Who: North Melbourne v St Kilda
Where and when: Friday June 16, Etihad Stadium, 7:50pm EST
TV and radio: Broadcast guide 
Tickets: Purchase tickets

Storyline

North sits 15th on the ladder with four wins from 11 games, while the Saints are 12th with five victories and six losses; it’s fair to say this game is vital in the context of both teams’ seasons.

The Roos have won four of their last six, but are coming off a disappointing loss to Richmond before the bye, while St Kilda has lost three in a row and will be desperate to turn the tide.

The two Etihad Stadium tenants face off in a Friday night blockbuster.

Hot topics

Pressure football

Both teams have been at their best when they’ve played high intensity football with high pressure on the opposition, something they've both lacked in their most recent defeats.

The team that can get the edge in this area will go a long way towards winning the game. 

Battle of the talls

It’s the big men in attack that both North and St Kilda rely upon heavily to hit the scoreboard.

Josh Bruce, Nick Riewoldt and Tim Membrey have combined for 49 goals for the Saints, while on the other side of the ledger Ben Brown has kicked 28 and Jarrad Waite nine from just five games.

North will look to the likes of Scott Thompson, Robbie Tarrant and Lachie Hansen to play key roles, while Jake Carlisle and Nathan Brown have big jobs at the other end.

Carlisle is in some doubt to return, and could be a huge out when it comes to the Saints’ structure and ability to cover Brown and Waite. 

The burning questions

Who gets Riewoldt?

The returning forward has had some big outings against North across his career.

Brad Scott says only a team effort will counter the Saints’ number 12.

"We all know Nick's strengths … well, it's probably better to look at his weaknesses – he doesn't have many – because everyone can see the litany of strengths he has got," Scott said.

"I doubt we'll rely on one player to get the job done there – we'll rotate it a fair bit.”

Can North stop the Saints’ defensive run?

The Saints have a raft of hard-running backmen who can hurt the opposition on the rebound.

The likes of Dylan Roberton, Jack Newnes, Jimmy Webster, Leigh Montagna and Sam Gilbert could cause some damage if they aren’t held accountable by the Roos’ forwards.

To tag or not to tag?

Both North and St Kilda have used taggers with some success this year, with Sam Gibson and Koby Stevens playing huge roles in the sides’ respective games against Rory Sloane.

While Gibson traditionally wears down the opposition with his ability to run from contest to contest, could Stevens be set for a role on a key North ball-winner?

Teams

North Melbourne

B: Marley Williams, Robbie Tarrant, Jamie Macmillan
HB: Lachlan Hansen, Scott Thompson, Luke McDonald
C: Sam Gibson, Ben Cunnington, Ryan Clarke
HF: Kayne Turner, Jarrad Waite, Taylor Garner
F: Mason Wood, Ben Brown, Trent Dumont
R: Todd Goldstein, Jack Ziebell, Shaun Higgins
Interchange Nathan Hrovat, Aaron Mullett, Shaun Atley, Declan Mountford
Emergencies Jed Anderson, Andrew Swallow, Braydon Preuss

In: D.Mountford
Out: E.Vickers-Willis (Knee)

Milestone: L.Hansen - 150 games

St Kilda

B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan Brown, Dylan Roberton
HB: Jack Newnes, Jake Carlisle, Sam Gilbert
C: Leigh Montagna, Koby Stevens, Jack Billings
HF: Jack Sinclair, Nick Riewoldt, Maverick Weller
F: Jade Gresham, Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey
R: Billy Longer, Seb Ross, Jack Steven
Interchange: Luke Dunstan, Blake Acres, Jack Lonie, Jimmy Webster
Emergencies: Tom Hickey, Jack Steele, Bailey Rice

In: N.Riewoldt, L.Dunstan, J.Lonie
Out: N.Wright (shoulder), J.Steele (omitted), P.McCartin (knee)