It will be all or nothing for North on Sunday at the MCG. Depending on other results, a win could see the Kangaroos leap into eighth for the first time in 2013.

Teams

North Melbourne

B: Lachlan Hansen, Luke Delaney, Aaron Mullett
HB: Ryan Bastinac, Michael Firrito, Shaun Atley
C: Sam Wright, Daniel Wells, Sam Gibson
HF: Jamie Macmillan, Robbie Tarrant, Brent Harvey
F: Lindsay Thomas, Drew Petrie, Aaron Black
Fol: Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Jack Ziebell
Int: Brad McKenzie, Ben Jacobs, Levi Greenwood, Will Sierakowski
Emer: Scott McMahon, Leigh Adams, Taylor Garner

Unchanged

Collingwood

B: Nathan Brown, Nick Maxwell, Heath Shaw
HB: Marley Williams, Lachlan Keeffe, Tyson Goldsack
C: Harry O'Brien, Josh Thomas, Brent Macaffer
HF: Steele Sidebottom, Quinten Lynch, Jarryd Blair
F: Sam Dwyer, Travis Cloke, Ben Reid
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan
Int: Alan Didak, Dayne Beams, Ben Kennedy, Paul Seedsman
Emg: Ben Hudson, Kyle Martin, Jordan Russell

In: Dayne Beams
Out: Luke Ball (calf)

Finals scenario

North Melbourne

Unexpectedly given another chance at a finals, North needs the following to happen before Sunday’s game:

1. Geelong must defeat Brisbane on Saturday afternoon at Simonds Stadium.
2. Port Adelaide must defeat Carlton in the Saturday twilight timeslot at AAMI Stadium.

If those results go the way of the Kangaroos, Sunday’s game against Collingwood becomes an elimination final for them.  A win would see a matchup against Richmond in the first week of finals, while a loss will spell the end.

Collingwood

Much like North, Collingwood will be waiting on other results to find out whether it will finish in fifth or sixth.

Richmond faces Essendon on Saturday night. If the Tigers win, it locks the Pies into sixth and a home final against Port. However, if Essendon wins, Collingwood can go into fifth and a home final against Carlton, Brisbane, Adelaide or even West Coast by defeating North.

Form line

North Melbourne

Despite Round 22 ending up in a loss to Hawthorn, being able to push the ladder leaders without Scott Thompson, Nathan Grima, Leigh Adams and Andrew Swallow is a promising sign.

The Roos have challenged most of their opposition with only games against Sydney and Fremantle getting away from them.

Also encouraging for the away team was a recent win against the in-form side of the competition, Geelong in Round 19.

Collingwood

Collingwood’s last five weeks has been its best of the season. Its famed defensive pressure, missing in patches early in the year, has returned with a vengeance.

With the exception of the loss to Hawthorn, none of the other four opponents have kicked more than 10 goals, with an average winning margin of more than 50 points.

Missing in action

North Melbourne

Scott Thompson – Bruised lung
Nathan Grima - Foot
Andrew Swallow - Achilles
Majak Daw - Knee
Cameron Delaney – Toe/Knee
Tom Curran - Foot
Max Warren - Collarbone
Mason Wood - Knee

Collingwood

Luke Ball – Calf
Jamie Elliott – Hamstring
Ben Sinclair – Shoulder
Clinton Young – Hamstring
Marty Clarke – Ankle
Alex Fasolo – Foot
Corey Gault – Groin
Michael Hartley – Shoulder
Dale Thomas – Ankle
Alan Toovey - Knee

Key matchup

Luke Delaney v Travis Cloke

While it was Michael Firrito who got the job on Hawthorn’s number one forward (Lance Franklin) last weekend, Cloke is a different type of player and therefore is probably more suited to Delaney.

50 of Cloke’s 61 goals this season have come from set shots, as he prefers to stay close to home as often as possible and use his impressive strength to thwart key defenders.

However, a feature of Delaney, is his refusal to be beaten in a show of strength, a trait that will serve him well should he spend the afternoon by Cloke’s side.

Considering Cloke has kicked at least one goal in each of his last 13 matches, shutting him out completely is unrealistic. The key is minimising his supply to the extent where his threat becomes manageable, which is where Lachlan Hansen comes into the picture.

Where it could be won

Much like the majority of games, the work in and around the contest will go a long way towards deciding the victor at the MCG.

Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury have typically caused North a lot of headaches in prior meetings, so restricting their ability to win their own ball will be crucial.

In North’s midfield it’ll be up to Jack Ziebell and Ben Cunnington to give the side first use from stoppages. However once North wins the ball, its use by hand and foot becomes critical. In Round 1, Collingwood scored 89 of its 103 points from Kangaroo turnovers.