Where and When: Sunday, June 12 at 3:20pm 

Last time they met:  

The GIANTS fell just short of a miraculous comeback in a 14.10 (94) to 14.10 (94) draw against North Melbourne in round 13 last year. The Kangaroos held a 28-point lead heading into the final term at Blundstone Area in Hobart and were on track for an upset win. But after a poor first three quarters, the GIANTS mustered a late revival, with two Daniel Lloyd goals levelling scores with just over a minute to go. Midfielder Josh Kelly was the best afield for the GIANTS, finishing with 39 disposals to go along with two goals, while Nick Haynes also impressed with 26 disposals and a game-high 14 marks.

TV and Online:  

Sunday’s AFL match between the Kangaroos and GIANTS will be shown live on Fox Footy and Kayo nationally and on 7mate in NSW and the ACT from 3pm.

The match will also be shown via the AFL Live app with a subscription purchase.  
 
The match can also be heard on the following radio stations in Sydney this week: SEN’s AFL Nation and ABC Radio. For the latest television and radio broadcast guide, click here.

What it means for the GIANTS:  

The GIANTS impressed despite a narrow 14-point defeat to the Lions at the Gabba in round 11. Interim senior coach Mark McVeigh has tried a few new things – Harry Himmelberg has spent more time down back, Harry Perryman has spent more time in the midfield – and there was some brisk ball movement in there too.Momentum has been tough to find so far for the GIANTS this season, but they’ll be boosted by the possible returns of Nick Haynes and Lachie Whitfield.

Where’s the opposition at? 
 
It's been a difficult start to the Kangaroos’ 2022 season, currently sitting at 1-11 and second-last on the ladder. Coming off a 62-point loss to the Gold Coast in round 12, David Noble’s side will be without key defender Ben McKay after he was subbed out of the game with concussion in the second quarter.

Player watch:  
 
Sunday will mark a special milestone game for the GIANTS’ inaugural co-captain Callan Ward, who will become the first GIANT to hit the 200-game milestone for the club. Into his 15th season, Ward arrived at the GIANTS from the Western Bulldogs as one of the club’s first uncontracted players, winning the GIANTS’ first club champion award in 2012. After playing 60 games at the Dogs, Ward hardly missed a game in his first seven seasons at the GIANTS, playing 156 games before rupturing his ACL in 2019. In 2021 Ward became the GIANTS' all time games record-holder and celebrated his 250th AFL match earlier this year.

In the mix:  

All-Australian duo Lachie Whitfield (ankle) and Nick Haynes (illness) will look to make their returns against North while star onballer Tim Taranto (back) and defensive stalwart Phil Davis (hamstring) are both looking likely to return the week after against the Western Bulldogs at GIANTS Stadium. Braydon Preuss is a strong chance to be fit for this week's encounter with the Kangaroos after recovering from illness and some injury niggles but with fellow ruckman Matt Flynn performing well in his absence, he may be given another week in the VFL.

The GIANTS have recorded a convincing 49-point win over North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

Mark McVeigh's side set up the big win with a five-goal to nothing first term, where five individual goalkickers set the GIANTS on the way to the 15.12 (102) to 7.11 (53) victory.

Despite an improved second-half showing, the defeat heaps further pressure on embattled coach David Noble to find answers for North’s poor run of form heading into the bye, as the Kangaroos fell to a ninth consecutive defeat by more than 45 points.

While only two spots separated the sides on the ladder going into the contest, the gap between the two combatants on the field couldn’t be more apparent as the visitors essentially put the game away with a resounding first-half performance.

The GIANTS out-marked (60-26 marks at half-time), out-possessed (217-140 disposals) and ultimately out-played their hapless opponents - booting the first seven goals of the game and building an unassailable 47-point lead at halftime.

To the Kangaroos’ credit, they showed some signs of life after half-time, levelling the contest at the coalface and not allowing the GIANTS to completely blow them out of the water with an improved second-half showing - kicking five goals apiece after the major break.

Luke Davies-Uniacke (33 disposals, six tackles) and Jy Simpkin (32 disposals) led the way for North but at key moments the home side were their own worst enemy, turning the ball over time and time again and being made to pay by a clinical GIANTS outfit.

The GIANTS are now 2-1 under interim coach Mark McVeigh and despite both those wins coming against the two bottom sides in the competition, the GIANTS have made strides in the past three weeks, playing with more conviction and dare in attacking phases.

In a new role in defence, Harry Himmelberg was immense, registering a career-best 37 disposals, along with 16 marks while Stephen Coniglio continued his recent run of hot form - tallying 34 disposals and booting three goals.

Finals may be basically out of the equation heading into the last 10 games of the season as they sit 13th on the ladder and three games behind eighth-placed Richmond, but the GIANTS will go in with a tonne of confidence heading into a match-up with arch-rivals Western Bulldogs next Saturday night.

However, the win did come at a cost for the GIANTS, after Harry Perryman was sent to hospital due to concerns surrounding his ribs and lungs following a heavy collision in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, North will nervously await the Match Review Officer's review after Jason Horne-Francis caught Josh Kelly with a swinging arm to the chin in the third term.

HIMMELBERG IMPRESSES IN NEW ROLE

For the best part of his career, Harry Himmelberg has made his name as a goalkicker.

However, on this occasion it was his work further up the ground which caught the eye as he made a shift to the back six which paid off enormously. While his defensive work shone through playing loose in essentially the ‘Nick Haynes role’, it was his ability to accumulate the ball which stood out the most.

Before Sunday, Himmelberg’s career-high for disposals in a single game was 23 in the Elimination Final against Sydney back in 2018, but the 26-year-old smashed that total in less than three quarters - tallying 37 disposals to go with 16 marks and 10 rebound-50s.

200 FOR WARD

There hasn’t been many, if any at all, greater servants at the GIANTS than Callan Ward, who became the first player to notch up 200 games for the club.

Since arriving as one of the club’s inaugural signings back in 2012, Ward has seen it all at the GIANTS, helping usher the club from the difficult early days of being an expansion side to emerging as a perennial finals outfit for the best part of the last six years.

The former GIANTS co-captain impressed, racking up 30 disposals, going at an ultra-impressive 90 per cent disposal efficiency.

NORTH MELBOURNE                   0.3     2.5      4.8     7.11 (53)
GIANTS                                      5.3    10.4     12.9   15.12 (102)

GOALS

North Melbourne: Larkey 2, Goldstein 2, Taylor, Davies-Uniacke, Curtis
GIANTS: Riccardi 3, Coniglio 3, Peatling 3, Bruhn 2, Greene 2, de Boer, Himmelberg

BEST

North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Simpkin, Anderson, Hall, Taylor
GIANTS: Himmelberg, Coniglio, Green, Bruhn, Cumming, Ward, Whitfield, Kelly

INJURIES

North Melbourne: nil
GIANTS: Perryman (ribs)

SUBSTITUTES  

North Melbourne: Charlie Lazzaro
GIANTS: Jake Stein (replaced Harry Perryman in the second quarter)