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Where: Etihad Stadium
When: 07.40 (BST)
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On paper, this looks a relatively easy assignment for North Melbourne.
The Roos’ best this year has been good enough for wins over top-four contenders Port Adelaide, Sydney Swans and Fremantle, so taking on the bottom-placed Brisbane Lions at home shouldn’t present too many problems.
However, the Roos have been dogged by inconsistency this year and the Lions know that they crumbled under the unrelenting defensive pressure applied by Essendon in round one and Collingwood in round five.
The Lions were extremely competitive against the Bombers last week, but North will be keen to atone for its round seven loss to Gold Coast and should be refreshed after the bye.
The Roos are also likely to be buoyed by the return of their skipper Andrew Swallow, who is set to play his first match after a long-term Achilles tendon injury.
Match facts
1. Both teams’ scoring output has dropped significantly this season. The Lions are averaging only nine goals a game this year compared to 12.5 in 2013, while North is averaging 11 goals a game compared to 15.5 last season.
2. North is equal-last for free kicks received this season alongside Collingwood (103), while the Lions have fared much better and are ranked third in the competition (144).
3. But the Lions have also conceded the second-most free kicks this season and are averaging almost three more a game than North, 18 compared to 15.1.
4. In 45 contests between the teams, North Melbourne holds a 25-19 advantage, with one of the games a draw.
5. The biggest individual goal tally kicked in a North-Lions game is eight, a haul achieved four times, by former North full-forward John Longmire on three occasions and by Lion Jonathan Brown once.
6. Pearce Hanley starred for the Lions when these teams last clashed in round 16 last year, racking up a game-high 25.3 points in the Official AFL Player Ratings. Drew Petrie was the best performed Roo in their disappointing 12-point loss, recording 17.1 points.
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