North Melbourne began its new era in thrilling and dramatic fashion last weekend, as it held off a surging Eagles outfit to claim a five-point Round 1 victory.

Now, Alastair Clarkson and his side will have their eyes set on the Dockers for their first interstate trip of the campaign.

With Round 2 approaching, make sure you’re prepared with this week’s gameday guide.

Set your matchday reminders

Saturday, March 25
Fremantle v North Melbourne at Optus Stadium, 4.30pm AWST (7.30pm AEDT)

Looking to make it two wins from two games, the Kangaroos will head west to take on a Fremantle side that will be eager to put their Round 1 loss to St Kilda behind them.

So you don't miss the game, or any others this season, make sure to sync the fixture to you calendar.

Get your Round 2 ticket

For our first away game of the season, we want as many Kangas fans as possible in the Optus Stadium seats!

If you're a Perth-based North Melbourne fan or you're thinking about heading west for the Saturday night clash, make sure you grab a ticket here.

>> Head here for more details on interstate memberships

Be a part of history as we target beyond 50k members in 2023

The Kangaroos' journey continues in 2023, and we're looking to surpass last year's club record 50,000 members as Alastair Clarkson's team begins its path towards silverware.

Joining up as a member is a great way to support not only the AFL team, but the entire football club.

>> Find the membership package that suits you here.

Watch on TV or stream on your phone

Saturday's 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 @NMFCOfficial accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with everything happening at the match and don't forget to use #Kangas.
 
Bring on Round 2! 

North Melbourne's new era started in ideal fashion in front of its devoted Shinboner fanbase… with four points.

With the added flavour of drama, the Kangaroos showed grit and determination to hold off a fast-finishing Eagles outfit after originally surging to healthy lead at the beginning of the third quarter.

The club faces a different challenge this weekend, however, which is a 2022 top-eight side on the rebound after a disappointing Round 1 display.

Two from two?

Momentum is an important aspect of football, and the Kangaroos have the chance to capitalise on it on Saturday night under the bright lights of Optus Stadium.

There was much to like coming out of last week's performance. Luke Davies-Uniacke's 32-disposals and 10-clearance outing in the midfield earned himself 10 AFLCA coaches' votes, while Harry Sheezel, in his debut no less, amassed a game-high 34 touches.

The Sheezel buzz has almost seen Nick Larkey's impressive six-goal haul fly under the radar, too. The key forward's impact inside 50 saw him shoot to the top of the goalkicking leaderboard and remain there as Round 1 concluded. Flanked by the likes of Paul Curtis and Cam Zurhaar who both kicked two apiece themselves, North Melbourne's forwards look primed to strike again.

Fremantle still looms as a difficult match-up given its depth and off-season acquisitions, but the Kangaroos appear to be trending in the right direction despite a small sample size.

Staying organised and disciplined

It was no surprise that the Kangaroos, under Alastair Clarkson, looked like they had a clear vision right from the first bounce against West Coast.

A pre-season spent learning the ins and outs of Clarkson's newly introduced gameplan resulted in a North Melbourne team that was confident in attack and stout in defence.

The leadership of Jack Ziebell and Luke McDonald allowed first-gamer Harry Sheezel to settle in rapidly and display his talent, and the overall improved ball movement, whether it was exiting defensive 50 or a chain from a stoppage, was a breath of fresh air.

In Marvel Stadium's other game of the weekend, the undermanned but switched-on Saints showed that following a well-developed and organised system can go a long way to stopping Justin Longmuir's side.

On the day, the Dockers were limited by the Saints in terms of how they could use the ball but considering the talent they possess - especially out of the backline - expect North Melbourne to have its structures tested for all four quarters, but for it to challenge Fremantle the other way.

Griffin back in familiar territory

A Round 2 trip to Perth places Griffin Logue quickly back in his home state and against his former side.

Logue was drafted by the West Australian club with pick No.8 back in the 2016 AFL Draft and went on to play 64 games after making his debut in 2017.

He'll now shape up in blue and white opposite his former teammates as he eyes down a second game of being his new side's main defending tall in the absence of Ben McKay.

"The way everyone plays defence now … we all work together and kind of work on a string so we're all pretty complementary down there (in our backline) and are slowly building chemistry," Logue told 6PR Perth early this week.

"That's the assertive defence that we're playing now and the system that Clarko's brought in, and everyone's bought into it."

It's been a while

While North Melbourne has recently fared quite well against the Eagles, it's been a different story for the club against their crosstown rivals.

The Kangaroos last overcame the purple haze in Round 10, 2018 but since then it's been all Fremantle both in Perth and at Marvel Stadium.

The latest clash between the two clubs is one to forget, too. After conceding five first-quarter goals, the hill promptly became too steep to climb for the Roos who ended up falling by 78 points.

Luke McDonald stood tall in the backline, however, and garnered 26 disposals, while Zurhaar shouldered the responsibility around goals in the absence of Larkey to finish the game with a pair of majors.

North Melbourne has pulled off an epic one-point win over Fremantle at Optus Stadium to continue its perfect start to the season.

Trailing by one point in the dying seconds, the hosts could have been awarded a free kick in goalscoring range after a clearing kick from the Kangaroos' goal line, that would have been adjudicated as insufficient intent. 

But it was judged that the final siren sounded before the ball crossed the line, meaning Fremantle did not have the opportunity to kick for the game, with North prevailing 11.7 (73) to 10.12 (72). 

The Kangaroos deserved to win after leading at every change and getting out to a 20-point lead with six minutes to play after star midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke capped his best afield performance with a 50m goal. 

But back-to-back goals for Fremantle midfielder Jaeger O'Meara and a scrappy major on the goal line from key defender Brennan Cox cut the margin to one point in the dying minutes. 

The Dockers looked close on multiple occasions to rushing the ball over for a behind, but North Melbourne's defence stood tall and was rewarded with a gutsy win that gives last year's wooden spooner's a 2-0 start to the season. 

For the second week in a row, the Dockers lacked connection between their midfielders and forwards, struggling to hit targets inside 50 and get into attacking chains through the middle. 

The Kangaroos moved the ball much better, with key forward Nick Larkey reaping the rewards with four goals.  

Davies-Uniacke (30 and 11 clearances) was a match-winner in the middle, while Cam Zurhaar (26 and six) gave the Kangaroos a dynamic option midfield and forward.  

Rising Star nominee Harry Sheezel backed up his brilliant debut with 30 disposals and nine rebound 50s. 

Nothing came easy for Fremantle in the first half as North Melbourne applied excellent pressure and forced turnovers both in the midfield and in its own front half. 

The result was four unanswered goals to start the match, three of those as the direct result of Dockers turnovers, racing to a 22-point lead as the home team struggled to get a foot hold in the game. 

Small forward Sam Switkowski broke the run when he crumbed skilfully, broke a tackle and ran inside 50 to convert a much-needed running goal. 

DOCKERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

While they showed intent to move the ball in a more attacking manner to round one, there were repeated skill errors from Justin Longmuir's menand they couldn't give their key forwards clean opportunities. 

When Matt Taberner did get on the end of an attacking chain through the corridor, he took too long to take his set shot and was forced to rush his kick, which fell short. 

Freo cut the margin to three points during the third quarter, but the Roos always seemed to have the answer, with Curtis Taylor and Jaidyn Stephenson stepping up to kick important goals. 

Clutch goalkicking from Larkey in the fourth quarter gave the visitors the gap they needed before the Dockers mounted their best challenge, which ultimately came too late.

Captains make history before the bounce

Alex Pearce and Jy Simpkin became just the second pair of First Nations players to captain opposing AFL sides on Saturday, marking the significant occasion at the coin toss.

The first pair of skippers were Gavin Wanganeen and Michael Long, who led Port Adelaide and Essendon respectively on two occasions, in 1998 and 2000.

Logue's sweet homecoming 

Returning to Optus Stadium and facing his former club for the first time was weighing on North Melbourne recruit Griffin Logue.

He was a long shot to get the four points, but it turned out to be the perfect homecoming for the important key defender. There were boos from the crowd and a bit of push and shove from his former teammates, many of whom he is close with.

But when it mattered on Saturday, Logue got the job done, winning plenty of one-on-one contests against former housemate Matt Taberner.

FREMANTLE                  2.3   3.6   6.8   10.12  (72) 
NORTH MELBOURNE    4.1   5.2   8.6    11.7   (73) 

GOALS
Fremantle: Walters 2, O'Meara 2, Banfield, Brodie, Cox, Frederick, Schultz, Switkowski
North Melbourne: Larkey 4, Taylor 2, Stephenson 2, Davies-Uniacke, Powell, Simpkin

BEST
Fremantle: Brayshaw, Aish, Switkowski, Serong 
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Larkey, Sheezel, Zurhaar, Simpkin, Logue

INJURIES 
Fremantle: Nil 
North Melbourne: Nil  

LATE CHANGES
Fremantle: Nat Fyfe (foot) replaced in the selected side by Jye Amiss 
North Melbourne: Nil  

SUBSTITUTES 
Fremantle: Michael Walters (replaced Taberner in the third quarter) 
North Melbourne: Daniel Howe (replaced Paul Curtis in the third quarter) 

Crowd: 40,487 at Optus Stadium