While it has lost its last four matches against the Magpies by an average of 80-points, North heads into the clash as one of the in-form sides in the competition and Nathan Buckley admits his players will need to be at the top of their game to continue the dominance.
“I’ve been impressed by what they’ve( North) been able to achieve and the way they’re going about it,” Buckley said.
“They’ve got a really defined game structure and they’ve got a real belief in the way they play.
“I think their development over the last couple of years has been very strong. They’ve got young players, fit players that are buying into their system and they’re playing a really strong and intense style of footy.
"We’ve got our hands full to be able to be able to break that down and take advantage of other areas.”
Buckley is confident Dale Thomas will be available to play, despite the dynamic midfielder reportedly carrying a noticeable limp at training on Wednesday.
“He (Thomas) has actually come up as well as we could've hoped and he's really looking forward to Saturday night.''
Collingwood won’t risk bringing in several players on the comeback trail from injury, with Ben Johnson, Andrew Krakouer and Brent McAffer all to spend at least another week at VFL level.
