North Melbourne returns to home turf at Marvel Stadium this Sunday to host the Western Bulldogs.

While the Kangaroos have grown in confidence over recent weeks, their improved form has not yet been converted into another win, and a third-quarter blowout cost them against the Giants in Round 13. Interim senior coach Brett Ratten will be focused on piling on the pressure across all four quarters this time around.

Here's everything you need to know for the big Round 14 clash in this week's gameday guide.

Set your matchday reminders

Sunday, June 18
North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, 4.40pm AEST 

The Roos face a Bulldogs side who will be keen to shore up their spot in the top eight after three consecutive defeats.

They lost a Friday night thriller to Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium in Round 13 which was closer than the 22-point margin suggested, and slid to eighth position on the AFL ladder, four points ahead of Geelong in ninth.

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

Ticketing

Get your tickets for the Round 14 match with the Bulldogs here.

Getting to Marvel Stadium

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

Single lane closure on Wurundjeri Way - allow for extra travel time: Wurundjeri Way has single lane closures between Dudley Street and Collins Street, northbound and southbound, until late October 2023 due to works carried out by the West Gate Tunnel Project.

Car park entrances C, D & E along Wurundjeri Way will remain open and will be available during this period.

What time do gates open?

Gates open at 3pm.

Social Club and Premiership Club members: when using your ticket, you can enter the ground via Gates 1, 3, or 7.

General Admission members and ticket holders can enter via any gate.

Roo Shop

To make sure you're decked out in Royal Blue and White, you can find the shop located:
- Outside Gate 4
- Level 1, inside Gate 7
- Level 2, inside Gate 6
- Level 3, Aisle 30

Membership Enquiries

For any membership enquiries or to pick up your member choice item, our friendly staff will be located outside Gate 2.

>> For more details on your membership, head to our Member Hub.

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 the team continues 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.

Watch on TV or stream on your phone

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

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 the Bulldogs!

A heavyweight Western Bulldogs midfield awaits North Melbourne in the club's last game before the mid-season bye.

After a string of improved performances including narrow losses to Sydney and Essendon, the Kangaroos faded in the second half against Greater Western Sydney in Round 13.

They will be bolstered by reinforcements as they look to hit back at Marvel Stadium on Sunday against Luke Beveridge's men.

The opposition

The Bulldogs head to Docklands hunting their first win in four games, having let slip a fourth-quarter lead in a back-and-forth tussle against Port Adelaide last Friday night.

But while Luke Beveridge's men sit eighth on the AFL ladder with a 7-6 record, they boast a star-studded midfield capable of overpowering any team on their day.

Marcus Bontempelli leads the league for clearances this season and Jack Macrae ranks 12th for total disposals.

Tom Liberatore was the Dogs' best against the Power with 33 disposals and 11 clearances, while Adam Treloar shrugged off hamstring concerns to rack up 35 disposals and eight clearances.

Running hot

Four goals against the Giants last weekend made it 11 in three games for Nick Larkey, who has regained the form he showcased in the Roos' promising start to the season.

The Kangaroos spearhead kicked 10 goals in the side's opening two wins, but entered a lean patch afterwards, kicking six goals from the next five rounds. 

"He's in good form but he's worked extremely hard," interim senior coach Brett Ratten said after last Sunday's game, which earned Larkey three coaches' votes and saw him climb to fourth in the race for this year's Coleman Medal.

"Early in the year he wasn't quite going [at his best] but he's got his mojo back and he's playing great footy." 

What the coaches have said

North Melbourne interim senior coach Brett Ratten post-game v Greater Western Sydney: "There's some pleasing parts to our game but we didn't do it long enough. [The game got away from us] around the contest. They got out of our tackles more than we got out of theirs and we couldn't get the ball back off them when we had the chance. Next week we have Jy (Simpkin) coming back and Hughy Greenwood."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge post-game v Port Adelaide: "Over the last few weeks, we've been challenged by three pretty good teams and we've worn it. It just means that we're below the upper rung at the moment and we've got to keep pursuing trying to get up there. You can improve in this game in a very short space of time and I believe in our guys and I believe we can find those increments. We've got to focus on the Kangaroos and see what we can do."

Last time we met

North Melbourne 11.5 (71) def by Western Bulldogs 21.13 (139) at Marvel Stadium

An eight-goal first term by the Bulldogs ended the contest early in last season's Good Friday SuperClash.

The Kangaroos staged a revival after quarter time, kicking five unanswered goals via Tristan Xerri, Jack Ziebell, Eddie Ford and two from Curtis Taylor, but it was not enough, and the Bulldogs kicked away to a 68-point win.

Bulldog star Bailey Smith had 43 touches in a best-afield performance for the winners, while athletic tall Aaron Naughton kicked five goals.

Gun midfield pair Jy Simpkin (27 disposals, eight clearances) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (22 disposals, four clearances) were the Kangaroos' best.

North Melbourne will head to the AFL bye with slowly growing confidence despite being overpowered by the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

The Kangaroos showed grit to stay with the Bulldogs until the closing stages of the third quarter, before fading to lose by 21 points, 15.15 (105) to 13.6 (84).

KANGAROOS v BULLDOGS Full match coverage and stats

Spearhead Nick Larkey and Jaidyn Stephenson kicked three goals apiece for the Roos, while young gun Harry Sheezel had 19 touches to half-time and 32 for the game.

Bulldog livewire Cody Weightman kicked six goals in his 50th game for the winners.

The Roos started the game full of run and caught the Dogs napping. Harry Sheezel's outstanding debut season continued (32 disposals, five clearances), finding the footy at will, and Hugh Greenwood emerged as an unlikely target in front of the big sticks, kicking two first-quarter goals.

By contrast, the Western Bulldogs were blowing chance after chance despite plenty of footy in attack, and went into the first break 14 behind despite a lead of six in the inside-50 count.

Having already replaced Josh Bruce with O'Brien at selection, the Dogs were down another first-choice defender just nine minutes into the game, when the in-form Jones was subbed off with a forearm injury.

O'Brien himself suffered a hamstring injury in the second term, meaning key target Aaron Naughton was swung to full-back for the second half, and Rory Lobb pushed to full-forward.

While North Melbourne continued its pace and efficiency in attack, the weight of numbers eventually won out, the Dogs finally hitting the front for the first time after Caleb Daniel's snap with 16 seconds left in the second half.

From there, the ‘Cody’ chant took over Marvel Stadium, as the Roos proved to have no answer for the entertainer.

Tom Powell kicked two goals in two minutes to bring the margin back to 22 points, and it hovered around that mark for the final 10 minutes.

The Western Bulldogs were particularly strong at centre bounces, where Tom Liberatore held sway, while the North Melbourne defence had very little chance to hold the inside 50 tide, which sat at a lead of 36 by the game's end.

What will also be of concern to caretaker coach Brett Ratten will be the tackle count, which the Dogs dominated 77 to 49.

Did you see that?

Goalsneak Paul Curtis might have thought himself unlucky not to win a free kick after he was cleaned up in a first quarter contest by Bulldog Oskar Baker. Instead, the small forward combined bravery with brilliance. Bouncing back to his feet after the crunching collision, Curtis was ready when the ball spilled at the top of the goal square. Facing away from goal, he cleverly improvised by tapping the ball between his legs, setting up the simplest of goals for co-captain Jy Simpkin.

The future is bright

To understand the value of Nick Larkey's five-year contract extension to North Melbourne, look no further than the closing stages of today's third quarter. The Dogs had kicked four in a row before Jaidyn Stephenson's second goal had given the Roos renewed hope. Larkey marked strongly inside 50 to cut the gap to four points, then after the Dogs hit back, won a one-on-one contest to kick his second. The game would slip away, but not before Larkey had demonstrated the combination of power and poise that makes him a genuine spearhead.

NORTH MELBOURNE       4.1     5.2    8.5     13.6 (84)
WESTERN BULLDOGS      1.5    5.8    10.9    15.15 (105)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Larkey 3, Stephenson 3, Greenwood 2, Powell 2, Curtis, Simpkin, Zurhaar
Western Bulldogs: Weightman 6, Bontempelli 3, Naughton 2, Daniel, English, Lobb, Treloar

BEST
North Melbourne: Sheezel, Phillips, Goldstein, McKay, Scott, Stephenson
Western Bulldogs: Weightman, Treloar, Bontempelli, Liberatore, Macrae, English

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Jones (forearm), O'Brien (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Bergman (replaced Spicer in the fourth quarter)
Western Bulldogs: McNeil (replaced Jones in the first quarter)

Crowd: 23,829 at Marvel Stadium