The Kangaroos have the opportunity to record 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2019 when they face Sydney at the SCG on Sunday in their last match for the year.

The Roos pushed Geelong all the way at Marvel Stadium in Round 23, while the Swans will field a significantly changed line-up following this week's off-field allegations.

When: Sunday, August 23 at 3.20pm AEST
Where: SCG, Sydney, NSW 

The opposition

It has been a tumultuous week for the Swans, who will take to the field at the SCG without five senior players.

Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner will not play for the rest of the season after they were stood down by the club following an alleged off-field incident in Melbourne last weekend.

In their absence the Swans will look to continue the on-field form that has carried them to four consecutive wins. Their 17-5 record has them guaranteed to finish second on the ladder as they head into finals.

Midfielder James Rowbottom could return this week after missing two matches due to a fractured hand. 

Running hot

Nick Larkey delivered a true captain's performance to carry his team within a whisker of upsetting the Cats at Marvel Stadium in Round 23.

Larkey's five straight goals included a sensational snap under pressure to close the gap to just three points with eight minutes remaining.

It was a season-high haul for the skipper, and the Roos will hope he can build on his form against the Swans, to finish what has been a frequently challenging season on a high note.

What the coach has said

North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson post-game v Geelong: "Our contest and clearance work was (of a) real high quality, and while you want to maintain that standard for the whole game, it's just inevitable against a really good side that at some point in time they're going to arrest that significant advantage we had in that space.

"Despite the closeness of the game, they still managed to control the ball well enough to have the game played in their half, much more than us, and while we were pleased we were able to score heavily once we got the ball inside 50, we just couldn't get ascendency in trying to control the game in that space."

Last time we met

Sydney lifted when required after half-time to win by eight points at Marvel Stadium in Round 9, after holding off a North Melbourne side that kept coming until the final siren.

The Kangaroos showed their growing maturity in defeat, controlling the centre corridor and matching Sydney's firepower, and the game was still alive in the final 60 seconds when Cam Zurhaar had a shot on the run that just missed.

Luke Davies-Uniacke (34 disposals, six clearances) led the way for the Roos. Half-back Nick Blakey was damaging for the Swans in transition, while Isaac Heeney kicked three goals. 

An undermanned Sydney Swans outfit defied the club's turbulent week to end North Melbourne's season with a 53-point defeat at the SCG on Sunday.

Despite missing the five players who were stood down following last weekend's alleged off-field incident, the Swans were too slick for Alastair Clarkson's team.

They led at every change before blowing out the margin with seven goals to two in the final quarter.

For the Kangaroos, the 17.21 (123) to 10.10 (70) result was a disappointing way to end a season that has delivered nine wins, the club's best return since 2019.

SWANS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

Veteran Luke Parker (26 disposals, five intercepts) fought tirelessly in defeat against his old side, supported by former Roo skipper Jy Simpkin (26 disposals, eight tackles, six clearances).

Raw emotion spilled onto the SCG as weeping Sydney players embraced at the final siren.

That emotion translated directly onto the stat sheet, with the Swans dominating inside-50s 70–39 and smashing the Kangaroos in the clearances 48–31. Sydney's ruthless efficiency sealed the deal, as it converted a blistering 57.1 per cent of their entries compared to North Melbourne's 48.7 per cent.

Sydney's Charlie Curnow kicked 3.4 to finish with 69 goals for the year and clinch his third Coleman Medal ahead of Brisbane's Logan Morris, matching teammates Billy Cootee and Logan McDonald, who also finished with three goals each.

The Swans ignited early as Caiden Cleary converted a fumbled handpass from Tom Papley in the opening minute, with Jesse Dattoli, Tom Hanily, and Cootee answering Charlie Spargo's quick reply.

Paul Curtis briefly stemmed the tide, and a 50m penalty against Matt Roberts handed Simpkin an easy goal to register North Melbourne's first back-to-back majors, leaving Sydney with a seven-point buffer at the first break.

Campbell kicked off the second quarter with a goal, sparking a five-goal surge as unanswered majors from Jake Lloyd, Tom Papley, Cootee and McDonald blew the contest wide open. 

Although the run left North Melbourne scrambling for answers, the Kangaroos fought back with back-to-back goals from Zac Banch and Jack Darling. 

Tempers subsequently flared between James Rowbottom and Josh Goater in the latter's return to the senior side for the first time since round 21, but Sydney still maintained a comfortable 26-point lead at half time.

Darling briefly came from the field with an eye issue while North Melbourne cut the deficit to 21 points with three of the four goals in the third term, although Sydney continued to dominate the contested possession count.

Campbell added his second goal before Harry Kyle scored his first in the AFL to extend the lead to a game-high 42 points. Curnow then kicked back-to-back goals to close out his tally for the home-and-away season.

Meanwhile, Dylan Stephens was forced off the field after a heavy hit from Hanily while spoiling, bringing a brutal close to North Melbourne's 2026 season.

SYDNEY                       4.3    9.7   10.15   17.21 (123)
NORTH MELBOURNE  3.2    5.5   8.6       10.10 (70)

GOALS
Sydney: Cootee 3, Curnow 3, McDonald 3, Campbell 2, Cleary, Dattoli, Hannily, Kyle, Lloyd, Papley
North Melbourne: Zurhaar 2, Banch, Curtis, Darling, Larkey, Simpkin, Spargo, Trembath, Xerri

BEST
Sydney: Gulden, Grundy, Campbell, Curnow, Mills, Rowbottom
North Melbourne: Simpkin, Parker, Zurhaar, Hardeman, Spargo, Wardlaw 

INJURIES
Sydney: Nil
North Melbourne: Nil

Crowd: 30,058 at the SCG