North Melbourne v Melbourne
Saturday, February 24, 2.05pm AEDT
Kingston Twins Oval
Storyline
North will kick-start this year’s JLT Community Series this Saturday when it takes on Melbourne at Kingston Twin Ovals in Hobart.
It will be the first time the picturesque ground has hosted an AFL match since it opened in 2011, and certainly won't disappoint.
North will travel to Tasmania with a strong 30-man squad, with plenty of exciting talking points worth keeping an eye on.
Long awaited returns
For the first time since Round 8 in 2016, Ben Jacobs will return to the match-day arena after
overcoming a series of foot injuries which he battled for much of the past two years.
After returning to the main group in January, Jacobs has looked red-hot in a series of intra-club matches and high-intensity training sessions, and will be rapt to run out with his teammates once again.
Ed Vickers-Willis is also set to lace his boots up again, after suffering a PCL injury in Round 11 last year.
The versatile defender will hope that this will be the first step towards adding to his seven AFL games.
New faces
Billy Hartung has failed to put a foot wrong all pre-season after leading the way in the club’s endurance tests and collected a game-high 13 disposals in North’s second match of the AFLX competition.
The speedy winger has had no issue finding the ball in a series of match simulations this summer, and will look to provide the outside run North has lacked in recent seasons.
The number four pick in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, Luke Davies-Uniacke, is set to don the royal blue and white stripes for the first time after an impressive pre-season.
Paul Ahern looked sharp in his first outing for North last week, and has been named on a 12-man interchange bench, alongside speedy forward Gordon Narrier and skillful defender Alex Morgan.
Perfect audition
For most, the JLT Community Series is the perfect opportunity for players to prove their case ahead of Round 1, and with many spots in the best 22 up for grabs there will be a lot of players looking to put their best foot forward.
Big men such as Nick Larkey, Ben McKay and Sam Durdin all named on the interchange, will bee hoping to impress this Saturday given the trio have played just two, one and eight games respectively.
Cameron Zurhaar and Mitch Hibberd will also be looking to make a good impression in the first pre-season match, as they both look to build on their minor AFL experience in 2018.
Foreign territory
Don’t be surprised to see Brad Scott and his coaching staff experiment with the lineup at times this Saturday, with a handful of players set to feature in new positions.
Majak Daw has spent the majority of the pre-season training with the backline, and has shown in intra-club matches that he has what it takes to be a key feature in defence.
Midfielder Ryan Clarke could join Daw down back at times, with the speedy ball-user a chance to be placed across half-back and use his strengths to turn defence into offence.
A defender by trade, Luke McDonald looks likely to play some minutes in the midfield after producing another impressive pre-season.
With this added midfield depth, experienced midfielders Ben Cunnington, Shaun Higgins and Jack Ziebell could have the chance to sneak forward and hit the scoreboard.
Melbourne’s squad
The Demons have also selected a strong squad, with the likes of Nathan Jones, Christian Petracca and Max Gawn headlining Melbourne’s side.
New recruit Jake Lever will run out with his new side for the first time, while midfielders Dom Tyson and Jack Viney will miss out through injury.
Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw and Clayton Oliver are also set to feature.
The burning questions
Can Todd Goldstein return to form?
After a tough 2017, Todd Goldstein is yet to put a foot wrong this pre-season, with North’s
coaches expecting the All-Australian ruckman to return to his best. Saturday’s match will be the 29-year-old’s first step towards answering this question.
Which young Roo will put their hand up?
This season’s heavy lifting can’t be left to North’s experienced stars, who will require
the help from their younger teammates. With the club’s best 22 far from set, this is the perfect opportunity for a young Roo to put their hand up and stake their claim for a Round 1 berth.
Can North convert pre-season form?
North’s pre-season to date has been more than impressive, with almost the entire list training
with the main group. The new faces have integrated nicely, while the younger players continue to improve. North will be hopeful that these pre-season positives can turn into strong on-field performances.
Squads
North Melbourne
B: M.Williams 2, R.Tarrant 25, R.Clarke 13
HB: J.Macmillan 34, S.Thompson 16, S.Atley 18
C: T.Dumont, 14, B.Cunnington 10, B.Jacobs 5
HF: B.Hartung 39, J.Waite 30, L.McDonald 11
F: N.Hrovat 8, B.Brown 50, K.Turner 28
Foll: T.Goldstein 22, S.Higgins 4, J.Ziebell 7 (c)
I/C: P.Ahern 15, M.Daw 1, L.Davies-Uniacke 9, S.Durdin 24, M.Hibberd 17, N.Larkey 20, B.McKay 23, A.Morgan 21, G.Narrier 41, E.Vickers-Willis 33, J.Williams 36, C.Zurhaar 44
Melbourne
B: J.Wagner 42, O.McDonald 28, J.Lewis 6
HB: J.Lever 8, M.Hibberd 14, B.Vince 23
C: J.Hunt 29, J.Harmes 4, B.Stretch 15
HF: C.Oliver 13, T.McDonald 25, N.Jones 2 (c)
F: C.Petracca 5, J.Hogan 1, M.Hannan 19
Foll: M.Gawn 11, J.Melksham 18, A.Neal-Bullen 30
I/C: D.Keilty 45, C.Salem 3, H.Balic 27, A.Brayshaw 10, T.Bugg 32, H.Petty 35, B.Fritsch 31, S.Frost 17, J.Kennedy Harris 24, C.Maynard 20, T.Smith 38, C.Pedersen 21
