North Melbourne will play its second and final Friday night game of the season this week. Its opponent will once again be the Bombers.
The sides met in prime time back in Round 7, with the Kangaroos ending the night victorious by 11 points.
Teams
North Melbourne
B: Sam Wright, Robbie Tarrant, Michael Firrito
HB: Nick Dal Santo, Scott Thompson, Jamie Macmillan
C: Ben Jacobs, Shaun Atley, Taylor Garner
HF: Aaron Black, Jarrad Waite, Jack Ziebell
F: Brent Harvey, Ben Brown, Shaun Higgins
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Andrew Swallow
Int: Ryan Bastinac, Kayne Turner, Aaron Mullett, Sam Gibson
Emer: Lindsay Thomas, Luke McDonald, Mason Wood
In: Aaron Black
Out: Drew Petrie (suspension)
Essendon
B: M Baguley, A Steinberg, M Hurley
HB: M Hibberd, J Gwilt, M Gleeson
C: B Stanton, B Goddard, D Zaharakis
HF: C Hooker, P Ambrose, J Merrett
F: J Laverde, J Daniher, D Heppell
Fol: S McKernan, N O'Brien, Z Merrett
Int: K Langford, B Howlett, S Edwards, J Ashby
Emer: C Dempsey, J Giles, E Kavanagh
In: K Langford
Out: A Browne (concussion)
Prior history
It's fair to say that games against Essendon are the ones North Melbourne fans most like to win. It made the Elimination Final last season even sweeter, if it was at all possible, and always means there's added spice in the matches between the sides.
Friday night will bring the opportunity for the Kangaroos to win three consecutive games against the Bombers. If the match ends in a victory, it'll be the longest winning streak for the club since its six in a row from 2002-2007.
If Essendon's previous two matches at Etihad Stadium are any guide, there will be ample opportunity for North to hit the scoreboard. The Bombers conceded 19 goals against Geelong in Round 10 before a further 25 against St Kilda in Round 14.
Turnovers and clearances
During the week, NMFC.com.au documented how the side has struggled to defend from turnovers after a win.
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Considering Essendon's reliance on scoring from opposition mistakes, it appears to be the key area of Friday night's game.
Normally a side scores around 55 per cent of their total from turnovers. For the Bombers, that number rises to almost 65 per cent, a dramatic increase.
Brent Stanton is the most dangerous Bomber in this area of the game. The midfielder has earned nine goals for his team this season from turnovers, almost double any of his teammates.
The ruck battle
Todd Goldstein is headed for All-Australian selection and has been heavily favoured to win the ruck battle once again this week.
Shaun McKernan provides a slightly different proposition to most of the opponents Goldstein faces over the course of the season. At 196 centimetres, the younger brother of Corey often has the edge in agility, able to cover the ground well.
However it's in this area where Goldstein thrives. Able to shoulder almost the entirety of the ruck load from start to finish, the Kangaroo often truly excels in the last quarter once his opponent hits the wall.
Goldstein will aim to add another scalp to his long list in 2015.
Seeking consistency
Only once this season has North been able to win consecutive matches. Coincidentally the second of those wins came against Essendon in Round 7.
The Kangaroos' 7-7 record has them sitting just outside the top eight at the start of Round 16. If results go their way over the weekend, they could be only one game and percentage off fifth by Sunday evening.
More importantly, the momentum which could be generated by back-to-back wins has the opportunity to set up the season. Looming on the schedule is a trip to Brisbane for Brent Harvey's 400th match before only one more interstate trip in the following six weeks.
