The Kangaroos fly west to face West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday, on a mission to show their Round 1 form was no fluke.

North Melbourne began its season in style last weekend, downing Port Adelaide by 46 points at Marvel Stadium.

Round 2, West Coast v North Melbourne
When: Sunday, March 23 at 3.10pm AWST, 6.10pm AEDT
Where: Optus Stadium, Perth, WA
How to watch: Foxtel, Kayo Sports

The opposition

Despite being blown away by Gold Coast in the first half of their season opener, the young Eagles showed plenty of spirit, winning the third term and pegging the half-time margin back from 62 points to 48 at full-time.

Still, they’ll want a much better start when they host the Kangaroos on Sunday - a match-up that has been decided by 15 points or fewer for the past eight meetings.

Forward Jake Waterman will enter Optus Stadium in hot form, having booted three goals from nine touches against the Suns, while SSP signing Milan Murdock (two goals, 22 disposals) will be out to continue his fine start after an emphatic debut.

On the injury front, key backman Harry Edwards is a chance to return, which would help bolster the Eagles’ key defensive stocks. They'll also regain co-captain Liam Baker.

Running hot

In a round where North Melbourne conceded the lowest score in the competition, versatile key defender Charlie Comben was at the heart of it all.

Comben, who will play his milestone 50th AFL game this weekend, earned a perfect 10 coaches votes for his standout performance against the Power. He finished with 18 disposals, 14 intercepts and 11 marks, while also nailing a booming goal from beyond the 50-metre arc that ignited both the crowd and his team in the second quarter.

Growing in reliability behind the ball and in confidence, Comben continues to emerge as a cornerstone of the club's defensive unit.

What the coach has said

North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson on Wednesday: "We're trying to be as business-like as we can ... we want to make sure we came in on a Monday and the building couldn't really tell whether we'd won or lost, it was just a process.

"It was a more consistent effort than what we had demonstrated at different stages last year, so it's a good start. But it doesn't mean too much unless we can apply ourselves in a similar sort of manner this week against West Coast."

Last time we met

Starting off 1-0 in their new home away from home, the Kangaroos managed to snatch a thrilling victory, coming from behind to defeat the inaccurate Eagles by 10 points in Bunbury.

North Melbourne trailed by 18 points early in the fourth quarter but lifted to slot the final three goals of the game to win 9.8 (62) to 6.16 (52).

Forward Cam Zurhaar plucked a pack mark and converted to give his team the lead in the final minutes, before then-captain Jy Simpkin iced the game with 43 seconds to play when he snapped on the run.

Colby McKercher was damaging, racking up a game-high 35 disposals, while Paul Curtis booted three goals in a low-scoring affair.

An inspired West Coast has won its first game in 10 months and snapped a 14-game losing streak, coming from 30 points behind at Optus Stadium to stun North Melbourne and win by 17. 

The Eagles' young talent was on show in a 10-goal turnaround as they broke the game open in an eight-goal third quarter, playing with dare and a bit of menace to build a 30-point lead of their own. 

The question was whether they would have the composure to finish the job, and North made them sweat, cutting the margin to 11 before the Eagles steadied to win 17.9 (111) to 15.4 (94) in just the second win of Andrew McQualter's tenure. 

It was the Eagles' first win since the Round 10 triumph against St Kilda last season, and the nature of their performance suggests there will be more to follow through 2026 as the talented young core develops.

For North Melbourne, which let a game-high 30-point lead in the second quarter slip, the loss undoes much of the positivity built in an impressive 46-point win against Port Adelaide last week, missing the chance to win back-to-back matches for the first time since the opening two rounds of 2023.

West Coast's performance was driven by midfield sidekicks Harley Reid (30 disposals) and Elliot Yeo (19 and two goals) but included a deep list of contributors, with hard nuts Deven Robertson and Jack Graham both important.  

The clutch goalkicking of young players Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler, Archer Reid, and Jobe Shanahan, who all kicked two goals, was crucial through the middle stages as the Eagles capitalised on their momentum.

Veteran Jamie Cripps booted a team-high three goals, while co-captain Liam Baker returned from suspension to play his first game of the season and add toughness and dash across half-back. 

The former Richmond gun left the ground late with an ankle concern, however, while defender Harry Edwards was sidelined with concussion for the second time in three weeks. 

Challenged to be business-like and consistent after its impressive 46-point win against Port Adelaide, North took control of the opening quarter and built a 25-point lead by applying relentless pressure and converting the Eagles' frequent turnovers into scores. 

EAGLES v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The Roos were cleaner with the ball after a scrambly start and booted five goals from West Coast errors as Larkey capitalised with three of his own in the first quarter.  

When Cam Zurhaar slotted his second goal to start the second term, the margin was 30 points and alarm bells would have been going off in the Eagles' coaches' box. 

The home team adjusted, however, and turned the game on its head, eliminating the fumbles, hunting their opponents, and sharing the ball cleanly to go on a four-goal run and cut the margin to one point. 

Murdock brought great energy to the contest as the Eagles went inside 50 17 times to eight, Cripps kicked back-to-back goals, while Archer Reid and Shanahan combined well in the front half. 

Larkey, however, booted his fourth after former Eagle Jack Darling kicked cleverly to his advantage, extending the half-time margin to seven points. 

The Eagles made their big move in the third, surging with energy and converting their chances in an eight-goal quarter that saw them lead by 30 at the final change. 

Larkey threatened to steal the game back for North with back-to-back goals in the final quarter, but the Eagles steadied through a clutch long-range set shot from Jake Waterman and Murdock's final touch of class. 

As well as Larkey, who finished with six goals, the Kangaroos were best served by midfielder Harry Sheezel (40 disposals and eight clearances) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (32 and six), while ruck Tristan Xerri finished with 44 hitouts and seven clearances in a big performance.   

WEST COAST                       3.1     7.6     15.7     17.9 (111)
NORTH MELBOURNE          7.1     9.1     11.1      15.4 (94)
 
GOALS
West Coast: Cripps 3, Yeo 2, Shanahan 2, A.Reid 2, Murdock 2, Duursma 2, Duff-Tytler 2, Waterman, Flynn
North Melbourne: Larkey 6, Zurhaar 2, Curtis 2, Powell, O'Sullivan, McDonald, Konstanty, Dovaston
 
BEST
West Coast: H.Reid, Yeo, Shanahan, Robertson, Duursma, A.Reid, Graham, Duff-Tytler 
North Melbourne: Larkey, Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel, Xerri, Powell
 
INJURIES
West Coast: Edwards (concussion) 
North Melbourne: Logue (thigh)
 
Crowd: 47,083 at Optus Stadium