The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have a tough task ahead of them as they're set to clash with Melbourne under the bright lights of the MCG on Friday evening.

Both clubs came out of Round 1 with their records intact, but it wasn't as straightforward for the Demons against last season's premiers Adelaide as it was for the Kangaroos.

Led by Eliza West in the midfield, Melbourne managed to hold off a persistent Crows line-up that defeated them in the Season 6 Grand Final to win by three goals.

The result was one that further established the premiership credentials of Mick Stinear's group, while the Kangaroos' 26-point win over the Suns confirmed that, despite being a new-look side, they'll also be a contender for the Season 7 flag.

With the contest shaping up to be a cracker, let's look at three narratives heading into Round 2.

Too close to call

Throughout the AFLW's existence, each match played between North Melbourne and Melbourne has been decided by an average of just 6.25 points and Friday looks to be heading in the same direction.

Both sides play a similar style of football and possess the talent to not only win contested ball and clearances, but to damage oppositions on the outside as well, which justifies why the results since 2019 have been so tight.

Last time out, the Roos were held at bay by Melbourne for most of the afternoon and ended up falling in the Round 8 contest by 10 points.

However, despite the brand of football Melbourne and the Kangaroos both seemingly play, all four past meetings have taken place at Casey Fields, so the MCG, with its larger size, poses as a different factor which is likely to affect the way the night unfolds.

An inviting occasion

As stated, the MCG looms as a massive surface.

But that means there will be a ton of space for North's pacey youngsters to get dangerous and plenty of room for refined ball-users like Emma Kearney to initiate smooth attacking plays.

2022 squad additions Taylah Gatt and Erika O'Shea stand out as the speedsters who can use their expertise to break the game open with ball in hand and to get back quickly in defence to halt a Melbourne attack.

In Round 1, the Dees were able to create handball receives to great effect and should they opt to use their hands more often than kicking for the evening, the Roos will also need to be extra assertive on defence and around stoppages.

Should Melbourne attempt to replicate the style it demonstrated last week and North's pressure and structure holds firm across the 'G's deck, then the Roos may be able to force turnovers and punish them on the rebound.

Celebrate the King

After soaking in skipper Emma Kearney and Jasmine Garner's 50th games last week, it's now time to celebrate the King.

On Friday night at the home of football, Emma King, the only player other than Kearney to captain the Roos on gameday, will become the fourth player in royal blue and white to reach the 50-game milestone.

A two-time All-Australian for Collingwood and North Melbourne, King has been one of the most dominant tap rucks since entering the league in 2017 and has developed into a dangerous threat when forward.

After recording 16 hitouts and seven disposals against Lauren Bella and the Suns, King is set to face another tough individual battle this week as she lines up opposite fellow two-time All-Australian ruck Lauren Pearce.