Click here to view the 2013 fixture
The Roos will host two of the three Friday night's at Etihad Stadium (Round 17 against Carlton and Round 19 against Geelong) with the encounters sure to pull in big crowds.
While it had already been confirmed North would open the season against Collingwood on Easter Sunday, the full release of the draw reveals a torrid start to 2013. Four of the club's first five games are against teams who finished in the top six in 2012. To add to that, North's only repeat opponent from the bottom 10 in 2012 is the rapidly improving Brisbane outfit.
From 2012's top 8, North plays Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn and Adelaide twice. It is the Hawks that are a surprise inclusion in the list, as it will be the first time since 2009 the sides will meet more than once in a season. After the 115-point loss to them in Round 10, The Roos will have their first chance for revenge in Round 5 at the MCG.
North will play at the 'G twice, finishing the home and away season with a blockbuster encounter against Collingwood at the home of football.
Hobart, North's home away from home, will host both its games inside the first six weeks due to ground renovations. First up it's Sydney in Round 3 and then Port Adelaide in Round 6. Both games will be on a Saturday afternoon.
Including last year's Elimination Final, North will play two games in Perth for the fourth consecutive season. The first trip across the Nullabor is a rematch of the last game of 2012 with North taking on West Coast in a Friday night clash. It's the first time the two sides will meet on a Friday night at Patersons Stadium.
Considering the Kangaroos have lost their last three games following a trip to Patersons, the nine day break following the Eagles will be welcomed. Just a few short weeks later, North will travel back to Perth to face Fremantle in Round 13.
With the final round's timeslot against Collingwood yet to be decided, North has at least eight six-day breaks in 2013. Five out of the eight breaks involve an interstate trip on either the front or back end. In 2012 North also had eight six-day breaks with a record of five wins and three losses on the back end of the breaks.
Similar to its end to 2012, the Kangaroos only travel once in the last seven games. It could set the team up nicely for a potential finals run in the second half of the year.
Twelve matches are scheduled to be broadcast on Fox Footy with nine on Channel 7. This is a similar split to 2012, which had eight matches on 7 with 14 on Fox Footy.
As far as membership and access to games go, North's replacement matches for the Hobart fixture is still to be determined.
By the numbers
Home games
- Collingwood (Round 1)
- Sydney (Hobart, Round 3)
- Brisbane (Round 4)
- Port Adelaide (Hobart, Round 6)
- Adelaide (Round 9)
- St Kilda (Round 10)
- GWS (Round 14)
- Richmond (Round 15)
- Carlton (Round 17)
- Geelong (Round 19)
- Hawthorn (Round 22)
Away games
- Geelong (Round 2, Etihad)
- Hawthorn (Round 5, MCG)
- Western Bulldogs (Round 7, Etihad)
- West Coast (Round 8, Patersons)
- Gold Coast (Round 11, Metricon)
- Fremantle (Round 13, Patersons)
- Brisbane (Round 16, Gabba)
- Melbourne (Round 18, Etihad)
- Adelaide (Round 20, AAMI Stadium)
- Essendon (Round 21, Etihad)
- Collingwood (Round 23, TBD)
Interstate trips
- Round 3; Blundstone Arena
- Round 6; Blundstone Arena
- Round 8: Patersons Stadium
- Round 11: Metricon Stadium
- Round 13: Patersons Stadium
- Round 16: Gabba
- Round 20: AAMI Stadium
Matches by timeslot
- Friday night - 3
- Saturday afternoon - 5
- Saturday twilight - 2
- Saturday night - 2
- Sunday early - 1
- Sunday afternoon - 4
- Sunday twilight - 4
- TBD - 1
Matches by venue
- Etihad Stadium - 13
- MCG - 2
- Blundstone Arena - 2
- Patersons Stadium - 2
- Gabba - 1
- Metricon Stadium - 1
- AAMI Stadium - 1
