North Melbourne has made a handful of changes for its Round 9 VFL bout with Gold Coast at Arden Street Oval on Saturday.

Josh Goater, Robert Hansen jnr and Zac Fisher will all make their returns from injury, and are joined in the side by Tom Blamires and VFL-listed youngster Gus Papal.

Tom Powell comes out of the side due to the groin injury he sustained in last weekend's loss to Port Melbourne.

Felix Kneipp, Patrick Fairlie, Hugh Byrne and Tyson Scoble also make way.

The match at Arden Street Oval gets underway at 1.30pm AEST.

How to follow the game

You can live stream the match free via AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App. Head here on gameday to keep up with the score and our best performers.

Round 9

Saturday, May 23
North Melbourne v Gold Coast at Arden Street Oval, 1.30pm AEST

Zac Fisher was the hero in North Melbourne’s 13-point victory over the Gold Coast Suns, kicking two clutch goals in the final term on Saturday afternoon.

He added another goal in the first term, which went along with 22 disposals.

In a tight contest throughout, a slight breeze to one end of the ground favoured the Roos in the final term, as they kicked the final four goals of the match.

The last quarter run was capped off by Darcy Macpherson, who snapped the last goal of the match around his body to seal the 13.12 (90) to 11.11 (77) victory against his former side.

KANGAROOS v SUNS Full match coverage and stats

Player watch

Veteran Zac Fisher had an impact on the game throughout the whole contest, but his last quarter propelled North Melbourne to victory. The final goal he kicked put the Roos up by seven, as he turned onto his left from 40 metres out on the boundary and slotted it through.

In his first game for North Melbourne’s VFL side, Tom Blamires (29 disposals, eight inside 50s) made his presence felt around the ground, spending time in the midfield as well as on the wing.

His ability to get the ball forward created immense pressure on the Suns defenders and set up the Roos forwards well, as he contributed five score involvements.

In his return game from injury, Robert Hansen jnr (32 disposals, five score involvements) was terrific on the half-back flank, providing great run and carry, along with clean ball distribution.

Also returning from injury, defender Josh Goater (17 disposals, eight marks) played his role well, shutting down the Suns attack numerous times.

Young tall Taylor Goad (12 disposals, 17 hitouts, two goals) split his time between rucking and playing forward. He was able to impact in both positions, kicking his two goals in the first term as he rested forward.

Livewire Lachy Dovaston (11 disposals, two goals) played his role as a small forward beautifully, applying pressure on both the scoreboard and his defenders. His second goal came early in the fourth quarter, kickstarting the run that led to the Kangaroos win.

Key back Aidan Corr (16 disposals, nine marks) was a rock in defence, providing leadership and experience. His 94 per cent disposal efficiency rate helped the team get out of the backline many times.

Contested beast Thomson Dow (21 disposals, one goal) was once again excellent in the midfield, and youngster Samuel Linder (19 disposals, one goal) was also impactful.

What the coach said

VFL coach Adam Marcon on the result: “It was a really positive effort. We were challenged early in the game, and they came at us again in the third quarter, but we were pretty relentless in the final quarter with our forward 50 entries and playing the game in our front half.

“Off the back of this we were eventually able to get on top on the scoreboard, so really proud of the boys and their effort.”

On the message at three-quarter time: “It was just around a lot of our trademarks. We talked about being tough in the contest and our workrate, so a lot of credit to the players and their ability to go out there, execute, and play right up until the final siren.”

On Zac Fisher: “Fish was awesome. We’re really enjoying having him in the team and we missed him when he was injured. He played a mix of forward and wing, and was able to impact well in both positions, so it was really great to have him back out there today.”

On Tom Blamires: “Tommy was awesome with his run and overlap, and his ability to get to multiple contests is really fantastic. It’s great to have him playing on the wing and a little bit on the ball late in the game. His ability to play multiple roles is really valuable for us.”

Next up

North Melbourne have a bye next weekend, coinciding with the AFL team’s bye. Their next match is on Saturday, June 6, as they travel to Hobart to take on the Tasmania Devils in their inaugural season. The match at North Hobart Oval will be at 10.05am AEST.

NORTH MELBOURNE      4.0        7.5        9.6      13.12      (90)
GOLD COAST                   5.5        6.6      11.8       11.11      (77)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Fisher 3, Dovaston 2, Goad 2, Markovsky, Dow, George, Linder, Macpherson, Scott
Gold Coast: Gilmore 2, Eastham 2, Bell, Evans, Knobel, Patterson, Bennett, Coulson, Swallow

BEST
North Melbourne: Fisher, Pink, Corr, Blamires, Keast, Hansen jnr