He may get the better of the hit-outs against the Cats’ Mark Blicavs, but North big man Todd Goldstein says any advantage will be irrelevant if he can’t provide his midfielders with first use.

The absence of Hamish McIntosh (knee), Nathan Vardy (knee) and Dawson Simpson (back) means Blicavs will ruck solo for just the second time in his career.

The former steeplechaser conceded 51 hit-outs against Brisbane in Round 23, managing just 14 himself, but the numbers mean little according to Goldstein.

"Obviously they'll (the Cats) be wanting to win the hit-outs, but they'll be wanting to shark us as well,” he told The Age’s Jesse Hogan on Wednesday.

"It doesn't make a difference if you win the hit-outs but don't know where it's going or don't have a plan... especially against a side that's so good and has players like (Jimmy) Bartel and (Joel) Selwood and (James) Kelly - the list goes on.

"People probably expect me to win it, but it's not as if they're coming in with no ruckman [and] I'm going to be playing against myself. There's going to be a contest. I've just got to bring my best."

Goldstein admits Blicavs’ relative lack of experience could actually make his task tougher.

“It makes a massive difference,” he told The Herald Sun’s Sam Landsberger.

“Someone like H (McIntosh) you know what you’ll get in the contest and you know he’ll follow that up and try to get some short possessions, but he won’t really try to run you off your feet.

“Whereas I actually don’t know what Mark’s going to try and do.

“He’s obviously got the capability to run everywhere, so it’s about trying to limit the impact he can have and then try and hopefully give us dominance around the stoppages.”

The Kangaroos’ depth through the middle will be vital on Friday night.

“I think that's a strength of our side, that we've had five or six blokes who have been coming in (to the midfield) for the past four or five years. I think we have a fairly good understanding.”

That experience as a unit has become evident in recent weeks; no more so than in Round 22 against Adelaide when skipper Andrew Swallow was on the end of Goldstein’s ruck-work several times in the dying minutes.

"It wasn't that we said 'This is where the ball is going', we just sort of knew where each other was going to be. That's the strength of our midfielders, that we have played so much together and have a very good understanding.”

Goldstein says North won’t be intimidated by the prospect of another do-or-die final, having gained valuable exposure against the Bombers.

“When the national anthem finished against Essendon the roar was nothing you could be prepared for,” he added.

“I think that was the biggest crowd we’ve played in front of since about 2000, none of us have played in front of 80,000 before so it was a great experience and I think we can get some confidence from that.

“We’ve been there now, we’ve got a win and the weight of not winning a final since 2007 is off us.”