1. Form
North Melbourne
Round 3: Defeated Geelong by 17 points; 20.11.131 to 16.18.114
Round 2: Defeated GWS by 129 points; 28.15.183 to 8.6.54
Round 1: Lost to Essendon by 2 points; 15.12.102 to 14.20.104
Season: 2-1, 152.94%, 6th position
With a slick display of quick, running football, North jumped Geelong early and was never headed on its way to a 17-point victory. The midfield group of Jack Ziebell, Ryan Bastinac and company was supreme in handing the Kangaroos their second win in a row.
Sydney
Round 3: Defeated Port Adelaide by 22 points; 16.9.105 to 12.11.83
Round 2: Defeated Fremantle by 13 points; 14.10.94 to 12.9.81
Round 1: Defeated GWS by 63 points; 14.16.100 to 5.7.37
Season: 3-0, 148.76%, 3rd
Predictably, Sydney could once again be finals bound. Behind a group of emerging players such as Daniel Hanneberry, Luke Parker and Josh Kennedy, Sydney has looked relatively untroubled in an undefeated start to the season.
2. Recent History
Since a comeback victory over Sydney in Round 2 of 2005, North Melbourne has only won one of the last nine meetings with an average losing margin of almost four goals. Of the three games at the SCG in that period, North has only kicked more than 10 goals once, indicating its struggle to cope with the tighter confines of the ground.
3. Pre-season flashback
In Round 2 of the 2012 NAB Cup, Sydney defeated North Melbourne by 17-points at Bruce Purser Reserve. Nine of North's players that night were not in the team for the game against Geelong, meaning Sydney won't be able to take too much out of that match in its preparation.
Sydney had four members from its win against Port Adelaide absent for the NAB Cup game against North, so while there is still a turnover of players, it is not as significant as North's.
4. Dream Team watch
North Melbourne
Ziebell was the stand-out against the Cats with 139 Dream Team points.
Click here to view the Round 3 Dream Team wrap
Sydney
Josh Kennedy
Arguably the most underrated midfielder in the AFL, Kennedy’s high possession count of more than 30 per game has him averaging 108-points in the first three rounds. He’s comfortably the highest scoring Swan, almost 50-points clear of second.
5. Maintaining momentum
A trait of a club trying to prove itself can be inconsistency. Coming off a big win can sometimes result in a downward output depending on the group.
While Sydney is shaping as a finals contender, it is the mental side of things that could determine just where North stands. Andrew Swallow rightly said earlier in the week, the Geelong win would mean little if the Roos were unable to back up the performance throughout the year. However one thing’s for sure, North is a proud club with a legacy built on resilience and an ability to punch far above its weight.
6. Under the Radar
North Melbourne
Michael Firrito
Tasked with big roles to start the season, Michael Firrito has excelled and is playing some of the best football of his career. After nullifying Michael Hurley, Firrito repelled Geelong's attacks time and time again on the way to 23 possessions. Perhaps even more impressive was he played 100 percent of game time.
Sydney
Luke Parker
Parker demonstrated his toughness by not missing a game after fracturing his jaw in the season opener. In just his second season, he has already cemented a spot in the Sydney midfield and his eight clearances against Port Adelaide shows he is the perfect foil for Sydney's outside players.
7. Key Matchup
Todd Goldstein v Shane Mumford
In last year's contest at Etihad Stadium, it was the dominance of Todd Goldstein in the ruck that almost propelled North Melbourne to a win despite some inaccurate kicking.
North Melbourne seems to have settled on a combination that has Hamish McIntosh spending the majority of his time forward, leaving Goldstein to continue his rucking role that earned him selection to the 2011 All-Australian squad.
Mumford collected 40 hitouts against Port Adelaide last week and it was his work-rate that allowed Sydney to gain a crucial edge in the clearances; a stat that always carries more weight at the SCG.
After breaking a hoodoo against Geelong, North Melbourne has the chance to break another this week with a win against Sydney for the first time since Round 6, 2007.
