We've reached mid-point of the Kangaroos' season and the games keep coming thick and fast. This weekend North fronts up to an in-form Gold Coast side in Darwin.

Having already tested their mettle at TIO Stadium with a 67-point win over Hawthorn last week, the Suns will be hoping for a repeat effort against the Kangaroos. For North it's all about getting back onto the winners list.

The Kangaroos will look to last year's Round 15 victory over this weekend's opposition for motivation. While the margin was a tight nine points, it was one of their best performances of the season.

There are a number of questions to be answered and stories to be told this weekend, but here are four of the most pressing.

Can Roos capitalise on clearance work?

When the Kangaroos have found themselves in times of trouble this season, one of their consistently strong areas has been their clearance work. The team's performance at the stoppage this season has been competitive at its worst and dominant at its best.

Led by Jed Anderson and Jy Simpkin against the Saints last weekend the Kangaroos ended the game with plus 12 clearances but minus 75 disposals and minus 24 inside 50s. The problem isn't what's happening at the coalface, it's what's happening after the Kangaroos clear the ball from stoppages.

If North can tighten up it's post-clearance play they'll present themselves the chance to string together strong, calm passages of play, which should allow the team to not only create more scoring opportunities, but shore up the defence as well.

Some of the team's most experienced players operate in the middle of the ground, and while they're fulfilling their roles at the stoppage the onus is on them to provide better service to their forwards and keep the ball under pressure.

What will the forward structure look like?

Cam Zurhaar, out. Callum Coleman-Jones, Eddie Ford and Charlie Comben, injured. Jacob Edwards, re-conditioning. North Melbourne's medium-tall forward options are looking rather thin at the moment.

Jack Ziebell has already returned to the forward line this year to help lead and supplement the line, but at least one enforced change will be swung this weekend due to the ill-timed foot injury of the in-form Zurhaar.

The skipper could be called upon to play Zurhaar's centre half-forward role, with his strength and ability in the air lending itself well to the undersized role 'The Bull' plays so well, but the expected slippery conditions in Darwin could suit a smaller line-up.

Jack Mahony is looking for another opportunity after being named as medical substitute last week, while Charlie Lazzaro and Jaidyn Stephenson have been impressing in the VFL. Curtis Taylor or Tarryn Thomas could even help fill a role in the forward 50 - their classy skillsets could lend themselves well to the conditions.

Fixing the team's often misfiring forward line would have been high on the to-do list for David Noble all season, and while Zurhaar's forced omission from the side won't help matters, it provides an opportunity for any number of other players to step up and make their impact count.

Can Anderson dominate in Darwin?

The chance to play AFL football in Darwin is a rare and special opportunity that every North player selected to take on the Suns this weekend will undoubtedly make the most of. For Jed Anderson though, it's a homecoming.

Drafted from the NT Thunder, Anderson has never been presented with the opportunity to travel to back to his home and play the game he loves in front of his friends and family. This weekend he, finally, has the opportunity to do that.

His strong 28-disposal, 12-tackle and seven-clearance performance in Round 11 against the Saints saw him play himself into some kind of form, and he'll be hoping to replicate that kind of individual performance this weekend.

Given the rare nature of playing in Darwin, there's no better week for the Kangaroos to turn their form around and register their first win since Round 2.

Are the Suns on their best run ever?

This weekend will be the 16th time North Melbourne has played the Suns in its history. After the 'Keep North South' campaign of the mid 2000s this game means a little bit more to a large and rusted-on section of the Kangaroos' fanbase.

Should the Suns win they'll even the balance sheet at eight wins apiece, and it can be argued they've never entered a clash with North in as good form as they currently find themselves in.

Currently 12th on the ladder, the Suns have won three of their last four games to surge up into contention for the top eight. Those three victories include last week's massive 67-point win over Hawthorn in Darwin.

The Suns' struggles have been well-documented over their history, and there's no better indication of this than David Swallow becoming the first ever Sun to play in 50 wins for the club. He was selected with the number one pick by the club in the 2010 National Draft.

They seem to be on the up though, and it's going to be up to the Kangaroos to halt the momentum of this rapidly improving side.