North Melbourne will face a Gold Coast side missing two of its key defenders on Saturday.
Rory Thompson is sidelined indefinitely with an ankle injury, while Steven May could be suspended for his rough conduct charge against Lion Stefan Martin.
If the duo were fit, they would have been locks for two of Drew Petrie, Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown. However, the Suns’ depth will be tested in what looms as a high-scoring encounter.
At the other end of the ground, North’s challenge will be a forward rapidly becoming one of the best in the competition.
Tom Lynch has kicked 18 goals this season to be an early leader in the Coleman Medal, and he’s thriving with the added responsibility that has come with the departure of Charlie Dixon.
Lynch is undoubtedly the leader of the Suns’ forward line. The second tall forward is often Sam Day, and then there are an array of smalls and medium-sized goal sneaks.
Jack Martin is beginning to show the form which made him such a highly rated junior. After an injury-interrupted first two seasons, the 21-year-old has kicked 10 goals in his first four matches, while averaging career highs in disposals and inside 50’s.
Through the middle of the ground, the form of Aaron Hall is turning heads. It’s fair to say his excellent run of form kicked off the last time he played the Kangaroos.
Hall came back into the side for the Round 14 encounter and proceeded to kick three goals from 20 disposals. From that game onwards, he’s averaged more than 27 disposals a game and is now an indispensable part of his side’s midfield.
It’s helped cover the ongoing loss of Jaeger O’Meara and David Swallow. As unexpected as it sounds, it means on current form Hall is performing better than none other but Gary Ablett.
Ablett seemingly has made a habit of saving his best games for the Kangaroos. Since moving to the Suns, he’s averaged an astounding 34.4 disposals and three goals in five matches against North. Needless to say, his matchup will have a huge responsibility on his hands.
The x-factor is the Roos’ recent record against Gold Coast. The last three meetings have ended as losses; the latter two by 43 and 55 points.
