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.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
North Melbourne continued to prove why it is the premiership favourite after the first fortnight of the season, with a big 31-point victory against the Bulldogs. Led by debutant Courteney Munn's four goals, it was a second quarter burst by the Kangaroos that put an end to the contest early. Controlling the ball and keeping their footy simple, the Kangaroos were able to withstand a quarter of Bulldog domination in the third, staying four goals ahead and kicking away in the last. Jenna Bruton and Emma Kearney were great against their former team, finishing with 21 and 17 disposals respectively, while Jamie Stanton had her best game of the season with 19 disposals and seven marks. Kate Gillespie-Jones continued her standout season with 12 disposals, four marks, seven tackles and six hitouts, further cementing herself as the breakout star of the year. Her performance was important given the low-impact Emma King had. The Bulldogs were disappointing on the night, with only Monique Conti (17 disposals) and Katie Brennan (13 disposals, one goal) able to be proud of their efforts. Two early hits on Ellie Blackburn really put her off her game, and the importance of Blackburn can be shown by how poorly the Bulldogs played given her quietness. Round 4 sees North Melbourne play Melbourne in what should be a cracking contest, while the Bulldogs host Brisbane in a must-win game.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
0' - North Melbourne (BEHIND) The ball was touched for a behind after the siren. There's been controversy on that ruling previously, it counts at the moment. North Melbourne - 53 Western Bulldogs - 22
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Emma Humphries has suffered from an accidental head-clash with a teammate and is in strife at the moment. She has been impressive tonight with 10 disposals.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
4' - North Melbourne (BEHIND) Rushed behind makes this an even five-goal margin. North Melbourne - 52 Western Bulldogs - 22
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
5' - North Melbourne (GOAL) Mo Hope is on the board! She kicks an easy goal to add her name to the scoreboard. North Melbourne - 51 Western Bulldogs - 22
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
6' - Bulldogs (GOAL) Ellie Blackburn's heart is the reason why she's a top-tier player in the competition. She hits Mackie with a low pass, who kicks her first career goal. Well done to the 34-year-old. North Melbourne - 45 Western Bulldogs - 22
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
9' - North Melbourne (GOAL) Incredible in Tasmania! Four goals on debut to Courteney Munn, who dribbles a ripper around the corner. She'll remember this one for a long time. 12 disposals and four goals. North Melbourne - 45 Western Bulldogs - 16
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
11' - North Melbourne (GOAL) That's three goals on debut for Munn, as she soccers a goal from a metre out. She has been great, her height is an obvious factor. North Melbourne - 39 Western Bulldogs - 16
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
13' - Bulldogs (GOAL) Great transition to the far side from the Bulldogs, and they keep getting the ball moving forward. It results in Katie Brennan kicking a goal from a classy snap 35 metres out, she's a genuine star. North Melbourne - 33 Western Bulldogs - 16
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Grierson has been excellent in the second half, she's far more present as an interceptor compared to Duffin tonight.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Good thing that low scoring is just a myth hey Dem? The Bulldogs now have 8 goals in 11 quarters
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
THREE QUARTER TIME A scoreless quarter by North Melbourne, yet they still find themselves 23 points ahead due to the Bulldogs' inability to captialise on the state of the game. Conti and Brennan have been the two standouts for the visitors, but the ball use simply hasn't been good enough. Not much to say after that third term, North Melbourne is winning this game easily, it's just time to see if the Bulldogs can put a bigger score on the board, to add respectability.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Katie Brennan has had nine contested possessions which is enormous, but showing that she isn't playing in the right area of the ground to be putting a score on the board for the Bulldogs.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Anticlimactic quarter with just four minutes left, the Bulldogs have had enough opportunities to get within two goals, but still find themselves 23 points behind.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
North Melbourne's defence has withstood enormous pressure by the Bulldogs. They should've scored a couple of goals, but haven't been able to take advantage of their good play.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
What a tackle by Gibson! The Bulldogs executed a brilliant transition and with a goal likely, Gibson laid an enormous tackle.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
You can tell that Daisy Bateman will be one of the better players in the league. One of the smarter footballers already, in just her third game.
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
10' - Bulldogs (GOAL) Finally, the Bulldogs take advantage of their dominance this quarter. Utri wins a one-on-three situation with a soccer goal. Her explosion of pace to get her foot on it was brilliant. North Melbourne - 33 Western Bulldogs - 10
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
13' - Bulldogs (BEHIND) Mackie takes the ball out of the ruck and misses her shot on goal. North Melbourne - 33 Western Bulldogs - 4
Dem Panopoulos
Expert
Hardiman is currently hobbling around.