space when they did have the ball. Sydney, by comparison, were consistently under the pump as they tried to move the ball quickly under pressure, which played into the hands of the Kangaroos' interceptors. A theme of Sydney's season to date has been poor decision-making under pressure, and the Roos feasted on that on Sunday.

Sydney started to find a modicum of control in the third quarter, winning some uncontested marks and slowing the game down, but the Kangaroos' work rate to support their defence was simply outstanding, with players repeatedly seen sprinting to impact the contest and, more often than not, turn the ball over.

KANGAROOS v SYDNEY Full match coverage and stats

Lexi Hamilton and Gen Lawson Tavan were Swans coach Scott Gowans' choices in the ruck after dropping Alloy Morphett during the week, but the experienced Kangaroos duo of Emma King and Kim Rennie cleverly moved into space while the Swans were caught ball watching. King slotted two goals off the back of that decision-making.

VOTE TO WIN! Choose your AFLW R6 Mazda Next Level Performer

Jasmine Garner was a powerhouse out of the middle with 18 disposals, ten tackles and two goals, as was Ashleigh Riddell with 25 disposals and six clearances. Brooke Brown also continued her career-best season, setting up expertly behind the play and driving the ball forward.

The Swans continue to sit winless at the bottom of the ladder, while North Melbourne is now knocking on the door of the top four.

Dazzling debutant 

If there were any doubts as to whether Zoe Savarirayan was ready for a senior call-up, they have been buried… deep. Her career got off to an electric start as she took a couple of bounces bounding into goal but unfortunately, she couldn't convert. It was the same story in the fourth quarter when another opportunity in front of goal arose, and while that chance went begging too, she responded rapidly with a glorious chase-down tackle at the other end. 

Did you see that?

As she has been known to do throughout AFLW seasons, Tahlia Randall imposed herself on aerial contests all day, but it was her effort in the final quarter that shone brightest of all. Randall clunked an absolute beauty in the dying stages of the contest, reminding everyone why she has transitioned into the key forward position. She failed to kick the goal on this occasion, but the forward finished up with three majors for the afternoon.

What's next?

North Melbourne is scheduled to host ladder-leaders Brisbane at Arden Street for a blockbuster Saturday twilight fixture. Sydney will host the smarting Gold Coast earlier that afternoon at Henson Park.

NORTH MELBOURNE     2.2     4.8     6.11     9.13     (67)  
SYDNEY                         0.1     0.1     0.1     0.1       (1)

GOALS  
North Melbourne: Randall 3, Garner 2, E. King 2, Eddey, O'Loughlin 
Sydney: Nil

BEST   
North Melbourne: Garner, Riddell, E.King, Brown 
Sydney: Hurley, Ham, Sargent-Wilson, Tarrant

INJURIES   
North Melbourne: Nil 
Sydney: Nil

Reports: Nil