This is particularly noticeable with their defence. As North Melbourne plan for the Cats, they do so knowing the Geelong backline will have no Matthew Scarlett due to suspension and could be without Josh Hunt depending on his recovery from a calf injury. In their place are the likes of Billie Smedts, Cameron Guthrie and Taylor Hunt - the trio with a combined total of just 28 games.
The absence of Scarlett might provide an opportunity for North to stretch the Geelong defence. Harry Taylor and Andrew Mackie are excellent defenders when they’re allowed to roam free, but the Roos could try and expose them by forcing one-on-one situations.
Drew Petrie will most likely be met with Tom Lonergan, so it is through Hamish McIntosh and the third tall where North might be able to take advantage of the Cats’ Scarlett-less structure.
Another noticeable Geelong trend against Hawthorn was how the side struggled at times to clear the ball from its defensive 50. More responsibility was placed on the shoulders of Corey Enright and the Cats’ younger brigade which often resulted in a long bomb to clear the area.
Against GWS, a feature of North Melbourne's play was its ability to restrict the Giants from rebounding. If the team can keep the same structures in place against the Cats, it should see the ball stay longer in North's attacking half.
An area of similarity between Geelong and North Melbourne is with kick outs. Much like the Roos, against Hawthorn Geelong demonstrated an liking for a long clearing kick to a key position player. The one difference being the destination. Geelong tended to aim it down the middle of the ground rather than to one of the flanks.
While the youth in the Geelong backline is exciting, young players can run out of legs late in games. Hawthorn had their chances to win in the final term but failed with only five behinds on the scoreboard.
North Melbourne's last quarters have been impressive from the first two rounds. There was the comeback against Essendon and then on Sunday, the team kicked eight goals against the Giants.
Last time the sides met the likes of Darren Milburn, Cameron Ling and Brad Ottens loomed large but now a new generation has emerged and Geelong is showing no signs of dropping off the cliff like so many experts predicted.
