The Gabba is the venue for a record-setting occasion. Brent Harvey will become just the fourth man to play 400 AFL games on Saturday night.
North Melbourne will be looking to post three consecutive wins for the first time this season, while also looking to snap a 10-year losing streak at the home of the Lions.
Teams
North Melbourne
B: Sam Wright, Robbie Tarrant, Michael Firrito
HB: Nick Dal Santo, Scott Thompson, Ben Jacobs
C: Ryan Bastinac, Jack Ziebell, Shaun Atley
HF: Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Taylor Garner
F: Lindsay Thomas, Jarrad Waite, Shaun Higgins
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Andrew Swallow
Int: Kayne Turner, Sam Gibson, Ben Brown, Luke McDonald
Emer: Kieran Harper, Robin Nahas, Lachlan Hansen
In: Drew Petrie, Lindsay Thomas, Luke McDonald
Out: Jamie Macmillan, Aaron Mullett, Aaron Black
Milestones: Brent Harvey – 400 games, Sam Wright – 100 games, Shaun Atley – 100 games
Brisbane
B: J Clarke, D Merrett, H Andrews
HB: D Rich, M Paparone, S Mayes
C: D Zorko, D Beams, L Taylor
HF: J Redden, D McStay, A Christensen
F: S Martin, B Staker, J Adcock
Fol: M Leuenberger, T Rockliff, P Hanley
Int: J Aish, M Robinson, N Robertson, L Dawson
Emer: R Bewick, T Cutler, H Beasley
In: L Dawson
Out: R Harwood (hip)
Milestones: Jed Adcock - 200 games, Brent Staker - 50 club games
Milestone history
The benefit of a career that will sail past 400 games is the amount of individual milestones to celebrate. Staggeringly, the Kangaroos have won every single Harvey landmark match.
Game 1: North Melbourne 21.15.141 defeated Richmond 16.13.109
Game 50: North Melbourne 17.14.116 defeated Fremantle 12.14.86
Game 100: North Melbourne 14.11.95 defeated Port Adelaide 10.13.73
Game 150: North Melbourne 28.19.187 defeated Carlton 9.9.63
Game 200: North Melbourne 15.12.102 defeated Hawthorn 11.14.80
Game 250: North Melbourne 16.17.113 defeated Western Bulldogs 16.14.110
Game 300: North Melbourne 16.14.110 defeated West Coast 14.10.94
Game 312 (club games record): North Melbourne 18.14.122 defeated Gold Coast 9.9.63
Game 350: North Melbourne 19.19.133 defeated St Kilda 10.5.65
It’s a perfect 9-0 heading into the clash against Brisbane. However the Lions also have a celebration of their own. Jed Adcock will play his 200th AFL game on Saturday night, meaning both sides have plenty to play for.
The Gabba hoodoo
Aside from Harvey’s milestone, the next biggest issue for North is simply finding a way to come away from the Gabba with four premiership points. As detailed in this week’s (link)Scouting Report:(/link)
“The Kangaroos have only won in one of their last 11 trips to the ground, dating all the way back to the turn of the century. Their last victory at the Gabba came when Brad Scott was still a member of the Brisbane line up.”
In the last six losses at the ground, North has averaged approximately 12 goals a game, a number not high enough to consistently threaten any opposition side.
Looking at the line-up picked for this Saturday, there appears to be an abundance of options going forward. In addition to the three key position forwards, there are the smaller forwards like Harvey, Shaun Higgins and Lindsay Thomas, while Taylor Garner and Kayne Turner can be counted on to lock the ball close to goal.
To kick a winning score the unit will need to fire as a collective.
Ground level
A combination of Brisbane injuries and youth has meant it’s been forced to rely on smaller types more than it likely would have planned to at the start of the year.
Only one key position player (Daniel McStay) features in the top nine of their goal kicking, with the likes of Josh Green, Dayne Zorko, Allen Christensen and Dayne Beams forced to shoulder a heavier load.
This will mean a heavy premium placed on the happenings at ground level on Saturday night. In the corresponding match last season, only three of Brisbane’s 10 goals were from set shots.
The weather forecast for Saturday calls for morning showers. If they linger, there is every chance the Gabba will provide greasy conditions for the milestone match. Small forwards could provide the key.
