North Melbourne travels to Townsville knowing a third successive pre-season win will leave it in a good position to make the NAB Cup Grand Final.

Two victories in two outings against Richmond and Melbourne showcased some promising stretches of play for the players and coaches to build on.

Gold Coast split its opening two matches; an after-the-siren victory against Hawthorn and a loss to Brisbane were its results at Metricon Stadium.

North is yet to lose to Gold Coast in any competition, although it was somewhat lucky to escape with a seven-point victory in Round 12, 2012.

Squads

North Melbourne

1. Daniel Currie, 3. Ryan Bastinac, 4. Liam Anthony, 5. Ben Jacobs, 6. Lachlan Hansen, 7. Jack Ziebell, 8. Daniel Wells, 9. Andrew Swallow, 10. Ben Cunnington, 11. Michael Firrito, 12. Lindsay Thomas, 14. Jordan Gysberts, 16. Scott Thompson, 18. Shaun Atley, 19. Sam Wright, 22. Todd Goldstein, 23. Kieran Harper, 24. Levi Greenwood, 25. Robbie Tarrant, 28. Will Sierakowski, 29. Brent Harvey, 35. Aaron Black, 41. Aaron Mullett, 42. Scott McMahon, 43. Sam Gibson

Gold Coast

1. Jaeger O’Meara, 2. Zac Smith, 3. Jared Brennan, 4. Maverick Weller, 5. Jarrod Harbrow, 7. Karmichael Hunt, 8. Luke Russell, 9. Gary Ablett ©, 11. Harley Bennell, 12. Sam Day, 14. Matthew Warnock, 15. Daniel Gorringe, 16. Rory Thompson, 17. Steven May, 21. Jeremy Taylor, 24. David Swallow, 28. Jack Martin, 29. Tom Murphy, 30. Campbell Brown, 31. Jackson Allen, 32. Brandon Matera, 33. Aaron Hall, 34. Jack Hutchins, 36. Greg Broughton, 37. Jesse Lonergan, 38. Joel Wilkinson, 42. Kyal Horsley

New forward line

Without Drew Petrie in the side, added responsibility falls on the shoulders of Robbie Tarrant and Lachlan Hansen. Along with Aaron Black, the trio will form the Roos’ now famous three-pronged attack in the humid conditions.

One of the three will have in-form Sun Rory Thompson to deal with. Entering his third season, the defender was impressive in Gold Coast's first hit-out against Hawthorn, keeping Lance Franklin goal-less.  Standing at 200cm tall and weighing 97kg, Thompson still possesses the athleticism to cover the North key forwards around the ground, making him a tough match-up.

Missing In Action

North Melbourne

Drew Petrie and Jamie Macmillan have been left out of the side for structural reasons, while the decision has been made to not risk Nathan Grima. Majak Daw was unable to recover from swelling in his knees and Leigh Adams is still recovering from off-season shoulder surgeries.

Gold Coast

Dion Prestia has been unable to overcome a hamstring complaint and will miss the clash.  Nathan Bock is still a fair time away after a broken leg in 2012 while Liam Patrick and Trent McKenzie will also miss.

Conditions

With a forecast high of 32 degrees and very high humidity, the conditions will be hostile for North.

Despite the best efforts (link)to acclimatise(/link), the tough settings will no doubt be energy-sapping as the afternoon progresses.

Gold Coast will better acclimatised with its Round 1 NAB Cup matches played in humid 33 degree weather at Metricon Stadium.

Backing Up

Now the excitement of their first match in new colours has worn off, the hard work begins for North's new recruits as they push for a Round 1 debut.

Daniel Currie was perhaps the pick of the bunch against Richmond with his superb centre-square work. He'll get a chance to potentially develop a partnership with Todd Goldstein after both were selected in the 25-man squad.

Ben Jacobs and Jordan Gysberts were also impressive in bursts last Friday night and will get another chance to impress. Will Sierakowski, although not a new recruit, collected a lot of the ball against Melbourne and will most likely play Jamie Macmillan's usual role off half-back.

Young Stars

North Melbourne

Aaron Mullett

Enjoying increased game-time so far this pre-season in defence, Mullett has handled himself well in one-on-one situations, especially against Lindsay Thomas in the Intraclub match.

Gold Coast possesses a number of dangerous smalls, which means Mullett will have another chance to test his progression and make a claim for a permanent spot in the back six.

Gold Coast

Jaeger O'Meara

After being drafted a year early and spending 2012 in Gold Coast's reserves, O'Meara is now eligible to play in the seniors. He wasted no time making his mark, looking very impressive and composed while in possession.

Despite being just 19-years old and yet to debut, O'Meara has the potential to have a big influence on Saturday's clash.