North Melbourne will face a St Kilda side full of confidence in the Good Friday Kick for the Kids blockbuster.

After losing narrowly in both JLT Series games, the Saints responded with a 25-point win over a resurgent Brisbane Lions outfit at Etihad Stadium in Round 1. 

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Jack Steven was one of the standout performers across the competition in the opening round, with his 34 disposal, 2-goal effort earning him a perfect 10 votes in the AFLCA Coaches’ Award voting. 

Steven was not the only one of the Saints’ midfield to impress, with Blake Acres and Seb Ross also putting in strong shifts. 

Establishing himself as one of the competitions premier taggers prior to his injury woes, the stage could be set for Ben Jacobs to nullify the Saints’ midfield, and perhaps a role on Steven.

The post-Nick Riewoldt era saw the Saints start with a forward-line featuring three talls in Paddy McCartin, Josh Bruce and Tim Membrey, with each hitting the scoreboard. 

With North playing two key-defenders in Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson in the opening round loss against the Suns, the match committee may be tempted to select an extra tall to combat the Saints’ powerful forward line.

If the Roos were to go with a third tall in defence, Ben McKay’s recent performances for the VFL side will surely come into consideration. 

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson has a relatively healthy squad to choose from for Friday’s game, with Ben Paton, Nathan Freeman and Darren Minchington the outs through injury. 

After an 11^th placed finish in 2017, St Kilda will no doubt be up for the clash as they look to go 2-0 for the first time since 2014. 

North will have other ideas.