He’s been one of Todd Goldstein’s toughest opponents, and Aaron Sandilands will be in town on Sunday.

The battle between North Melbourne and Fremantle will be highlighted by the clash between the two ruckmen; arguably the best in the league.

Although Goldstein is currently in the form of his life and one of the Brownlow contenders, Sandilands has given him trouble in the past.

The Roo averages less than 22 hit-outs a game against Fremantle, his lowest number against any team. Perhaps it’s no coincidence North has only won one of its last four against the Dockers. A look back to Round 8 this season provides further information to highlight the scale of Goldstein's task.

He had a season low in both hit-outs to advantage (five) and disposals (seven). Unsurprisingly it then meant Fremantle’s midfielders had field days. The quartet of Nat Fyfe (37 disposals), Lachie Neale (34 disposals), Michael Barlow (30 disposals, two goals) and David Mundy (27 disposals, two goals) were all extremely influential.

It may have been the catalyst for Goldstein. Although his form was still promising before the first encounter against Fremantle, it has gone to another level since.

Perhaps the key for the North ruckman is to exert his influence around the ground. Some of his finest performances in 2015 have also been the ones where he’s ended with a high disposal count.

The 27-year-old has had four matches of 20+ disposals this season. All have resulted in wins to the Kangaroos, and arguably all will be rewarded with Brownlow votes.

The highlight of the lot was against Essendon, when Goldstein turned in one of the best individual performances of the entire AFL season. 27 disposals, 56 hit-outs, eight clearances and a goal for good measure was a showcase of his abilities.

While expecting a performance like that every week would perhaps be a bridge too far, getting involved away from the ruck contest will stretch Sandilands, a player so often used to dictating the terms of his matchup against lesser opponents.

If Goldstein can get on top of Sandilands, it may force Ross Lyon and the Fremantle coaching staff to throw Jonathon Griffin into the ruck for longer stretches. If this happens, it has the added effect of disrupting the Dockers’ forward structure.

Griffin has played the last five games, largely in a third tall/second ruck role. He’s averaged a goal and almost 14 hit-outs per match, providing an extra presence in the forward half.

Although Sandilands and his 211cm frame is a fearsome presence anywhere around the ground, it spends most of the time in the ruck. Spending more time closer to goal than normal may mean less room for the likes of Chris Mayne and Michael Walters to roam, while limiting the aerial space for Matthew Pavlich.

Despite winning four of the last five games, Fremantle has only averaged 87 points per game during the period. Any alteration to a forward structure in-game may bring the number down further. It suddenly becomes a much more feasible proposition to score 75-80 against the elite Dockers defence, rather than requiring a number closer to three figures to earn victory.

However, all of the above won’t happen unless Goldstein can change his recent form line against Sandilands.