North Melbourne will travel to its home away from home for the first time in 2023, to take on the Power at Blundstone Arena on Saturday.

Although inaccurate in front of goal, the Roos showed plenty of fight against the Saints last week, but will hope to bring some polish with them to Hobart as they look to end Port Adelaide's hot streak.

With Round 9 approaching, make sure you're prepared with this week's gameday guide.

Set your matchday reminders

Saturday, May 13
North Melbourne v Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena, 2.10pm AEST 

Will the Roos hop back onto the winners list, or will the Power pick up their sixth win in a row?

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

Ticketing

Tickets are still available for the Round 9 clash with the Power.

Getting to Blundstone Arena

Transport information getting to and from the Blundstone can be found here.

Gates open at 12.40pm on Saturday

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Watch on TV or stream on your phone

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.

Stay connected on social media

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Bring on Blundstone!

In their first venture to Hobart this season, the Kangaroos will be striving to bounce back from a sixth straight loss when they host Port Adelaide at Blundstone Arena.

A lift in competitiveness saw North Melbourne test a credible St Kilda outfit last Sunday, but despite matching the Saints in the inside 50 count (48 apiece), a lack of refinement around goals made it difficult to reach a winning score.

Alastair Clarkson's side will be out to rectify that on Saturday though, in a contest expected to come with some added drama.

The opposition

Despite being wayward in front of goal against the Bombers at Adelaide Oval last week, the Power's 12.20 was just enough to seal a fifth straight win for the season and sixth overall.

A factor that looms large ahead of this weekend though, is the heavily anticipated encounter between North Melbourne and former clubman Jason Horne-Francis. Fans are eager to observe the ways in which their Kangaroos will combat the South Australian that once called Arden Street home.

He'll be accompanied fellow youngsters Zak Butters and Connor Rozee who continue to elevate their on-field performances and garner opposition attention as the new wave of forerunners at Alberton. Butters, who tallied 28 disposals and six clearances in Round 8, and Rozee (29, one goal) were the key drivers in their side's five-point win over Essendon, complemented by veteran Travis Boak who has found form as of late.

However, livewire forward Junior Rioli will be absent after the Tribunal confirmed on Wednesday that he would be suspended for the next two weeks for his off-the-ball hit on Essendon's Jordan Ridley.

What the coaches have said

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson post-game v St Kilda: "Everyone would've seen some opportunities that we had, particularly in the first half, when there were three chances that were nearly walk-in sodas and somehow, we found a way to miss them. But in terms of the contest ... we were in that game of footy.

"We troubled St Kilda trying to stop them from moving the footy the way they like, and I thought we were really competitive but at the end of the day we just lacked some of the polish they had.

"We take these little wins out of the game. All it does is show we’re getting closer to a win – not quite there yet, but hopefully we'll be there pretty soon."

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley post-game v Essendon: "We're very happy to be in the position that we're in at this stage (but) we're not resting on happy, we're resting on turning up again and playing the right way next week.

"Because the competition is so tight and so tough that if you drop off for three or four weeks then you end up losing three or four games, too … you need to be strong enough, tough enough and resilient enough to keep chalking up wins."

Running hot

Longstanding Roo Jack Ziebell and accomplished recruit Liam Shiels are ageing like fine wine.

Although last Sunday's result fell the way of the opposition, the production from the veteran duo shouldn’t be neglected.

As he has been throughout 2023, Ziebell was a rock in defence against the Saints, tallying 36 disposals at 94 per cent efficiency, 18 marks, nine rebounds 50s and seven intercept possessions.

Equally as impressive through midfield was fellow 32-year-old Shiels who amassed nine tackles, seven marks, five clearances and a season-high 28 touches in the club's return to Marvel Stadium.

They might be in the twilight phase of their respective careers, but both remain as motivated as ever to set the tone through their physicality and professionalism on gameday.

Last time we met

When Saturday rolls around, it will almost mark an exact year since North Melbourne and Port Adelaide last faced off.

Round 9 last season saw the Roos host the Power at Blundstone Arena on May 14 and it was the visitors who left with the four points, running out 69-point victors.

A first-term surge from the South Australian club saw it jump out to an early 32-point lead, which ultimately became insurmountable for the Roos who fell behind in all key statistical metrics.

Midfielder Ollie Wines led the way for Port, collecting 32 disposals, nine clearances and a goal, while Cam Zurhaar (three goals, 17 disposals) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (25 disposals, seven clearances) were North Melbourne's two best.

An injury-ravaged North Melbourne has gone down to Port Adelaide by 70 points at Blundstone Arena on Saturday afternoon.

It was the second quarter which set up the big win for Port. After leading by just one point at the first break, the Power produced a dominant second term, outscoring the Roos eight goals to one to set up a commanding 45-point lead at the main change.

It would prove the difference in the end, with Port cruising from there to secure its sixth win in a row with the 20.15 (135) to 10.5 (65) victory - its biggest win of the season so far.

It was a case of the walking wounded for North, with Darcy Tucker (hamstring), Flynn Perez (concussion), Jack Mahony (shoulder), Luke Davies-Uniacke (hamstring), and Paul Curtis (corkie) all suffering injuries, although the latter managed to play out the game.

The highly anticipated Horne-Francis v North Melbourne sideshow wasn't nearly as fiery as many were expecting. The 2021 No.1 draft pick, who left the Kangaroos after just one season, lined up against Hugh Greenwood at the opening bounce - but there were no fireworks and it was the same story throughout the game.

While North held its own in the first quarter, any hopes of an upset were snuffed out in the second term, as dynamic Power duo Zak Butters (32 disposals) and Connor Rozee (25) took control in the midfield and young defender Miles Bergman impressed with his intercept marking and precision kicking from half-back.

KANGAROOS v POWER Full match coverage and stats

North was sloppy when delivering the ball inside 50 and offered little resistance the other way, with Port Adelaide frequently taking the ball from end to end with ease.

Port Adelaide had 14 individual goalkickers, including captain Tom Jonas, who kicked just his second career goal in his 210th game when he launched a ripping kick from outside the 50m during the third term.

Jeremy Finlayson slotted three majors from eight shots, while former Cat Francis Evans kicked his first two goals in Port colours and Brynn Teakle kicked the first of his career.

To add more insult to injury, Aidan Corr will face MRO scrutiny after being reported for striking Ollie Lord in an off-the-ball scuffle.

Roo on report
North Melbourne defender Aidan Corr has a nervous wait ahead of him after being reported for striking. Corr's hit on Port Adelaide's Ollie Lord midway through the opening term gifted the Power a goal just as North looked to be settling into the clash in what was a hotly contested first quarter. The undisciplined act was a double whack for the Roos, who actually had a free kick at the time after a brilliant Jack Ziebell rundown tackle, but instead it was reversed and Jed McEntee converted an easy set shot on goal. It was one of two gimme goals for Port in the first quarter, with Sam Powell-Pepper gifted a goal moments later after a free kick and then 50m penalty which took him to the goal line. 

NORTH MELBOURNE      3.2     4.4    8.5      10.5 (65)
PORT ADELAIDE             3.3    11.7   15.11   20.15 (135)

GOALS 
North Melbourne: Larkey 4, Stephenson 2, Zurhaar 2, Curtis, Logue
Port Adelaide: Finlayson 3, Bonner 2, Evans 2, McEntee 2, Powell-Pepper 2, Boak, Burton, Drew, Horne-Francis, Jonas, Lord, Mead, Teakle, Wines

BEST 
North Melbourne: Goldstein, Ziebell, Davies-Uniacke, Simpkin, Larkey
Port Adelaide: Butters, Bergman, Finlayson, Wines, Rozee, Powell-Pepper

INJURIES 
North Melbourne: Darcy Tucker (hamstring) Flynn Perez (concussion) Paul Curtis (corkie), Jack Mahony (shoulder), Luke Davies-Uniacke (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: Todd Marshall (concussion)

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Nil
Port Adelaide: Kane Farrell, replaced Darcy Byrne-Jones in the selected side

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Phoenix Spicer (replaced Darcy Tucker in the first quarter)
Port Adelaide: Jackson Mead (replaced Todd Marshall in the second quarter)

Crowd: 6310 at Blundstone Arena