SUMMARY
Port Adelaide has had a tough start to the year and it won't get much easier this Saturday night when it takes on fellow 2014 preliminary finalist North Melbourne. Although the Power are 0-2 after losses to Fremantle at Domain Stadium and the Sydney Swans, their form has been OK, especially in the relentless contest against the Dockers. North returned to form last Sunday against the Brisbane Lions after its round one thrashing from Adelaide, but the visitors were undermanned and this game will give us a truer indication of where Brad Scott's men are at. North has a strong record against Port at Etihad Stadium and – if it brings the pressure it applied against the Lions – should sneak across the line at home.
WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, Saturday, April 18, 7.20pm AEST
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide
LAST FIVE TIMES
R3, 2014, North Melbourne 14.13 (97) d Port Adelaide 13.12 (90) at Etihad Stadium
R6, 2013, North Melbourne 14.9 (93) d Port Adelaide 12.11 (83) at Blundstone Arena
R8, 2012, Port Adelaide 14.11 (95) d North Melbourne 14.9 (93) at AAMI Stadium
R14, 2011, North Melbourne 21.10 (136) d Port Adelaide 14.7 (91) at AAMI Stadium
R6, 2011, North Melbourne 18.25 (133) d Port Adelaide 10.13 (73) at Etihad Stadium
THE SIX POINTS
1. North Melbourne’s win over Port Adelaide in round three, 2014, was largely due to small forwards Brent Harvey and Lindsay Thomas, who each booted three goals.
2. Port has averaged the most disposals in the competition (414 a match) so far this season while North Melbourne is ranked last (316).
3. North Melbourne has an imposing 21-8 lead in the teams' clashes.
4. Port is leading the AFL in average handballs a game (190.5) this year while North hasn’t handballed nearly as much (169.5 a game).
5. The Kangaroos have dominated the Power at Etihad Stadium winning six of the teams' seven matches, with Port’s only win coming in the 2005 elimination final.
6. North's first two performances of this season have been polar opposites. In round one, the Roos kicked nine goals and conceded 21, while in round two they kicked 20 and conceded seven.
IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR…
Travis Boak. The Port skipper has made a solid enough start to 2015 but has not had his usual influence. He had 25 possessions and just one clearance against Fremantle in round one and 20 possessions (just two were kicks) and five clearances against the Sydney Swans. The Power were well beaten at the stoppages in both games, closing the clearance count 30-41 to Fremantle and 36-45 to the Swans. North boasts a strong inside midfield brigade led by Ben Cunnington, Andrew Swallow and Jack Ziebell, and Boak will need to be at his best for the Power to reassert themselves at the stoppages.
PREDICTION: North Melbourne by three points
