Roar Guru
The North Melbourne Kangaroos got their pre-season started the right way, winning by two points against the Sydney Swans in Coffs Harbour.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Sydney Swans 0.8.15.63
North Melbourne Kangaroos 0.9.11.65
Join The Roar for the first JLT match for the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne Kangaroos as they go head to head in the unfamiliar territory of Coffs Harbour! We’ll be following the game live from 2:05pm AEDT with all the scores and a live blog.
Let’s be honest – AFL pre-season games aren’t the most exciting thing in the world… but that’s not to say they’re not somewhat exciting!
Wins might not carry any meaning, but what a great chance it is to get an early look at your team’s progress, witness the on-field debuts of plenty of young talent, and just bask in the knowledge that season 2017 is just around the corner!
North Melbourne will go in very short of big men (pun intended), with Todd Goldstein, Majak Daw and Ben Brown all sitting out, leaving majority ruck duties to 3rd year rookie Brandon Preuss.
Alongside Jarrad Waite, forward targets will come in the form of youngsters Nick Larkey, Ben McKay and Cameron Zurhaar, who will all be fighting to take the spot of the recently departed Drew Petrie.
Marley Williams will also play his first game as a Roo after crossing from Collingwood, and will certainly be looking to impress.
Alongside him in defence will be some other fresh faces to watch out for, including the highly rated Declan Watson and impressive tall Sam Durdin. Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson will not take part in the game.
Sydney are also leaving some huge names on the sidelines, including Jarrad McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Kieran Jack and perhaps their biggest name of all, superstar forward Lance Franklin.
Pick 11 from last year’s draft, the supremely talented Oliver Florent, will be showcased, as will other newbies Jack Maibaum (defender) and Darcy Cameron (ruck/forward). Plenty of rookies have also been named, including Irish Gaelic convert Colin O’Riordan.
New captain Josh Kennedy will lead from the front and will have plenty of first-rate support, with the likes of Dan Hannebery, Isaac Heeney and Luke Parker ready and raring to go.
Prediction
It should be a great hitout between the two sides but the Swans should be too strong for the undersized Roos.
Sydney by 32.
Join The Roar from 2:05pm AEST for all the live action!