North Melbourne is looking to turn its impressive recent run of form into a long-awaited win when the side takes on Greater Western Sydney in Tasmania.
The Kangaroos (2-10, 68.5%) have lost two of their last three matches by a combined nine points, in an impressive form spike under caretaker coach Brett Ratten.
The Giants (4-8, 88%) came desperately close to defeating Richmond before ultimately losing by a goal.
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The subs were Aidan Corr for North Melbourne and Harry Rowston for GWS.
This match gets underway at 3:20pm AEST from Blundstone Arena.
Watch it live on Fox Footy (Channel 504) from 3pm AEST.
QUARTER BY QUARTER MATCH REPORT
It was a nightmare start for Giant Harry Perryman after he copped a “stiff” penalty for running to far.
Perryman was attempting to exit his back half when he was penalised – gifting Phoenix Spicer the first goal of the match.
“Perryman rightly a little bit annoyed. They generally give you about 20 metres and he’s taken it 15 to 18,” commentator Dwayne Russell said.
“I counted 15 with a couple of stutter steps in there,” Dermott Brereton added.
George Wardlaw then extended North Melbourne’s lead a short time later with a brilliant snap, leading Russell to claim the Giants attack end was “getting rigor mortis”.
Jake Riccardi was unlucky not to have a shot on goal when he copped a “facial massage” from opponent Griffin Logue just 15m out – but the moment when unnoticed.
But he made no mistake after his big grab to narrow North’s lead to just six points.
Two goals to Callum Brown and a ripper from Toby Bedford ensured it was the Giants who took the lead into the first change 27 to 16.
Jack Ziebell missed the quarter time huddle as he remained down in the rooms getting treatment on a nasty head wound.
Ziebell had put his body on the line in a marking contest and got crunched by the pack, copping an accidental elbow from Giant Jesse Hogan.
But he returned in the second term in good signs for the Roos.
Brown added a third goal to make it five straight for GWS before Eddie Ford broke the run and when Callum Coleman-Jones got on the end of a big torp, he dished the hands to Tarryn Thomas who converted.
Toby Greene could have had two goals in two minutes, but missed his second snap as the pressure lifted midway through the second term.
When Thomas added a second, after a brilliant passage from their defensive 50, suddenly North were back in front.
“They were on their knees 10 minutes ago!” Brereton praised of the Roos fightback.
But just as North appeared to have the momentum, it was Hogan that steadied for GWS as he just snuck his set shot through.
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