North Melbourne v Carlton
Saturday, April 14
Blundstone Arena
First bounce: 7.25pm (AEST)
Gates open: 5.30pm (AEST)

Storyline

With Carlton still on the hunt for its first win of 2018, and North’s impressive record at Blundstone Arena, Saturday night’s clash is sure to be fascinating.

For North, Blundstone Arena is its home away from home, and history shows the Roos are very comfortable in-front of their Tasmanian fans. For Carlton however, it will be its first time on the Hobart deck after a pre-season match in Launceston.

After an explosive start last week at the MCG, North couldn’t make the most of its early four goal lead against the Demons, and was eventually defeated by 37 points.

It was a similar story for Carlton, which established a 19-point buffer early in the first quarter, only to have arch-rivals Collingwood claw back the margin and win by four goals.

Majak’s role

With Scott Thompson likely to play on Levi Casboult, and the return of Robbie Tarrant, who is expected to line up on Charlie Curnow, it will be interesting to see the role that Majak Daw plays on Saturday night.

With Brad Scott’s desires to keep Daw in defence, it seems likely the 27-year-old will be required to keep an eye on one of Carlton’s smaller forwards.

This will be a new challenge for Daw, but one he is more than capable of completing given his unique athleticism, highlighted by his burst of speed.

The alternate role may give the ruckman-turned-defender greater flexibility to leave his man and use his strong marking ability to put an end to opposition attacks, as was seen in the early parts of North’s clash with Melbourne.

Daw’s development as a defender has steadily progressed since the switch to defence, and North will be hoping Saturday night is another step in the right direction.

Carlton’s new-look backline

Carlton will line up with a backline that is very foreign to North on Saturday night, given Kade Simpson and Lachie Plowman are the only two defenders that played the last time these two sides met.

Sam Docherty (knee) and Caleb Marchbank (ankle) are both sidelined with injury, while Ed Curnow has made his way into the midfield and Alex Silvagni is in the VFL.

It means the likes of Liam Jones, Jacob Weitering and former North player Aaron Mullett are key players in defence, while ex-Port Adelaide defender Cameron O’Shea returns to the senior side.

How this new-look back six performs against North is yet to be seen, but in the early weeks of this season, they have conceded an average score of 107 points.

With the likes of Ben Brown and Jarrad Waite in-from, it will be interesting to see how the Blues look to combat North’s key forwards.

Weather

Aside from the narrower surface at Blundstone Arena, the unpredictable weather conditions in Hobart is what makes the ground so unique.

As was evident in the most recent clash at the ground in Round 19 last season, a strong wind can cause havoc at the ground, and make scoring difficult for teams forced to kick into the breeze.

The forecast for Saturday indicates that North and Carlton will be likely to face moderate to high winds and rainfall during the match.

Forecasters are expecting 20-30km/h winds during the evening, as well as a 70% chance of rainfall, which is likely to feel minute compared to what North faced in Round 1.

Carlton’s team

B Lachie Plowman, Liam Jones, David Cuningham
HB Cameron O'Shea,  Jacob Weitering, Kade Simpson
C Dale Thomas,  Matthew Kennedy, Aaron Mullett
HF Sam Petrevski-Seton, Levi Casboult, Jack Silvagni
F Zac Fisher, Charlie Curnow, Matthew Wright
FOL Matthew Kreuzer, Patrick Cripps, Marc Murphy
I/C Paddy Dow,  Jarrod Garlett, Ed Curnow, Lochie O'Brien
EMG Andrew Phillips, Nick Graham, Jed Lamb, Harry McKay
 
IN Cameron O'Shea, Jack Silvagni, Lochie O'Brien
OUT Caleb Marchbank (Injured), Cameron Polson (Omitted), Jed Lamb (Omitted)

Burning Questions

Will North add to its strong Hobart record?

There’s no secret North enjoys playing at Blundstone Arena, and its record can attest for that. Since the first match in 2012, North has won 11 of its 15 matches at the ground, including a 59-point win in Round 7 last year against the then winless Adelaide Crows. A win on Saturday night would make it 12 of 16, and lift the winning percentage to 75%.

Goldstein to bounce back? 

North coach Brad Scott has been open and honest about Todd Goldstein’s performance last week against Max Gawn, and made it very clear he’s expecting the All-Australian ruckman to bounce back this week. It is no easy task however, with Goldstein preparing to go head-to-head with Matthew Kreuzer who has been impressive in the early parts of this year.

Goldstein was a good performer in the opening two rounds, and the coaching staff will have full confidence he can get back to his best this week. 

Will the Tasmanian crowd get North over the line?

With a big crowd expected to file into the tight confines of Blundstone Arena, it’s set to be a hostile environment this weekend. North fans always come out in force when its beloved Roos are in town, and Saturday night is set to be no different. If the game is ever in the balance, the North players will feed off the energy of the Hobart crowd.