SUMMARY
Pre-season flag favourites Greater Western Sydney rebounded from a round one savaging against Adelaide to do the same to struggling Gold Coast on Saturday. Dylan Shiel, Callan Ward and Josh Kelly (again) were red-hot for the Giants, who got six goals out of Jeremy Cameron in Jonathon Patton's absence. Patton should be back to face the Roos. North Melbourne suffered defeat for the second straight match despite showing promising signs – and leading by as many as 32 points over Geelong. The Cats' five-goal-to-one last term saw them pip the Kangaroos by a point on Sunday, spoiling strong displays from Shaun Higgins, Ben Cunnington, Robbie Tarrant and Braydon Preuss. Brad Scott's men should be buoyed by their impressive record in Tasmania and against GWS in general.
WHERE AND WHEN: Blundstone Arena, Saturday, April 8, 1.45pm AEST
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide
LAST FIVE TIMES
R23, 2016, GWS Giants 14.16 (100) d North Melbourne 9.9 (63) at Etihad Stadium
R12, 2015, North Melbourne 18.9 (117) d GWS Giants 8.13 (61) at Spotless Stadium
R20, 2014, North Melbourne 19.12 (126) d GWS Giants 7.9 (51) at Manuka Oval
R14, 2013, North Melbourne 19.16 (130) d GWS Giants 6.8 (44) at Etihad Stadium
R23, 2012, North Melbourne 16.9 (105) d GWS Giants 11.11 (77) at Spotless Stadium
THE SIX POINTS
1. Jonathon Patton starred with nine marks and five goals when these teams last played, with Steve Johnson kicking four goals and Dylan Shiel having 29 disposals. The Giants dominated the clearances, 46-34.
2. The Giants are the top-ranked team for disposal efficiency at 78 per cent through two games, while the Kangaroos are equal 10th at 74 per cent.
3. North Melbourne and GWS clash for the seventh time and the Kangaroos have dominated, winning five games to one. There haven't been too many close finishes, with four decided by more than 50 points.
4. Both sides have leading ruck divisions. The Kangaroos are ranked second for hit-outs after two games with an average of 52.5, while the Giants are equal fourth at 42 per game.
5. North Melbourne plays its first game in 2017 at Blundstone Arena. The Roos have enjoyed success in Hobart, winning nine of 12 matches, including eight of their last nine.
6. GWS jet Josh Kelly had 27 touches in each of the first two rounds and even added three goals against the Suns. The 22-year-old has climbed 17 places to No.77 in the Schick AFL Player Ratings since the start of the season to be the eighth-highest ranked Giant. Roos ruckman Todd Goldstein remained sixth overall despite being a late withdrawal.
IT’S A BIG WEEK FOR … Ben Cunnington.
The hard-nosed onballer was terrific in his season debut against Geelong – setting team highs of 28 disposals and seven tackles – but the key is bringing that type of performance week after week. Cunnington was top two in the Roos' best and fairest in 2014 and 2015, only to have an underwhelming campaign by his standards last year.
PREDICTION: GWS by 25 points.
