Before North’s bye, it travels to Spotless Stadium to face a Giants’ outfit which only just sits outside the top four with seven wins from eleven matches.

The Kangaroos welcome back Nick Dal Santo after he missed the last nine games with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile the home side is dealing with a mini injury crisis coming out of its loss to Collingwood.

Teams

North Melbourne

B: Lachlan Hansen, Robbie Tarrant, Michael Firrito
HB: Ben Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Nick Dal Santo
C: Sam Wright, Andrew Swallow, Jamie Macmillan
HF: Shaun Higgins, Jarrad Waite, Brent Harvey
F: Lindsay Thomas, Drew Petrie, Ben Brown
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Jack Ziebell
Int: Trent Dumont, Shaun Atley, Robbie Nahas, Sam Gibson
Emer: Ryan Bastinac, Scott McMahon, Majak Daw

In: Nick Dal Santo, Shaun Atley
Out: Ryan Bastinac, Scott McMahon (both omitted)

GWS Giants

B: Nathan Wilson, Aidan Corr, Tommy Bugg
HB: Matt Buntine, Nick Haynes, Heath Shaw
C: Rhys Palmer, Callan Ward, Devon Smith
HF: Toby Greene, Cam McCarthy, Ryan Griffen
F: Josh Kelly, Jeremy Cameron, Lachie Whitfield
Fol: Andrew Phillips, Dylan Shiel, Tom Scully
Int: Caleb Marchbank, Adam Treloar, Jack Steele, Rory Lobb
Emer: Curtly Hampton, Zac Williams, Jake Barrett

In: Rhys Palmer, Aidan Corr, Rory Lobb, Andrew Phillips, Jack Steele, Caleb Marchbank
Out: Shane Mumford (ankle), Phil Davis (ankle), Joel Patfull (ribs), Stephen Conilgio (shoulder), James Stewart (omitted), Will Hoskin-Elliott (omitted)

New: Caleb Marchbank, Jack Steele

Changing expectations

Before the Giants lost Patfull, Davis, Mumford and Coniglio to injury, Saturday’s encounter could have been viewed as a genuine 50-50 match.

However the quartet’s absence means the external view has shifted; North is now favoured to take home the four points. It builds pressure on the visitors considering the game was already thought of as close to a 'must-win' before the player unavailability factor.

A loss would leave the Kangaroos with a 5-7 record heading into the bye and they would need to win at least seven of their last 10 to make the finals – possibly eight when current percentage (90.8) is taken into account.

Heading into bye week

Since the introduction of the first expansion side (Gold Coast) in 2011, the Kangaroos have gone winless in the match before a week off, losing six consecutive games.

Round 2, 2011: North Melbourne 7.14.56 defeated by Collingwood 21.17.143
Round 20, 2011: North Melbourne 13.8.86 defeated by Hawthorn 15.13.103
Round 10, 2012: North Melbourne 9.5.59 defeated by Hawthorn 27.12.174
Round 11, 2013: North Melbourne 8.3.51 defeated by Gold Coast 9.12.66
Round 7, 2014: North Melbourne 11.11.77 defeated by Gold Coast 18.12.120
Round 18, 2014: North Melbourne 13.8.86 defeated by Carlton 16.13.109

With the exception of one loss against the Suns played in monsoonal conditions, the common thread throughout all of these is the high opposition score.

Once the 2013 game is removed, oppositions have averaged almost 130 points per game, breaking the century mark on each occasion.

To square 2015’s ledger at six wins and six losses, it must be rectified on Saturday afternoon.

The forward setup

With the absence of Davis and Patfull from the Giants’ defensive structure, the home side will be forced to rely on a younger set of backs than originally anticipated.

The experience of key forwards Drew Petrie and Jarrad Waite could prove crucial. With near on 500 games of AFL football between the duo, they should be able to make the most of it close to goal.

Petrie has a good record against the Giants, kicking 14 goals in four matches against them. It includes two hauls of five from the last two matches; a four goal burst in the third quarter of 2014’s clash the highlight.

However, regardless of how the North forward line sets up, the quality of ball use from the midfield remains of utmost importance.

The value of stoppages

Over the last three weeks, the Kangaroos have been involved in high-stoppage games. It’s been a departure from the first eight matches of the season, where the trend was the opposite.

The Giants have largely played in similar matches all season, ranked fifth for total stoppages in matches.

It makes the value of scoring from the eventual clearances crucial. Without this area to a side’s game, they become almost wholly reliant on scoring from opposition turnovers – an area which they have less control over.

While the amount of stoppages in North’s last three matches has increased, its rate of scoring from clearances has significantly decreased. This is despite winning the overall count.

The return of Nick Dal Santo and recall of Shaun Atley should help the issue; complementing the inside grunt with skill and pace on the outside.