Who: North Melbourne v GWS Giants
Where and when: Blundstone Arena, Saturday April 8, 1:45pm EST
TV and radio: Broadcast guide
Tickets: Purchase tickets

Storyline

Five years ago, North faced the Giants at Blundstone Arena.

It was only the Giants’ second match, so they’ll be a much different proposition this Saturday at the same venue. That year they were widely tipped to be the wooden spooners, this year most experts have them winning the premiership.

In 2017, the likes of Jeremy Cameron, Toby Greene, Phil Davis, Dylan Shiel and Devon Smith are well past the 129-point loss to the Roos and have matured to form a formidable outfit.

But North has started the season with promise against opponents of similar quality.

Firstly it was an impressive opening half against West Coast in Round 1, while it had the lead for the majority of the match against Geelong in Round 2 and will be rueing one that got away.

At the Roos’ home-away-from-home in Hobart, a venue where they have won eight of their last nine matches, they’ll be looking for their first victory of the season.

Hot topics

Defending the Giants’ forwards

There’ll be a new face in North’s defensive setup, with Sam Durdin making his debut and becoming Shinboner 1,000.

More responsibility will fall to Robbie Tarrant and Lachlan Hansen to guide the backline through the threat provided by the Giants.

In bouncing back from a Round 1 loss, GWS slammed 24 goals past Gold Coast last Saturday for its highest ever score and biggest win.

The likes of Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene will be key for the Giants, and North will have to minimise their influence if it hopes to return to Arden Street with the four points.

Playing at the right tempo

Following North’s loss to Geelong, Brad Scott mentioned the side was ‘playing too quick’ in the final term.

Explaining how the Roos didn’t use the numbers they had around the ball to maintain possession, it then poses a follow-up dilemma.

For a younger outfit, the balance between maintaining the game style and recognising key moments to pull back is tricky – even more so when North’s default is to be as aggressive as possible.

Scott was confident the Roos have the group to learn quickly, and Saturday will be the first opportunity to see how the week on the training track was put to use.

An extra tall for North

Against Geelong, North chose to go in with only two tall forwards, a rarity over the previous few seasons.

The return of Todd Goldstein this week, combined with Braydon Preuss’ impressive form against the Cats, mean the Roos have reverted to type for Saturday’s match.

Goldstein has enjoyed playing against the Giants in the past, registering the all-time hit-out record for a single game in 2015, when he had 80.

The burning questions

Can North maintain the rage? 

While North has been impressive in patches of the first fortnight, they’ll need a four-quarter effort to defeat the Giants.

How will the ruck battle play out?

Against West Coast and Geelong, North had a significant edge in the ruck. With Shane Mumford to come up against this week, the battle will be a fascinating one.

Can North make the most of home ground advantage?

The Giants haven’t stepped foot on Blundstone Arena since 2012, while North has continued to strengthen its ties with three games a year in Hobart. The knowledge of local conditions could prove handy.

Teams

North Melbourne

B: Marley Williams, Robbie Tarrant, Luke McDonald
HB: Jamie Macmillan, Lachlan Hansen, Aaron Mullett
C: Taylor Garner, Ben Cunnington, Shaun Atley
HF: Nathan Hrovat, Majak Daw, Trent Dumont
F: Lindsay Thomas, Ben Brown, Kayne Turner
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Jack Ziebell, Shaun Higgins
Int: Andrew Swallow, Sam Durdin, Braydon Preuss, Sam Gibson
Emer: Ryan Clarke, Ed Vickers-Willis, Corey Wagner

In: Todd Goldstein, Sam Durdin
Out: Scott Thompson (suspension), Jy Simpkin (corked thigh)

Greater Western Sydney

B: Zac Williams, Phil Davis, Matt Buntine
HB: Josh Kelly, Adam Tomlinson, Adam Kennedy
C: Heath Shaw, Callan Ward, Toby Greene
HF: Devon Smith, Rory Lobb, Steve Johnson
F: Ryan Griffen, Jeremy Cameron, Tom Scully
Fol: Shane Mumford, Dylan Shiel, Jacob Hopper
Int: Sam Reid, Tim Taranto, Nick Haynes, Nathan Wilson
Emer: Jonathon Patton, Aidan Corr, Harry Perryman

Unchanged