After a week off, North plays its final NAB Challenge game of 2015 on Saturday at Etihad Stadium.
Richmond is its opponent, a side that has named its strongest outfit of its pre-season so far.
Squads
North Melbourne
Brad McKenzie, Ryan Bastinac, Shaun Higgins, Ben Jacobs, Jack Ziebell, Daniel Wells, Andrew Swallow, Ben Cunnington, Michael Firrito, Lindsay Thomas, Leigh Adams, Nick Dal Santo, Scott Thompson, Shaun Atley, Sam Wright, Drew Petrie, Luke McDonald, Todd Goldstein, Robbie Tarrant, Brent Harvey, Mason Wood, Jamie MacMillan, Aaron Black, Joel Tippett, Kayne Turner, Sam Gibson, Ben Brown
Richmond
Dylan Grimes, Brett Deledio, Dustin Martin, Brandon Ellis, Shaun Grigg, Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, Jake Batchelor, David Astbury, Ricky Petterd, Bachar Houli, Alex Rance, Ivan Maric, Nathan Gordon, Ben Griffiths, Troy Chaplin, Sam Lloyd, Taylor Hunt, Tyrone Vickery, Reece Conca, Nick Vlastuin, Kamdyn McIntosh, Ben Lennon, Matthew McDonough, Steven Morris, Kane Lambert
Final preparations
Both sides have said Saturday's match will be somewhat of a dress rehearsal for Round 1. It makes for an intriguing encounter at Etihad.
With North facing an interstate game at a hostile Adelaide Oval and Richmond likely playing in front of more than 70,000 against Carlton, both sides' season openers will be important to set the tone for their season.
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North's second NAB Challenge game of the pre-season against Hawthorn featured some heated exchanges between players; perhaps a bit unexpected so early in the year. There could be a similar scenes on Saturday afternoon too.
Forward line structure
The hot topic for much of the pre-season at Arden Street has been the makeup of North's forward line and Saturday will be the last chance to fine tune it.
Even with Jarrad Waite being rested, Drew Petrie, Aaron Black, Ben Brown and Mason Wood have all been selected in the 27-man squad. The members of the quartet have all had their moments during the competition so far, and with Petrie surely a lock for a Round 1 berth, the competition for the remaining spots will be heated.
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Wood in particular was mentioned during Brad Scott's weekly media conference with the coach stating the match committee was 'keen to see him this week.'
Trialling initiatives
There will be multiple innovations experimented with for the first time during a Kangaroos game:
1. 15 second shot clock - When a player is having a shot at goal following a mark or free kick, a 15 second countdown clock will appear on the scoreboard. The player must begin his approach before the clock reaches zero or it's play on.
2. Explanation of free kicks during scoreboard replays - The scoreboard operator will be connected to the umpire communication system and can broadcast the reason for the free kick during replays.
3. Broadcasting umpire explanation of score reviews - The TV broadcast currently takes this audio and the AFL will now seek to play this audio on the ground PA, pending audio quality.
4. Countdown of quarter and half time breaks - A countdown clock will be shown on the scoreboard to inform patrons of the time remaining before play is scheduled to recommence.
5. Roof positioning - The western roof panel will be adjusted into a different position to try and reduce potential sun glare issues on the ground during play.
