They’re two of the youngest lists in the competition and both play exciting brands of football, which is why Saturday’s clash between North Melbourne and Brisbane is set to be a thriller.

For the Kangaroos, a strong win over West Coast last weekend kept its finals hopes alive, and with the race for a September berth swell and truly alive, every match from here on in will be like an elimination final.

The Lions meanwhile are in season-best form having secured three of its four wins in the past five weeks.

The Waite is over

It was in the lead-up to the most recent meeting between the two sides when veteran forward Jarrad Waite withdrew after suffering a calf complaint in the warm-up.

Eight weeks on, the 35-year-old is set to make his highly anticipated return with the hope of playing an integral part at the pointy-end of the season.

Having kicked 22 goals in his opening nine matches, Waite was a force to be reckoned with inside North’s forward 50 by not only kicking goals, but also providing a perfect partner for Coleman Medal leader, Ben Brown.

With Brown, Waite, Mason Wood and Jack Ziebell in the forwardline for just the fourth time this season, the four pronged attack will test the Brisbane defenders.

In Round 11, young defender Harris Andrews did a solid job on Brown restricting him to two majors while Michael Gardiner kept Mason Wood to just one and Nick Robertson found it tough going against Ziebell who slotted three.

Adding Waite will stretch the home side, and may force coach Chris Fagan to reshuffle his back six.

Young Roos crucial

With Shaun Higgins ruled-out of Saturday’s match and Ben Jacobs still a week-by-week proposition, Brad Scott and the coaches will look to the young North midfielders to step-up.

Ben Cunnington is an experienced campaigner on the ball, and will no doubt lead the way, but the improvements will need to come from the emerging stars.

Jed Anderson has arguably been North’s most improved player in 2018, averaging a career-high 19.2 disposals per game, while fellow hard-nosed midfielder Paul Ahern had a break-out game against the Eagles last weekend with 37 disposals; 22 contested.

It means the likes of Jy Simpkin, Luke McDonald and Ryan Clarke may spend more time on and around the ball, while Ziebell could be another midfield option despite having spent much of the season as a forward.

With Higgins averaging 27.4 disposals this season, there are big shoes to fill.

Goldstein’s challenge

Todd Goldstein has been in blistering form the past two months, getting the better of some of the game’s best ruckmen.

He’ll be presented with a tough challenge this weekend, with experienced big man Stefan Martin and young ruckman Oscar McInerney waiting.

The pair has combined well with the Lions ranking 5th in hit-outs per game, with 31-year-old Martin averaging the 6th most taps across the competition.

McInerney has played as back-up for much of this season, but has also proven to be a capable goalscorer.

Goldstein will no doubt do much of the ruck work, but Majak Daw may be required to assist at times and ease the load.

Brisbane team

B Luke Hodge, Harris Andrews, Darcy Gardiner
HB Daniel Rich, Dan McStay, Alex Witherden
C Lewis Taylor, Mitch Robinson, Dayne Zorko
HF Cam Rayner, Josh Walker, Hugh McCluggage 
F Allen Christensen, Eric Hipwood, Brandon Starcevich 
FOL Stef Martin, Jarrod Berry, Dayne Beams
I/C Ryan Bastinac, Nick Robertson, Rhys Mathieson, Oscar McInerney 
EMG Claye Beams, Sam Mayes, Ryan Lester, Jack Frost

Burning questions

Will North maintain its strong form against Brisbane?

North has won the past five encounters, including the Round 11 match at Etihad Stadium, and the final match of 2017.

Who will Mitch Robinson tag?

Mitch Robinson has played an important role for the Lions, following some of the game’s best midfielders. Without Higgins, his options are wide-open and include Cunnington and ninth-gamer Ahern.

Which veterans will reign supreme?

North and Brisbane have a number of experienced players who will be vital on the day. For North, the likes of Scott Thompson, Jarrad Waite, Todd Goldstein and Robbie Tarrant will be huge factors while the Lions will rely heavily on Luke Hodge, Dayne Zorko, Martin and Robinson.