An AFLW rivalry will be renewed on Saturday when the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos head to Victoria Park to take on Collingwood.

After facing a stern challenge from Port Adelaide in the opening half at Alberton Oval last week, the Kangaroos held the expansion club goalless after the main change to come away 25-point victors.

Hoping to keep their top-four chances alive, the Roos must overcome an in-form Pies outfit that has won seven games this season.

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

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Saturday, October 22
Collingwood v North Melbourne at Victoria Park, 1.10pm AEDT

Like they have done more often than not this season, North Melbourne will once again square off with a genuine premiership contender.

While the Pies sit firmly inside the top four, the Roos find themselves occupying seventh spot with just two home and away games remaining.

Darren Crocker's side picked up the required four points in Adelaide, however, as it fought back from an early deficit to defeat the Power.

Jasmine Garner was at her sensational best with 27 touches, two goals and 717 metres gained – the second most metres gained in an AFLW game – while Emma Kearney was influential through defence and midfield.

Round 8 saw Collingwood experience its first trip outside of Victoria for Season 7, and it defeated a Dockers line-up by 29 points to mark the occasion.

In the convincing win, the Pies held Fremantle to just three behinds to seal a fourth-straight victory.

Like North Melbourne, Collingwood ended the game behind in the contested possession count but both clubs in their respective clashes took control of the uncontested ball which translated into more marks inside 50s and more inside 50s in general.

With stars like Garner and Ash Riddell set to do battle against Chloe Molloy and Mikala Cann, this game is arguably the most enticing Round 9 match-up.

Will the Kangaroos claim their most important scalp of Season 7 to date?

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Bring on Round 9!

Since the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos entered the AFLW picture in 2019, an entertaining rivalry with the Magpies has been bubbling away.

The two clubs have clashed on five occasions throughout AFLW seasons and finals series, with the Kangaroos recording three wins and the Pies with two.

Darren Crocker's side also claimed bragging rights in the most recent meeting, triumphing by 23 points in Season 6 earlier this year.

North Melbourne will enter this round coming off a 25-point win against a resilient Power outfit and although the Kangaroos were relatively wasteful in front of goal for a second straight week, they managed to generate plenty of opportunities to kick a winning score.

Travelling outside of Victoria for the first time this season was Collingwood who dominated the Dockers out west last week.

The Pies kept Fremantle goalless for the afternoon and scoreless until the fourth term, showing how resolute their defence can be.

Sure to be a blockbuster, here are three narratives to take note of heading into Round 9.

Just keep Jammin'

At risk of sounding like a broken record, Jas Garner is putting together one of the greatest individual AFLW campaigns to date.

Garner collected 27 disposals, six inside 50s, nine marks, five tackles and two goals against Port Adelaide to poll 10 more coaches' votes and extend her lead atop the AFLW Champion Player of the Year Award leaderboard.

Her ability to not only find the football but use it in a beneficial way is something that separates her from the other star players of the competition.

On several occasions last week, the midfielder was able to find and release teammates into space with her disposal. Notably, Garner found Alice O'Loughlin in space so the half-forward could run onto the ball and into an open goal to begin the scoring, and she later found Amy Smith in the corridor which ultimately resulted in Emma King's classy finish.

To overcome Collingwood, the Roos will need Garner to be at her creative and impactful best.

Locking down

Through eight games, Collingwood is yet to lose a second half and has only had 6.20 kicked against them after the main change.

Not only have they only conceded six second-half goals, but the Pies have kept their opponents goalless in 12 of the last 16 final quarters.

Defender Stacey Livingstone was particularly commanding against Fremantle, racking up 10 intercepts to find herself in the AFLW Round 8 Team of the Week alongside Kangaroos Emma Kearney and Garner.

It won't be the first time in Season 7 that the Kangas face a team that has shown notable nous on the defensive end. North Melbourne was able to break down a stingy Geelong outfit back in Round 4 in sloppy conditions, but it will have to find a way to punch holes in a group that has been consistently miserly over eight weeks.

Crystal ball

While Collingwood currently sits well entrenched in the top four on the ladder heading into Round 9, it's a different and less favourable circumstance for the Kangaroos in terms of securing a double chance.

The 25-point win over Port Adelaide sees North Melbourne remain in seventh spot on the ladder with an ever-so-slight chance of achieving a top-four position.

Claiming the points in Adelaide would have settled some nerves, but with two games against fellow top-eight sides still to be played, a couple of losses could conversely see the Roos fall out of the premiership race.

One more win would just about seal a finals berth though, meaning it's the Kangaroos that control their fate.

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have claimed a statement-making 32-point win over Collingwood to come away with the important four points.

After a tightly contested first quarter that saw Isabella Eddey's goal rule out Magpie Chloe Molloy's opener, the Kangaroos gained unparalleled control away from the coalface to bound away to a 9.3 (57) to 4.1 (25) victory.

Leading from the front yet again was Jasmine Garner who finished with 27 disposals and a goal while Ash Riddell played a critical role alongside her in the middle, collecting 25 touches herself.

Sarah Wright stood tall with a career-high 13 intercepts and the half-back duo of Emma Kearney and Nicole Bresnehan provided plenty of run and carry that consistently penetrated Collingwood's structure.

Molloy was the best in black and white with 20 disposals, five tackles and a goal.

MAGPIES v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

North Melbourne snatched the upper hand in the midfield in the second term, opening the floodgates for an astonishing five goals in 16 minutes. For so long, inaccuracy and an inability to convert inside 50s has been an issue for the Roos, but that was forgotten as the scoreboard ticked over.

Late inclusion and third-gamer Charli Granville popped up amongst the goals to claim the first of her career, and she followed it up in the third term with another converted set shot thanks to some terrific forward line pressure.

Forceful and physical tackling was a key component of the Roos' gameplan too. Darren Crocker's side set the tone from the get go with 21 tackles to Collingwood's 12 in the first quarter, and ended up winning the count with a staggering 82 (including 19 inside 50) to 46.

After the main change, Collingwood wrestled the momentum its way, but the Kangaroos' backline continued to defend with might.

Tarni Brown broke the deadlock with three minutes left in the third quarter after a scrap at the goalmouth, but it was at this stage where star Pie Ruby Schleicher was ruled out with a hip complaint.

A Chiocci major kept the Pies in touch in the fourth term, but a classy crumbing finish from Alice O'Loughlin and a close-range goal from Tahlia Randall saw the Roos add icing to the cake.

Relieving Rennie

Collingwood captain Stephanie Chiocci thought she had nailed a Goal of the Year contender after snapping cleanly from the pocket, but Kim Rennie had other ideas. The ruck rose on the goal line unmarked to pull off a significant save and stave off yet another Pies surge. Rennie finished the day with 22 hitouts, eight disposals and four tackles.

The great Wall of Arden Street

The hype around the dynamic Irish recruit was high coming into the season, but Vikki Wall is not just delivering, she's filling a crucial role for North Melbourne. Wall is proving to be a vital cog at centre-half forward, not just strong aerially, but just as dangerous at ground level. She was more than a handful for the Pies.

The ladder now

Barring a thumping Richmond win on Sunday, Collingwood will still finish the round in fourth spot, but is vulnerable to losing it next week with a defeat from Brisbane. North Melbourne is now just one win adrift of the vital double-chance, drawing level with Geelong (and the Tigers for now) on games won.

Up next

Collingwood rounds out its home and away season with the toughest test of all, taking on Brisbane at Metricon Stadium, while North Melbourne face a tricky round 10 against Richmond at Arden Street.

COLLINGWOOD                  1.0   3.1   3.1   4.1 (25)
NORTH MELBOURNE          1.1   6.1   7.2   9.3 (57)

GOALS
Collingwood: Brown, Chiocci, Molloy, James
North Melbourne: Granville 2, Randall 2, Garner, Eddey, E. King, O'Loughlin, Wall

BEST 
Collingwood: Molloy, Lambert, Allen, Chiocci
North Melbourne: Riddell, Garner, Wright, M. King, Bresnehan, Randall

INJURIES 
Collingwood: Ruby Schleicher (hip)
North Melbourne:

LATE CHANGES
Collingwood: Ashleigh Brazill (adductor) replaced by Imogen Evans
North Melbourne: Sophie Abbatangelo (illness) replaced by Charli Granville

Reports: Nil