Round 3
Melbourne v North Melbourne
Saturday, April 7
2.10pm AEST
MCG
Storyline
With both teams coming off impressive wins, this Saturday’s clash between Melbourne and North at the MCG is sure to have plenty of feeling.
This will be the first of North’s two games at the MCG this season, and it’ll be Melbourne’s first at its home ground after matches at Etihad Stadium and the Gabba.
After what was widely considered as an unattractive opening half of football last Friday, North hit its straps in the third and fourth quarters, and played a brand of football which would have encouraged fans.
Melbourne is unlucky to have a loss next to its name, following a heartbreaking Round 1 defeat at the hands of Geelong. The Demons bounced-back in the perfect fashion last Saturday night, defeating Brisbane by 26 points away from home thanks to an impressive performance from their forwards.
Jacobs’ task
After Brad Scott surprised many last week by sending Ben Jacobs to Seb Ross, it will be fascinating to see who the tagger lines up next.
Emerging midfielder Clayton Oliver has starred in recent weeks, just shy of averaging 32 disposals, while co-captain Nathan Jones has collected 29 and 28 touches respectively.
Christian Petracca is an impact player who could receive some closer attention, given he has the ability to change games in an instant.
Scott is keeping his cards close to his chest, telling media the 26-year-old will go to “not who you would expect.”
Attacking football
In five of their past six encounters, North and Melbourne have combined to kicked in excess of 193 points, despite 2017’s average total score being 179.
Melbourne’s two matches this season have produced an average of 183 points, while North’s Good Friday clash last week produced 36 scoring shots following the cyclonic conditions in Cairns.
With both sides looking to play a fast and aggressive brand of football, expect to see another high-scoring affair on what is set to be perfect conditions at the ‘G.
Both sides are blessed with speed in the forward half, with North boasting the likes of Billy Hartung, Kayne Turner, Jy Simpkin, NathanHrovat and Jed Anderson, to match Melbourne’s Bayley Fritsch, Michael Hibberd and Jeff Garlett.
Another defensive task
After facing Tom Lynch in Round 1 and the tall St Kilda trio in Round 2, North’s defenders have another big task ahead of them.
Melbourne’s forwards come into this clash in red-hot form, with Jesse Hogan and Jeff Garlett kicking five and four goals respectively last week, to go with their impressive performances in Round 1.
It is sure to be a test for North’s backline, which has stood strong, thanks to an emphasis on team defence.
Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson have been outstanding, keeping opposition key forwards such as Tom Lynch, Steven May, Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey and Paddy McCartin goalless.
They’ve been complemented by smaller defenders, and in particular Ed Vickers-Willis, who continues to improve and look more and more comfortable despite having played just nine senior matches.
Melbourne's Team
Melbourne has made two changes to its side which got its first win of the season last weekend, leaving Jayden Hunt and Cam Pedersen out of the lineup.
Defender Sam Frost and small forward Dean Kent will make their way into the side after impressive stints in the VFL.
Frost has played 56 matches, and finds himself back in the 22 for the first time since Round 20, 2017.
Kent has had to wait longer for his reinlusion into the side, with a shoulder injury ending his season prematurely in Round 17 last year.
Burning Questions
Will North bring their goal-kicking boots?
Despite dominating the inside-50 count in the opening half against St Kilda in Round 2, North failed to convert its chances, kicking 2.10 before the main break.
The second half was drastically different however, with the Roos ending the match with a scoreline of 13.17.95.
If North can make the most of its opportunities from the opening bounce this weekend, it could make it very difficult for Melbourne to stay in the game.
Goldstein or Gawn?
When these two sides met in Round 3, 2016, Todd Goldstein and Max Gawn had one of the greatest ruck duels of all-time.
Gawn starred, collecting 63 hitouts, however Goldstein did more damage around the ground, collecting 19 disposals (15 contested), five tackles, nine clearances and five goals to lead North to a five-point win.
Gawn is hitting his straps after a year plagued by injury, and Goldstein is continuing to build towards his All-Australian form, which is sure to make this Saturday’s ruck battle a mouth-watering one.
How will North go on the MCG?
North rarely get given the opportunity to play on the MCG, in fact it has only played there twice in the past two years.
From those two appearances on the ‘G, it has won one and lost one, with the lone win coming against Melbourne in Round 9, 2017.
The North players will have to adapt to the wide expanses of the MCG and the unpredictability of Mother Nature; factors they don’t face at Etihad Stadium.
The Teams
North Melbourne
B Marley Williams, Scott D. Thompson, Ryan Clarke
HB Jamie Macmillan, Robbie Tarrant, Ed Vickers-Willis
C Ben Jacobs, Jy Simpkin, Billy Hartung
HF Shaun Atley, Jarrad Waite, Kayne Turner
F Jack Ziebell, Ben Brown, Luke Davies-Uniacke
FOL Todd Goldstein, Shaun Higgins, Ben Cunnington
I/C Jed Anderson, Trent Dumont, Nathan Hrovat, Luke McDonald
EMG Majak Daw, Mitchell Hibberd, Ben McKay, Mason Wood
Melbourne
B Jake Lever, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner
HB Bernie Vince, Michael Hibberd, Neville Jetta
C Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem
HF Jake Melksham, Sam Frost, Alex Neal-Bullen
F Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett
FOL Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, Dom Tyson
I/C James Harmes, Dean Kent, Bayley Fritsch, Tom Bugg
EMG Mitch Hannan, Corey Maynard, Cam Pedersen, Jayden Hunt
