It was a case of no Gary Ablett no worries for Geelong as they cruised to a 51-point win over Sydney last weekend to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. North Melbourne snapped a two-game losing streak with a thrilling five-point win over Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium last Saturday night. The Kangaroos occupy 13th place on the ladder with a 3-4 win-loss record.

VENUE and TIME: Skilled Stadium, Saturday 16 May, 2.10pm (AEST)

HEAD TO HEAD: Played: 148, Geelong 89, North Melbourne 58, Draws 1

LAST TIME: Geelong 17.13 (115) def North Melbourne 13.4 (82), Round 21 2008 at Skilled Stadium

RECENT HISTORY: Geelong has won its past four against North Melbourne but the last time these two sides met at Skilled Stadium in round five, 2007, the Kangaroos got up by 16 points.

MEDICAL ROOM: Geelong will be without star midfielder Gary Ablett (groin) for at least another week while ruckman Brad Ottens (knee) is three to four weeks away from playing. Josh Hunt (knee), Matthew Egan (foot) and youngster Mitch Brown (broken leg) won’t play again this season. The Kangaroos welcome back midfielders Brady Rawlings and Gavin Urquhart who were late withdrawals from the win over Port with a hip injury and illness respectively but will be without youngster Jack Ziebell (leg) and small forward Matt Campbell (hamstring). Defenders Daniel Pratt (knee) and Lachlan Hansen (hamstring) are at least a fortnight away from resuming while skipper Brent Harvey will be sidelined for another nine to 11 weeks with a dislocated elbow.

KEY MATCH-UPS: Matthew Scarlett vs. David Hale

Hale has struggled to re-capture the form he showed in the latter stages of last season.

The 24-year-old recently signed a three-year deal with the Kangaroos and said he wants to repay the faith the club has shown in him – there is no better time to start than on Saturday afternoon against Geelong.

The last time these two sides met in round 21 last year Hale booted eight of his side’s 13 goals in a performance that earned him the three Brownlow medal votes.

The Kangaroos will need a similar performance from Hale on Saturday if they are going to be any hope of causing a massive upset.

However, his task won’t be an easy one as he will most likely be matched up by Scarlett who kept Sydney spearhead Barry Hall goalless last weekend.

The Roos will need to quick and clean with their use of the football going forward to give the likes of Hale any chance of having an impact otherwise the Cats will continually rebound the football out of defensive 50 and punish them on the rebound.

Brady Rawlings vs. Joel Selwood

Selwood played a key role in the win Cats’ 33-point win over the Kangaroos in the second last round of the home-and-away season last year, racking up 27 disposals in a performance that earned him the two Brownlow medal votes.

The 2007 NAB Rising Star winner is highly effective at winning the football in close and finding his teammates in space with his clean use of the football by hand – he is second at Geelong for first possessions and handballs.

If the Kangaroos are going to be any hope of shutting down Geelong’s running game they will need to quell the influence of Selwood at the stoppages.

Rawlings has claimed some big scalps during his 187-game career and looms as the obvious candidate to tag Selwood.

North will need Rawlings to deny Selwood any time or space at the stoppages and also make him accountable by winning his fair share of the football.

Cameron Ling vs. Daniel Wells

Wells made an impressive return from injury against the Power, racking up 26 disposals.

The 127-gamer was instrumental in his side’s last win over Geelong at Skilled Stadium in round five, 2007 with 19 disposals, two goals and nine inside 50’s.

The Cats will be keen to shut-down his run and carry and will most likely give their number one tagger in Ling the job of running with the classy Kangaroos midfielder.

Expect Ling to apply relentless pressure all day and also push forward at every available opportunity and take Wells out of his comfort zone.

Josh Gibson vs. Steve Johnson

Johnson got his side going against the Swans last weekend, booting four first-half goals.

The 25-year-old has been Geelong’s most consistent forward so far this season, kicking 21 goals in the first seven games.

Gibson was far from disgraced in his duel with Port Adelaide forward Daniel Motlop last weekend and will most likely be given first crack at Johnson who is good overhead and dangerous at ground level.

The North defender will need to be switched on defensively for the full four quarters and not give Johnson any time or space as he can turn a game on its head with a quick burst of brilliance.

VERDICT: Even without Ablett the Cats have too much class through the middle for a workmanlike North Melbourne midfield. Expect the likes of Cameron Mooney, Tom Hawkins and Johnson to benefit from an endless supply of quality football. Cats by 53 points.

GEELONG v NORTH MELBOURNE
GEELONG
B: Andrew Mackie, Matthew Scarlett, Darren Milburn
HB: Joel Corey, Tom Harley, Harry Taylor
C: Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, David Wojcinski
HF: James Kelly, Cameron Mooney, Mathew Stokes
F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson
Foll: Mark Blake, Cameron Ling, Joel Selwood
I/C: Shane Mumford, Max Rooke, Travis Varcoe, Shannon Byrnes
Emg: Tom Lonergan, David Johnson, Ryan Gamble

No change

NORTH MELBOURNE
B: Scott McMahon, Josh Gibson, Brady Rawlings
HB: Daniel Wells, Scott Thompson, Gavin Urquhart
C: Adam Simpson, Michael Firrito, Sam Wright
HF: Ben Warren, Drew Petrie, Ben Ross
F: Lindsay Thomas, David Hale, Aaron Edwards
Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Leigh Harding
I/C: Ed Lower, Daniel Harris, Sam Power, Todd Goldstein
Emg: Nathan Grima, Corey Jones, Matt Riggio

In: Wright, Rawlings, Urquhart
Out: Jack Ziebell (leg), Matt Campbell (hamstring), Shannon Watt

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