Here's everything you need to know for our Round 18 bout against the first-placed Sydney Swans at the SCG.

Where: SCG, Sydney, NSW
When: Saturday, July 13 at 1.45pm AEST
Gates open: 11.45am. Check your ticket for your entry gate

Tickets

Tickets for Saturday's game against the Swans are still available!

Head here to grab yours.

Getting to the ground

Public Transport

Kids Go Free!

In celebration of the game’s smallest fans, children aged 14 years and under will have free entry* to matches played between Friday, 28 June to Sunday, 21 July, lining up with school holidays nationwide.

>> All you need to know about free kids tickets from R16-19 

Kids Meal Deals at the SCG thanks to Merivale
- Small Chips & stadium water $9
- Stadium dog & stadium water $9.5
- Baby sushi roll & Stadium water $9.5

*T&Cs apply, subject to capacity and availability. Tickets must be booked in advance

Watch on TV or stream on your phone

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

>> Remember, you can grab a digital membership to get a discounted Kayo subscription! Find the membership package that suits you here

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 Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok to stay up to date with everything happening at the match and don't forget to use #Kangas.
 
Bring on Round 18!

After registering their second win for the season last week - a four-point thriller over Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium - the Kangaroos face the ladder leaders at the SCG on Saturday.

The 13-3 Swans await the reinvigorated Roos on their home turf.

Round 18, Sydney v North Melbourne
Where: SCG, Sydney, NSW
When: Saturday, July 13 at 1.45pm AEST
How to watch: Foxtel, Kayo Sports

The opposition

After winning 13 of their first 14 games, the Swans are on a two-game losing streak heading into Saturday's clash.

In Round 16 they fell to the Dockers at home by a point, before going down to the Saints by two points a week later, despite having chances to snatch the lead at the death in both matches.

They'll be without Isaac Heeney should the star's suspension be upheld, but are set to welcome back Callum Mills, who will feature for the first time this year.

What the coaches have said

North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson on Thursday: "They're a benchmark side. They've been on top of the ladder for the whole of the year really, and despite dropping their last couple of games, they've been tight affairs. The emergence of their young blokes – they're great role models for our young guys."

Sydney senior coach John Longmire on Tuesday: "Our pressure around the footy hasn’t been up to standard and we need to get back to applying an enormous amount of heat around the ball. (Against St Kilda) we had a lot more inside 50s, more scoring shots … we still had an opportunity to win the game at the very end but we need to make sure we put heat around the ball."

Running hot

Harry Sheezel

North Melbourne's No.3 was clinical in the win over Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium, extracting a game-high 10 clearances from 35 disposals while also booting a crucial goal late in the third quarter.

The performance saw him poll a maximum 10 coaches' votes for the first time this season.

"I love the versatility (of my role), being able to go into the midfield and a bit up forward. I'm still doing a little bit off half-back," Sheezel told NMFC Media after the Gold Coast win.

"I'm watching vision with Colby (McKercher), helping him develop and teaching him what I learned in my first year and a half … I'm really proud of him and I'm loving my footy at the moment."

Milestone watch

Considering how well the big man has fared this season, it's hard to believe Tristan Xerri is only about to play his 50th AFL game.

Todd Goldstein's departure following the 2023 season created the opportunity for 'X' to establish himself as North Melbourne's No.1 ruck, and he's done so with flying colours.

Xerri has played a true 'Shinboner' brand of football throughout 16 games this year. He ranks fifth in the League for tackles per game (7.4) and is inside the top 20 for contested possessions (11.9).

Sydney has brushed off any concerns about a late-season slump with an emphatic 79-point victory over North Melbourne as a pair of Swans veterans made rousing returns at the SCG on Saturday.  

Skipper Callum Mills and three-time club champion Luke Parker each played their first match of the season but it was young guns Chad Warner and Errol Gulden that powered the Swans to a 20.18 (138) to 9.5 (59) win over the Kangaroos.

Warner first took the reins in the Swans’ star-studded midfield missing the suspended Isaac Heeney, breaking the game open early on the way to gathering 31 disposals.

The 23-year-old had 12 touches in a blistering second term, with eight of those score involvements while booting two goals of his own, as the Swans piled on 7.5 to take a seven-goal lead into the main break.

Mills lined up on a wing and finished with 12 disposals and a late goal in his first match since injuring a shoulder in a Mad Monday mishap last year, while Parker was a late inclusion after serving a six-week ban for a high bump in the VFL.

Parker started as the substitute before joining the action in the third term when Justin McInerney sustained a knee injury, the Swans’ midfielder heading straight to the centre bounce.

The 31-year-old finished with 13 disposals and two goals from 47 minutes of play, and was swamped by teammates after hitting the scoreboard just moments after coming on.

Logan McDonald put a nightmare fortnight that included a pair of costly late misses behind him with a dominant display in the Swans' forward half, booting four goals as Tom Papley finished with the same.

Gulden (41 disposals) was important as the game opened up after the main break, while James Rowbottom (22, five clearances) helped ensure the Swans midfield took away the Roos' strength at the stoppages.

SWANS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The Kangaroos had shown promising signs with a pair of victories and three narrow defeats in recent weeks but had few answers as the Swans got on top in the middle of the park.

Co-captain Jy Simpkin battled hard with 26 disposals and a goal, while Harry Sheezel (29) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (24) added polish in a midfield that was outworked as much as outclassed.

Colby McKercher (25) added dash out of defence but the Roos found it hard to find a way out of their back half as they lost the inside 50s by 64-39.  

While the Roos struggled to move the ball forward after a cautious opening term, Nick Larkey played a lone hand in the forward line and finished with three goals that might have been much more but for some gettable misses.

Former Swan Toby Pink (two goals) added an aerial presence early and Cam Zurhaar (two goals) hit the scoreboard late, but this was a firm reminder of how far away the Roos sit from the benchmark.

Larkey plays a lone hand up forward
The Kangaroos have unashamedly focused on rebuilding through the midfield as they look to leap off the bottom rungs of the ladder but were again exposed for a lack of high-end tall talent in the forward half. While the Roos had trouble firstly moving the ball inside the forward 50, Nick Larkey was too often the predictable target although the spearhead did finish with three goals. Toby Pink showed promising signs against his former side with two goals in the opening term, but the Roos need more aerial support for Larkey especially as their midfield continues to evolve.

SYDNEY                            3.4     10.10    16.14     20.18 (138)
NORTH MELBOURNE        3.2      4.4       7.5         9.5 (59)

GOALS
Sydney: McDonald 4, Papley 4, Warner 2, McLean 2, Amartey 2, Parker 2, Jordon, Grundy, Adams, Mills
North Melbourne: Larkey 3, Pink 2, Zurhaar 2, Simpkin, Ford

BEST
Sydney: Warner, Gulden, McDonald, Papley, Rowbottom, Grundy, Roberts
North Melbourne: Simpkin, Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel, Larkey, McKercher

INJURIES
Sydney: McInerney (knee)
North Melbourne: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Sydney: Wicks replaced in selected side by Parker
North Melbourne: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Parker (replaced McInerney in the third quarter)
North Melbourne: Taylor (replaced Shiels in the third quarter)

Crowd: 34,663 at the SCG