The Kangaroos will face off with the Hawks for the second time this season, with Sunday's Kids Go Free clash at Marvel Stadium next on the agenda.

Despite looking lively early, Brett Ratten's side found itself greatly on the back foot at quarter-time against the Cats in Round 17, with the home side eventually claiming a 62-point win. However, Round 18 shapes as another opportunity for the Roos, who have a chance to snap their losing streak in front of their home crowd.

Here's everything you need to know for Sunday in this week's gameday guide.

Set your matchday reminders

Sunday, July 16
North Melbourne v Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium, 1.10pm AEST

The Kangas will be out for revenge this weekend after Hawthorn prevailed by 19 points in the most recent meeting between the two sides back in Round 3.

Sam Mitchell's group will enter off a hard-fought defeat to the Giants and will be looking for a fifth win for 2023 after suffering three-straight losses.

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

Ticketing

You can purchase tickets for the game here, and don't forget, kids go free!

KIDS GO FREE INFORMATION

Outside Gate 7: Face painting, AFL inflatables (marking tent and climb 'n' slide, Kangaroos activity book giveaways and colouring station, plus player appearances from AFL and AFLW players.

Inner concourse: PJ Masks performance pre-game on Level 2, with roaming meet and greets. 

On ground: Players will run through a kids banner created by North Melbourne's Future Roos.

Getting to Marvel Stadium:

Transport information getting to and from the Marvel 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.

Seat Access:

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.

Gates Open at 11.30am.

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

Membership Hub:

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

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 Hawks!

North Melbourne returns to Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon after a disappointing Round 17 trip to Geelong.

Despite a promising opening burst at GMHBA Stadium, the Roos headed home with a 62-point loss as the Cats proved too classy on their home deck.

This week, interim coach Brett Ratten's group faces a Hawthorn outfit that was resolute in its 13-point defeat to the Giants.

The opposition

Hawthorn heads to Marvel Stadium sitting 16th on the ladder but has managed to knock off some clubs with genuine top-four aspirations. 

A big afternoon from James Sicily saw the Hawks roll the Saints back in Round 11, and in Round 13 they took down premiership contenders Brisbane by 25 points at the MCG. However, Sam Mitchell's side currently finds itself on a three-match skid after losses to Gold Coast, Carlton and GWS post-bye. 

Midfielder Jai Newcombe is in form after collecting 28 disposals, nine clearances and eight score involvements against the Giants, while fellow onballer James Worpel has been one of Hawthorn's best this season, averaging 25.6 disposals and 6.1 clearances per game. 

Finn Maginness also looms as a potential challenge for one of North Melbourne's midfielders, after the young tagger held Giant Josh Kelly to just the six touches last week.

The magnets

The Roos will need to find replacements for co-captain Jy Simpkin (concussion) and key defender Griffin Logue (knee) heading into Sunday.

Midfielders George Wardlaw and Liam Shiels could both be recalled after missing Round 17, while Will Phillips also shapes as a potential inclusion after gathering 30 disposals in the VFL.

A solid run in the VFL for Kallan Dawson may see him come in for Logue, unless Brett Ratten and the match committee opt for a smaller alternative like Miller Bergman or Josh Goater, who both impressed in Sunday's reserves' win over Geelong.

What the coaches have said

Interim North Melbourne coach Brett Ratten post-game v Geelong: "I thought in that first quarter we took a step backwards. The second quarter was okay … but to fight back and be competitive (in that second half) showed there's good resilience. There's some little wins we have had, but we're not accepting the losses, especially 10-goal losses which aren't healthy for anyone."

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell post-game v GWS: "The last two weeks we've been very disappointed in what we've produced, and this week (we're) disappointed because that's the top range (of) what we're capable of at the minute and we just weren’t quite good enough. It was a game that came down to key moments and they were just a bit too good in a couple of those, but we gave ourselves a lot of chances and unfortunately, we just weren’t polished enough to finish them off. A much-improved performance, but still disappointed."

Last time we met

Hawthorn 11.14 (80) def. North Melbourne 9.7 (61), Round 3, 2023 at UTAS Stadium 

Heading south for the first time in 2023, the Roos and Hawks clashed in Round 3 in Launceston.

The Kangaroos were already missing co-captain Jy Simpkin due to suspension as they targeted a third straight win to open the season, and lost star midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke before the bounce to a calf complaint. 

Conversely Hawthorn was hunting its first win for the year and deployed an uncontested game style that the Kangas struggled to overcome. 

Five unanswered goals saw North Melbourne rally late, but a Tyler Brockman goal midway through the final term allowed the Hawks to steady and finish 19-point winners.

Harry Sheezel collected 26 disposals and seven marks, while Griffin Logue notched 16 touches and 11 intercept possessions in defence.

There is a logjam in the middle of the ladder, and now there is a gap at the bottom after Hawthorn put some distance between themselves and the bottom two on Sunday.

The Hawks overcame a sloppy first half in front of goal that won’t feature prominently on the Monday night shows, before flicking the switch after half-time to kick nine of the eleven second-half goals to cruise to a 48-point win over North Melbourne.

After losing all three games without suspended skipper James Sicily, Sam Mitchell’s side returned to the winners list to hand North Melbourne a 15th straight defeat after the 12.16 (88) to 6.4 (40) loss under the roof at Marvel Stadium. 

North Melbourne also lost two of its most watchable players to injuries, with young gun George Wardlaw subbed out the game in the second quarter due to hamstring tightness, before Cam Zurhaar exited the game shortly after half-time.

James Worpel produced another performance that should work in his favour at the negotiation table in the coming weeks and months.

The out-of-contract inside midfielder has returned to the levels he reached when he won the Peter Crimmins Medal in 2019, finishing with 32 disposals, 12 contested possessions, seven clearances, 702 metres gained and a goal.

Karl Amon was devastating on the outside with 33 disposals, 813 metres gained and a goal, while Jai Newcombe went to work on the inside, finishing with 33 touches, 14 contested possessions and seven clearances.

KANGAROOS v HAWKS Full match coverage and stats

It was far from pretty early – and for most of the first half. Darcy Tucker kicked the first goal of the game after North Melbourne absorbed the first eight inside 50 entries of the game, before making the most of the Kangaroos’ first entry. But it was all Hawthorn for the rest of the first quarter. The Hawks amassed 25 inside 50 entries to just four and should have put the game to bed, but they didn’t capitalise on the scoreboard, reaching the first change with 3.8 on the board.

But when it felt gloomy under the lid in Docklands, North Melbourne kicked the first two goals of the second term, the second after Luke Davies-Uniacke mopped up and danced around a few Hawks to snap a goal, injecting life into a fixture that had plenty of spark. Despite reaching the main break with 21 fewer inside 50s on the board, the Kangaroos were only a goal behind after kicking all three of the second quarter.

After almost an hour between Hawthorn goals, Mitch Lewis kicked two goals in two minutes early in the third quarter, the first from the top of the goalsquare, the second from just beyond 50m, helping Hawthorn regain the ascendancy after a quarter to forget.

When Karl Amon struck a long range shot flush on the run, Hawthorn had three in quick succession and suddenly had a four-goal lead, amid a quarter of carnage where Cam Zurhaar and Liam Shiels both came from the ground with ankle injuries, after Fergus Greene was subbed out with a knee injury.

Four father-sons at North Melbourne
There was a father-son theme for North Melbourne on Sunday. Brett Ratten selected four father-son recruits against Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium, recalling Jackson Archer to join Cooper Harvey, Bailey Scott and Luke McDonald in the 23. After taking five contested marks on debut against Geelong last Sunday, the son of the games record-holder followed up with 13 touches, while the son of the 'Shinboner of the Century' had some decent moments in his return game.

Hammy concern for Wardlaw
George Wardlaw has been one of the few reasons to remain interested in North Melbourne during the winter months, but the 2022 No.4 pick didn’t reach half-time. The Roos subbed Wardlaw late in the second quarter due to hamstring tightness, which will leave some North supporters nervous. Wardlaw missed a large chunk of his draft year due to multiple hamstring strains, didn’t complete the pre-season at Arden Street and had a delayed start to his debut season.

NORTH MELBOURNE     1.1    4.1       5.2       6.4      (40)
HAWTHORN                    3.8    3.13     8.14     12.16   (88)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Curtis 2, Tucker, Larkey, Ford, Davies-Uniacke
Hawthorn: Lewis 3, Breust 3, Worpel, Impey, Grainger-Barras, Brockman, Amon, Macdonald

BEST
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Scott, Sheezel, Ford, McDonald, Shiels
Hawthorn: Worpel, Amon, Newcombe, Lewis, Impey, Nash

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Wardlaw (hamstring), Zurhaar (ankle), Shiels (ankle), Coleman-Jones (concussion)
Hawthorn: Greene (knee), Reeves (hand)

LATE CHANGE
North Melbourne: Nil
Hawthorn: Lloyd Meek replaced Max Ramsden (illness) in the selected side

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell replaced George Wardlaw in the second quarter
Hawthorn: Denver Grainger-Barras replaced Fergus Greene in third quarter