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After resting up with the week off, the Sydney Swans face a must win preliminary final against the North Melbourne Kangaroos at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.
North Melbourne rose to the occasion last weekend against Geelong. Coming up against a side that had beaten them twice in 2014, they burst out of the blocks, commanding large portions of the game to secure a six point win.
They did almost let the game slip at the death, but did enough to book a date with Sydney.
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The last time these sides met was in Round 4, a match North Melbourne ran away with by 43-points, leaving the future minor premiers with a 1-3 record to start the season.
Sydney would hit their straps following that loss, only losing two more games for the season, and not again until Round 18.
In their recent history prior to that, the Swans have been dominant winning all of their meetings dating back to 2008 – in that year the best the ‘Roos could manage against the Swans was a draw.
So how much can be read into the Round 5 result?
The conditions on that day were wet, windy, and clearly favoured the ‘Roos. The showers stayed away for the first few minutes, but once they arrived, the score worm took a sharp turn in favour of the visitors.
The rain should stay away on Friday night in Sydney, which should remove any similar advantage for North Melbourne in this match.
MATCH INFORMATION
Day: Friday September 19
Time: 7:50pm (AEST)
Venue: ANZ Stadium
TV: Seven Network (LIVE), Fox Footy (LIVE)
Betting: Sydney $1.22 North Melbourne $4.50
On Tuesday night North Melbourne veteran, Brent Harvey, was cleared to play after being cited for a head clash with Geelong skipper, Joel Selwood, last weekend.
His presence is invaluable for the ‘Roos. When the big moments come calling on Friday night, we can be sure that he will pop up and make smart decisions.
Josh Kennedy has dominated the centre in these sides past two meetings, picking up 33 and 29 disposals. He was a little below par against the Dockers two weeks ago only picking up the 22 touches, but that was following a two week stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
Like all good champion players, Kennedy will be desperate to have another high impact game against the ‘Roos.
| Match | Venue | Home vs Away | Result | Disposals | Goals |
| Round 4, 2014 | SCG | Sydney defeated by North Melbourne | 48-91 | Kennedy 33 | Wells 3 |
| Round 3, 2013 | Blundstone Arena | North Melbourne defeated by Sydney | 92-131 | Kennedy 29 | Bolton 4 |
| Round 4, 2012 | SCG | Sydney defeats North Melbourne | 113-77 | Anthony 30 | McGlynn 3 |
| Round 10, 2011 | Etihad Stadium | North Melbourne defeated by Sydney | 71-72 | Swallow 28 | Petrie 3 |
| Round 15, 2010 | SCG | Sydney defeats North Melbourne | 85-55 | Malceski 34 | Goodes 3 |
Interestingly, North Melbourne are the only side left to have defeated all three of their remaining opponents.
They will enter Friday night as deserved underdogs, but should present the Swans with a mighty challenge, as they have shown a knack for stepping up against heavyweight opponents so far during 2014.
However, history is more than against them as they would need to become the only side outside the top four to reach the grand final since the current finals system was introduced in 2000.
After a couple of impressive wins against Geelong and Essendon, will North Melbourne have enough left in the tank to front up again and secure an unlikely grand final berth?
Or will the Swans make a statement and continue along their expected path to the last day in September?
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of the Swans vs Kangaroos match from 7:50pm (AEST) on Friday night.
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