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North Melbourne Kangaroos hosts the Western Bulldogs in a clash of the top two teams in the competition at the University of Tasmania Stadium on Friday night. Join The Roar for a live blog and scores at 7:15pm AEDT.
A mouthwatering clash awaits us to commence Round 3, with the two best teams of 2019 facing off on a dry, cool night in Tasmania.
North Melbourne has come out firing in its first season, ranking second in the league for average points per game, while also rankings second for disposals and tackles.
They’re running in waves and putting pressure on ball carriers when they don’t have the ball, making them a high-pressing and, quite frankly, fun team to watch.
Emma King has kicked four goals in two games, spending plenty of time in attack and proving to be an excellent target, while Emma Kearney, Jenna Bruton and Jess Duffin are all racking up plenty of the ball.
Duffin, in particular, has been the key for the club in the first two games. Averaging 18 disposals and seven marks per game, while going at 75 per cent efficiency, she has proven to be excellent off half-back and will need to be tagged closely in order to shut down North Melbourne’s run and ball movement.
Comparatively, the Bulldogs have been far less efficient inside 50, have averaged 45 less disposals per game and are ranked mid-tier in a lot of categories, but are undefeated and sitting nicely in Conference A.
Ellie Blackburn has been the most prolific of all the Bulldogs players, whose game has been built on a strong defence and tackling hard in the midfield.
Gogos, Blackburn and Lamb are all averaging seven tackles per game, illustrating the importance the club has placed on that area of the game.
Katie Brennan is yet to truly hit her peak yet and is waiting for a good opportunity, perhaps the most-watched match against in-form opposition is the stage for her.
Both teams will be desperate to keep their undefeated starts alive, given how competitive Conference A is.
North Melbourne has the home advantage and is playing far better footy at the moment, yet Abbatangelo and Riddell have already established themselves as important players and are big losses this week.
On the flipside, Emma Mackie returns for the Bulldogs, while will help straighten up their attack. Katie Brennan will appreciate her presence in the team and, after 12 disposals and four marks in the opening game of the season, Mackie should be full of confidence this week.
Ultimately, despite the large differential in 2019 statistics, these two teams are far closer the narrative. The Bulldogs are still recovering from losing a key player in the off-season, while Huntington remains injured, which has them still on a slight back foot.
I’m tipping North Melbourne will continue on its winning ways, but the club faces its sternest test for the season.
North Melbourne by 9 points.
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