Form
North Melbourne (0-3) v Adelaide Crows (1-2)
Neither team would be happy with the start they have made to the season, with just one win between the two sides.
The Roos started well against Hawthorn at the MCG last Sunday, but were eventually overrun to keep them winless after the opening three rounds.
The Crows' only win so far this season came away from home (v Sydney in Round 2), with home defeats to Hawthorn and Geelong either side of that victory.
Last time we met
North and Adelaide last met in Round 22 of 2018 at the Adelaide Oval, with the Crows surviving a late Roos' revival to win by nine points.
After kicking three early goals, North gave the ascendancy to Adelaide, who led at every break.
The game looked a formality for much of the second-half until the Roos clawed back a 37-point deficit to come within three points late in the final term. But the Crows held on.
Matt Crouch and Rory Laird both found plenty of the ball for the home team, winning 46 and 41 disposals respectively.
Trent Dumont and Jarrad Waite were best for the travelling team, with the former collecting a career-high 33 disposals, and Waite kicking three goals.
Key matchup
Ben Cunnington v Brad Crouch
Two of the competition's in-form inside midfielders will go head-to-head on Saturday night when Cunnington and Crouch face off.
After a quiet Round 1 by his standards, Cunnington has been arguably the Roos' best performer in the last two weeks, winning plenty of the contested ball.
In fact, no player in the competition has won more contested possessions than Cunnington the last two rounds, with the North number 10 sitting second behind Carlton’s Patrick Cripps across the season.
Cunnington also rates elite for clearances and score involvements in the first three rounds, and will once go a long way to North winning the midfield battle.
Crouch missed the entire 2018 season through injury, but has made up for lost time so far this year.
The 25-year-old has been one of the Crows' most influential players thus far, leading the way for goals, and sitting second behind brother Matt in possessions.
It’s won and lost in…
The defence
The Roos have had the second leakiest defence so far in 2019, a stark contrast to their start in 2018, where they were one of the stingiest.
Scott Thompson and Robbie Tarrant both entered the season somewhat underdone, with Tarrant missing the end of pre-season after shoulder surgery, and Scott Thompson missing Round 1 through suspension.
The veteran pair, as well as the rest of the defence, will need to be on their game against an Adelaide forward line full of weapons, albeit an out-of-form one.
The Crows haven’t quite clicked into gear so this season, averaging just 72.6 points, but any team with Walker, Betts, Lynch and Jenkins in it has the ability to score heavily if given the chance.
With Ben McKay omitted, extra onus will fall on the likes of Jamie Macmillan and Jasper Pittard to tackle the tall, and potentially potent forward line.
Former Port Adelaide defender Jasper Pittard has been an impressive performer so far, and shapes up to be an important figure as he goes up against his former Showdown rivals.
Keep an eye on…
The returning Roos.
Jed Anderson, Paul Ahern and Cameron Zurhaar will all line up for their first AFL games of 2019, while Mason Wood returns after sitting out the last two rounds.
Anderson and Ahern will provide some grit and guile to the Roos' midfield.
Zurhaar brings an element of 'x-factor' to the North forward line, which has struggled to register big scores this year.
Wood was quiet in Perth in Round 1, but has been given the nod by the match committee as the Roos search for the right support crew for Ben Brown. He'll be looking to cement his place in the best 22.
After a winless opening three rounds, fans will no doubt be excited to see what the returning quartet can do to change North's fortunes.
