After six rounds, Minson leads the competition in hitouts to advantage. With 74 total, he is four ahead of second in North Melbourne's Todd Goldstein.
Both Minson and Goldstein are comfortably ahead of the pack, with third (Dean Cox) having 57 total hitouts to advantage.
Minson has taken another step up from last year, where he was ranked fifth in the statistic.
It's no surprise with Minson giving his teammates first use of the ball more often than anyone else, the Bulldogs are third in total clearances in 2013, averaging more than 41 a game.
It sets up an intriguing battle at the stoppages. While the Bulldogs may rank third, North is slightly ahead at second through six weeks.
With the exception of Sydney, none of North's other five opponents this year have ranked in the top eight for clearances - Hawthorn in 9th, Brisbane in 11th, Port Adelaide in 14th, Collingwood in 15th and Geelong in 17th.
Unsurprisingly, North has won the clearance count in five of six games, its only loss coming to Brisbane by one. The Bulldogs are much the same with wins in five of six as well.
For the Bulldogs, the midfield is led by their captain, Matthew Boyd. The 210-game player has traditionally enjoyed playing against North Melbourne. Excluding the expansion clubs, Boyd's highest disposal average comes against the Kangaroos.
Last week Ryan Bastinac performed a superb run-with role on Port Adelaide star Hamish Hartlett. Bastinac collected 27 disposals and held Hartlett to just seven, earning the North midfielder a perfect 10 in the coaches votes for Round 6.
With that in mind, Brad Scott could send Bastinac to Boyd in an attempt to quell the Bulldogs' captain's influence.
While Matthew Boyd enjoys playing against North, the opposite isn't so true for Andrew Swallow. Excluding expansion clubs, Swallow's 18.9 disposals per game against the Bulldogs is his third-lowest.
Liam Picken and Nick Lower are the two main taggers for the Bulldogs, and the North captain will most likely be expecting one of the duo come 4:40pm on Saturday.
But Swallow is in rare form, exceeding 25 disposals in five of his six games this year. Whichever Bulldog is tasked with the Kangaroos' captain, they'll find a player able to still have an influence regardless.
