Hawthorn v North Melbourne
Sunday, April 7 - 3.20pm AEST
MCG

Form

Hawthorn (1-1) v North (0-2)
After two rounds, both Hawthorn and North Melbourne are still striving to find a consistent vein of strong form, having experienced both good and bad patches in the opening fortnight.

The Hawks caused an upset win over Adelaide in Round 1, then led the Western Bulldogs by five goals in the final quarter, before being overrun.

The Roos on the other hand, looked poised to claim their first victory of the season in Round 2 against Brisbane, but like the Hawks, a late flurry of unanswered goals from their opponents saw them come up short.

Last time we met

The last time these two teams met, it was Round 5, 2018, when North recorded one of its most inspirational victories in recent memory, upsetting the Hawks at the then Etihad Stadium, by 28 points.

Star midfielder Shaun Higgins was stretchered off the ground in the third quarter after a bump from former Hawk Ryan Burton left him seriously concussed, before Ed Vickers-Willis suffered a similar fate just moments later.

Down to just 20 men for much of the second half, the Roos managed to fight through adversity, thanks to four goals from Ben Brown and three goals from Jarrad Waite.

Ben Cunnington stood up in the absence of Higgins, recording 30 disposals.

For the Hawks, Luke Bruest caused headaches, kicking five goals for the afternoon, while James Sicily was a presence in defence, recording 28 disposals.

The last time these two sides met at the MCG was in Round 21, 2016, when Hawthorn was victorious by 39 points.

Key matchup

Jaeger O’Meara v Shaun Higgins
There are few things better in football than seeing two star midfielders go toe-to-toe all match, and that’s what we’re likely to see this Sunday between Hawthorn’s Jaeger O’Meara and North’s Shaun Higgins.

After a tumultuous career which has involved ongoing knee complaints, two clubs and extreme external scrutiny, O’Meara’s start to the 2019 season would indicate that he’s put all of those hurdles behind him.

In Round 1, the former Gold Coast Sun collected 24 disposals and kicked two goals, before going on to record 30 disposals and one major the next week against the Bulldogs.

For Shaun Higgins, his first game back after a career-best year was solid, racking up 26 disposals, but the following week, he showed he’s capable of taking things to another level, winning a team-high 38 disposals.

O’Meara isn’t just an impactful ball-user, the 25-year-old can also win his own ball and make an impact defensively, averaging five clearances and five tackles in the opening two rounds of the season.

Now flanked with more top-end talent, such as Aaron Hall and Jared Polec, there is less reliability on Higgins to produce game-high numbers, which may take the pressure off the 31-year-old to allow him to play more freely.

It’s won and lost in…

...North’s forward line.
It’s been relatively tough going for North’s forward-line in the opening two weeks of the season, averaging just 73 points, the sixth least in the competition.

It’s come as somewhat of a surprise given the potent forward options on hand for the Roos, including Ben Brown, Jack Ziebell and a resting midfielder such as Hall or Cunnington.

In recent years, Brown has proven what a force he can be in front of goal, kicking 61 goals in 22 games in 2019, after slotting 63 majors the year prior.

Ziebell also displayed his forward prowess, providing a strong third option, and bringing his ferocious attack on the ball inside forward 50.

In Round 1 the Roos scored 59 points, before scoring 87 last weekend, and if they continue on that same trajectory, they could be on their way to breaking the hundred. 

However, it will be no easy task for the North forwards, who will be defended by a talented Hawthorn defence.

James Frawley and captain Ben Stratton are stingy defenders, while James Sicily can minimise the impact of his opponents while also hurting them offensively.

Keep an eye on…

…James Worpel and Luke Davies-Uniacke.
Young athletes can often fall victim to the ‘second-year blues’, but James Worpel and Luke Davies-Uniacke can’t be accused of suffering such form slumps.

Hawk Worpel has stood up to the plate in the absence of star midfielder Tom Mitchell, assisting the likes of O’Meara with the heavy workloads.

In his debut season, the 20-year-old averaged a solid 17.6 disposals, but in 2019, he’s averaging 26 disposals, and playing a big role for his side.

It’s a similar story for Davies-Uniacke, who after a slow start to his AFL career, continues to look more and more comfortable in the AFL environment. 

Last year the midfielder was averaging 10.4 touches per match, but he's almost doubled that in the opening two rounds, averaging 20.5.

Both players provide valuable depth to their respective midfields, and strong performances from either can go a long way to determining the overall performance of the midfield groups.