Here's everything you need to know for our clash with the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday night in Darwin.

Where: TIO Stadium, Darwin, NT
When: Saturday, May 11 at 7.30pm AEST (7pm ACST)
Gate information: Bonson Gate opens at 1.15pm ACST

Get your tickets

Tickets are still available for our game against Gold Coast at TIO Stadium!

Head here to grab yours.

Captains' Run

Catch the players as they go through their Captains' Run at TIO Stadium on Friday, May 10.

The session will kick off at approximately 4.15pm ACST and include a signing session, plus a meet and greet with players afterwards (access via Bonson Gate only from 4pm).

Watch on TV or stream on your phone

Saturday's game will be broadcast live for Foxtel and Kayo Sports subscribers.

>> Remember, you can grab a digital membership to get a discounted Kayo subscription! Find the membership package that suits you here

Stay connected on social media

For behind-the-scenes access and all the best highlights, photos, stats and stories, we’ve got you covered.
 
Follow the @NMFCOfficial accounts on Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok to stay up to date with everything happening at the match and don't forget to use #Kangas.
 
Bring on Round 9! 

North Melbourne returns to Darwin this weekend for the first time since Round 12, 2022 to challenge the Gold Coast Suns at TIO Stadium.

The Roos are still hunting for their first win of the season and will look to capitalise on the Suns' down form following their QClash loss to Brisbane at the Gabba last week.

Round 9, Gold Coast Suns v North Melbourne

Where: TIO Stadium, Darwin, NT
When: Saturday, May 11 at 7.30pm AEST (7pm ACST)
How to watch: Foxtel, Kayo Sports

The opposition

Road trips have proved a challenge for the Suns in their first season under new coach Damien Hardwick. While home wins against Richmond, Adelaide, Hawthorn and West Coast have kept them within a game of the top eight, they are yet to win away. Young gun Jack Lukosius may hold the key for them to reverse that trend and atone for their disappointing showing against the Lions. The Roos can expect Lukosius to return to Gold Coast's forward line after Hardwick conceded this week it had been a mistake to play the former No.2 draft pick in defence. 

What the coaches have said

North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson, on Thursday: "As long as the endeavour's great and the intent is great by our players, we know improvement will come. We couldn't question the guys in terms of their effort to apply themselves when they come to train. So we just slowly and gradually get better, but that'll take a period of time rather than it all happening overnight."

Gold Coast senior coach Damien Hardwick, post-game v Brisbane: "I'm eight games in. How smooth did you think it was going to be? It's going to be up and down. That's the reality of where we're at. We know where the gap is. We need to get better. We need to start getting off the porch and running with the big dogs. We're not off the porch yet."

Running hot

George Wardlaw

Wardlaw's effort in defeat against the Saints at Marvel Stadium last Saturday couldn’t be questioned.

The onball bull started hot with a goal before going onto finish with 22 possessions, 10 of which were contested, and a team-high seven score involvements.

An intriguing first-time match-up with Gold Coast's Matt Rowell awaits the No.6 on Saturday night – a head-to-head that will be worth tuning in for.

Last time we met

North Melbourne capped off a disappointing 2023 campaign with a strong 35-point win over Gold Coast in the closing round, led by the sharpshooting Nick Larkey.

Larkey booted a career-high nine goals to stun the Suns at Blundstone Arena, helping the Roos claim their third win of the year and their first since Round 2.

Bailey Scott put in a strong shift on his way to 33 disposals and 10 grabs, while Eddie Ford became the third Kangaroo that season to pick up a Rising Star nod after tallying three goals and 19 possessions.

Gold Coast put a difficult week behind it on Saturday night, overpowering North Melbourne by 68 points at TIO Stadium to make it five wins on the trot in Darwin.

In hot and humid conditions that made the football as slippery as a piece of soap, the Suns overcame a slow start before storming away to win 17.18 (120) to 7.10 (52).

The victory closed out a week that started with a QClash hammering from Brisbane and included the suspension of young defender Wil Powell.

It now moves the Suns to a 5-4 win-loss record ahead of playing Geelong at the same venue on Thursday night.

North played a kick-mark game style that kept the ball away from Gold Coast early on, but once Damien Hardwick's team ramped up the intensity after quarter-time, it was never challenged.

Following an inaccurate second quarter where it managed just 3.8, Gold Coast kicked five goals in the third term to put the game to bed.

With the Roos clearly out on their feet, the Suns piled on another seven in a final-quarter procession to blow the margin out to something that more reflected the gap between the teams.

Sam Flanders continued a fine season at half-back, finishing with 29 disposals that included 10 intercepts. His neat kicking was a feature on a night when missing targets and dropping easy marks was the norm.

Touk Miller (29 and a goal) and Noah Anderson (22, seven clearances and a goal) led the midfield with a workrate that eventually ran the legs off their opponents, while wingman Sam Clohesy (23) was magnificent with two long-range goals in the tight first half to give his team some breathing space.

Ben King (three) led the goalkickers, while Jed Walter – who flew for every mark possible without quite clunking them – Ben Ainsworth, Ben Long and Clohesy all kicked two apiece.

SUNS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

Gold Coast's defensive group was just as impressive, with Sam Collins (11 intercepts) keeping Nick Larkey to one goal, while Mac Andrew (nine intercepts) cleaning up everything in his area.

North trailed by six points at quarter-time, and probably could have led, such was its control of play.

Chipping the ball around to take 35 mostly uncontested marks, the Roos played 'keepings off' from the Suns early, but too often botched the final kick going inside 50.

Jake Rogers opened Gold Coast's scoring after a sweeping movement from half-back following a turnover, while Clohesy bombed one from 45m after another giveaway from a kick-in.

Gold Coast arrested control around the stoppages following the first term and harassed its opponents into more errors, continually outnumbering them around the ground to take total control.

Luke Davies-Uniacke (35 disposals and a goal) tried his heart out, while Colby McKercher (30) made some mistakes, but also never gave up.

Suns love the Top End
Now in its third season taking home games to Darwin, Gold Coast still has a perfect record, which is now 5-0. In 2022 the Suns defeated North Melbourne and Hawthorn, both comfortably, while last year it was the scalps of the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide. The conditions are helpful, with the humidity and resulting slippery footy similar to their pre-season training at Carrara, while the locals are slowly getting on board, with more red and yellow jumpers dotting the crowd by the year. Next up, Geelong on Thursday night.

Oh no! Poor Paul Curtis
North could count itself as mighty unlucky at the end of the first quarter when the siren sounded just as Paul Curtis was streaming into an open goal. Charlie Ballard dropped an uncontested mark, then compounded his mistake by handballing straight to Luke Davies-Uniacke, who spotted Curtis streaming past. The Kangaroos forward was running into an open goal when the quarter-time hooter blasted just as he was about to kick from the top of the goalsquare. So unlucky!

GOLD COAST             2.4       5.12     10.14  17.18 (120)
NORTH MELBOURNE          1.4       2.5       4.7       7.10 (52)

GOALS
Gold Coast: King 3, Walter 2, Long 2, Clohesy 2, Ainsworth 2, Witts, Sexton, Rogers, Miller, Johnston, Anderson
North Melbourne: Stephenson 2, Zurhaar, Tucker, Larkey, Davies-Uniacke, Curtis

BEST
Gold Coast: Flanders, Miller, Andrew, Clohesy, Collins, Anderson, Uwland
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Powell, Comben, McKercher, Fisher

INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
North Melbourne: Archer (foot)

SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Bailey Humphrey (replaced Alex Davies at three-quarter time)
North Melbourne: Charlie Lazzaro (replaced Blake Drury during the third quarter)

Crowd: TBC at TIO Stadium