After first playing there six years ago, Blundstone Arena has been a happy hunting ground for North Melbourne.
During the six-year spell in Hobart, Blundstone has become somewhat of a fortress with the 15 games played there coming with a 73 per cent win record (11 wins/4 losses).
In anticipation of facing Carlton at Blundstone Arena for the first time, North Media has delved into the archive to recap some of the Roos’ most famous wins down south.
April 8, 2012 - Round 2 - North Melbourne 28.15.183 defeated GWS 8.6.54
North’s partnership with Tasmania got off to the perfect start in Round 2 of 2012, with the Roos running out 129-point winners against a youthful Greater Western Sydney side.
The 28 North goals on the day were shared between 15 different goal-kickers, with Aaron Edwards ending the game with five.
Ryan Bastinac gathered a whopping 44 disposals, but somehow missed out on a Brownlow vote, with Michael Firrito taking the three votes, while Daniel Wells and Andrew Swallow received two and one respectively.
Of the 22 to take to the field that day, only Todd Goldstein, Ben Cunnington, Shaun Atley, Sam Wright and Jamie Macmillan remain on the current North list.
Ryan Bastinac had 44 disposals against the hapless Giants in 2012.
June 7, 2015 - Round 10 - North Melbourne 13.7.85 defeated West Coast Eagles 10.15.75
Kicking straight was the key with the wind playing havoc, as despite having five less scoring shots than the Eagles, North Melbourne ran out 10-point winners against the eventual Grand Finalists.
Shaun Higgins showed why North had recruited him from the Western Bulldogs with a best-on-ground performance, kicking 4 goals to go with his 22 disposals and 6 tackles.
An emerging Ben Brown impressed in his home state, kicking three goals.
Shaun Higgins and Jack Ziebell celebrate against the Eagles in 2015.
June 3, 2016 - Round 11 - North 16.16.124 defeated Richmond 7.12.54
The first Friday night game in Hobart was played in some of the coldest conditions seen at an AFL game, as the mercury struggled to rise above three degrees.
This didn’t stop the locals from coming out in force, as a sell-out crowd of 17,844 Tasmanian’s watched the clash with Richmond.
Coach Brad Scott was a late out for North as he was hospitalised, leaving assistant Darren Crocker in charge.
It was the Kangaroos who adapted best to the conditions, as they dominated from the get-go on their way to a 70-point victory.
Daniel Wells was dominant, with his 29 disposal, 3-goal effort the standout performance on what was a great night for North.
Majak Daw is swamped by teammates after kicking a goal against Richmond in 2016.
May 6, 2017 - Round 7 - North Melbourne 22.13.145 defeated Adelaide 13.8.86
North entered the Round 7 clash with just one win from its opening six games, and came up against an Adelaide outfit with a six-from-six record, and sitting pretty atop of the table.
But that meant little to the Roos’ players.
The Roos effectively won the game in the first quarter, as they absolutely blew the Crows away in the opening period, kicking 10.4.64 without Adelaide registering a score.
Jarrad Waite was a stand-out kicking 6 goals in one of his best performances for the club, with Ben Cunnington’s 29 disposals and 13 clearances going a long way in the 59-point win.
Jarrod Waite inspired the Roos to a dominant win over the Crows.
