They’re one of North Melbourne’s closest rivals by the numbers and also due to their proximity to Aegis Park.

The Bulldogs are not only located just around the corner in Footscray, but also hold a slight winning percentage of just 51 over the Roos. The sons of the west have won 75 out of 150 games against North, with 3 matches ending in a draw. A look at the last 10 meetings however has the sides evenly split at 5 wins apiece.

On Saturday at Etihad Stadium, many expect the ledger to tip back North’s way with the side in red hot form after winning 6 of its last 7 games and payback on the cards after it was beaten by the Dogs by 18-points in Round 7.

Who’s hot?

Sam Gibson
The mature-age rookie set Etihad on fire in Round 18 with his tireless work rate and elite endurance. At 26-years old, he uses the ball well and is cool under pressure. He had a career best 36 disposals against Melbourne and said he now feels more comfortable on the field with 7 matches under his belt.

Rob Murphy
There have been some dark days for the Dogs this year but thankfully the skilful Robert Murphy is fit and firing. He had 19 disposals and 8 marks against St Kilda and is averaging similar numbers for the year to date. Murphy’s footy smarts and decision making are vital in the Dog’s inexperienced line-up, especially down back where the pressure has been on.

Young Guns

Robbie Tarrant
It’s been a breakthrough year for the key-forward after kicking 14 goals from 10 games. Finally getting a decent run at football following a dreadful bout with injuries, Tarrant has kicked 4 goals on three occasions. The 23-year old has formed a three-pronged attack alongside Drew Petrie and Lachlan Hansen causing many headaches for the club’s opposition.

Mitchell Wallis
The highly rated midfielder is hard at it and relishing more responsibility in 2012 averaging 22 disposals. Last time the sides met, he collected 28 touches and most recently against St Kilda he had his season average, 22.

Where it could be won

The defenders
Dog Brian Lake was able to impact the Round 7 match and negate Drew Petrie with Brad Scott claiming it appeared his players were kicking to the wrong player at times throughout the match. Lake finished with 26 possessions and a remarkable 12 marks with Petrie booting 3 goals to go along with a quiet 9 disposals.

This time, Lake and his fellow defenders may have more to worry about with Tarrant and Hansen in the side to help Petrie out.

Conversely, North’s defence will be bolstered by Nathan Grima. However it was the smaller forwards in Tory Dickson and Daniel Giansiracusa who did the most damage kicking 4 and 3 goals respectively and if Scott McMahon can’t get up from groin trouble, they may again have the upper hand.

Ball use and scoring

Offence has been North’s strength and the Bulldogs weakness. Recent form suggests Brad Scott will be looking for his men to continue to pepper the forward 50 and goals, while Brendan McCartney will be hoping a forward target emerges for the struggling Dogs.

North Melbourne is ranked 2nd in the league for goals scored with 281 at an average of 17 per game while the Dogs are 15th with 175 and just 10 per match sailing through the big sticks.

A look at inside 50s is just as extreme with North again 2nd in the AFL with a total of 996 at an average of 59 a game and the Dogs sitting in 12th spot after 861 at an average of 51.

The Roos are much more efficient also averaging just 22.53 disposals per goal compared to their upcoming opponent’s 38.15.

The Dogs have kicked more than 8 goals on just one occasion since Round 13 and have managed just 21 majors after half-time since that particular clash against the Lions.

Changing of the guard

Jack Ziebell, Cam Delaney, Luke Delaney, Aaron Edwards, Brad McKenzie and Hamish McIntosh all played in the Round 7 defeat to the Bulldogs and none of them have played in the past fortnight, suggesting a very different line-up is likely for North.

Those who took the field last week but were missing in Round 7 include Nathan Grima, Lachlan Hansen, Robbie Tarrant, Matthew Campbell and McMahon.

It’s yet to be seen if McMahon and Leigh Adams will take their places in the side with injury clouds hanging of their heads.

For the Bulldogs, the likes of Mark Austin, Shaun Higgins and Daniel Cross will be missing after helping defeat the Roos once already this year.

Missing in action

North
Tom Curran - foot, season
Jack Ziebell - suspension, 2 weeks
Leigh Adams - shoulder, test
Scott McMahon - groin, test
Lindsay Thomas - suspension, 2 weeks

Bulldogs
James Mulligan - Achilles, Season
Mark Austin - Broken Wrist, Season
Daniel Cross - AC Joint, Season
Dale Morris - Leg, Indefinite
Jack Redpath - Broken Wrist, TBA
Shaun Higgins - Hamstring, 3 Weeks
Lukas Markovic - Hamstring, 2-3 Weeks
Easton Wood - General Tightness, 2-3 Weeks
Dylan Addison - Broken Jaw, Test
Adam Cooney - Knee, Test