Live: Tigers and Roos compare rebuilds in intriguing MCG clash

Back-to-back goals for Richmond!

Is there the start of something here for the Tigers? The ball was in the right forward pocket, and Hugo Ralphsmith dribbled a brilliant kick through from a very difficult angle.

It’s back to 11 points, and the Kangaroos will want to respond here.

Well that’s the start the Tigers wanted.

They went inside 50, and Sam Lalor earned a free for an arm over the shoulder, and he kicked the goal from 30m out.

It’s back to 17 points.

Toby Nankervis may be holding his own against Tristan Xerri, but the Tigers are not able to make anything of it.

The clearances are 17-9 to North, and centre clearances are 4-1 to the Kangaroos.

It doesn’t get any better at the stoppages, with North having the clearance advantage there 13-8.

The Kangaroos finished the quarter as they had started – on top.

A goal from Colby McKercher just added to the weight of scoring in the opening term. Six goals to two for North, and it could well have been more.

The midfield has been a big win for the Kangaroos, and Richmond are struggling to make things work up forward – for example, Tom Lynch is yet to touch the footy.

That will have to change if the home side are to turn this around.

That was a vital stretch of play!

The ball went into the left forward pocket for Richmond, it was a bit scrambly but the snap kick across field went to a contest in the square, and Seth Campbell was ruled to have got first and second grab.

He kicks the goal from right in front, and the Tigers narrow the gap.

Crazy how quickly things can change in a week.

Last week Tom Brown was the hero for his run-down tackle on Tom Gross that won the game for Richmond.

Today, he was trapped by North defenders who forced him to drop the ball – Finnbar Maley got the free, and converted the shot, and it’s 5.0 to 1.0 in time on.

Alarm bells should be sounding right now for Richmond!

The Kangaroos are on top in midfield particularly (but not just there). Again, it was LDU who got the ball on the wing, and his beautiful chip kick dropped perfectly for Cam Zurhaar in the right forward pocket.

He snaps one round the corner, and the Kangaroos lead by 18 points!

A bit of a pattern is emerging here – the Kangaroos seem to be better at getting to the drop of the ball.

That inside 50 was full of blue and white shirts, and the ball came out to Jack Darling, who stepped inside and snapped North’s third of the day.

The Kangaroos have the edge in a fair number of areas in the early stages, including inside 50s and contested possessions.

As the score suggests, however, it’s not a decisive advantage at this stage.

That was better from the Tigers!

A clearance in the middle and a quick kick forward to a contest saw the ball fall to Thomas Sims, who snapped truly from 35m out, and now Richmond is on the board.

It’s a six point game.

Well, we didn’t have to wait long for LDU to make an impression!

The Kangaroos raised the forward pressure, and Jack Darling forced the ball free, Kolby McKercher got the handball forward, and Davies-Uniacke was in space to pick up and snap his team’s second.

Ok, North Melbourne have the opening goal – that was better play, with Finn O’Sullivan providing more than decent supply for Cam Zurhaar to mark inside 50.

He bends the ball back right to left to get the goal.

The game is pretty physical so far, with contests everywhere – starting with Toby Nankervis and Tristan Xerri in the ruck.

We are a few minutes in here, and still waiting for the opening score. That sort of tight attritional game would suit the Tigers, you reckon. The higher the score, the better the chances for the Kangaroos.

The Tigers have started solidly, going inside 50 on the back of a reversed free kick. It’s fierce in the contest as we expected, but the ball came out to Jacob Hopper, and his kick went high, wide and not handsome. Out on the full.

It’s a lovely clear day at the MCG – who will get the jump at headquarters?

• Rd 22, 2024: North Melbourne by 13 (Docklands)

• Rd 23, 2023: Richmond by 29 (MCG)

• Rd 18, 2022: North Melbourne by 4 (Docklands)

• Rd 21, 2021: Richmond by 33 (MCG)

• Rd 7, 2020; Richmond by 54 (Carrara)

• Rd 11, 2019: North Melbourne by 37 (Docklands)

It’s been an up and down time for both these clubs, so it’s not surprising their head-to-head is a bit the same. It’s 3-3 in the last six encounters, with North winning all three at Docklands, but losing at the MCG and Carrara.

The last time the Kangaroos were victorious over Richmond at the MCG was back in 2015, when they won an elimination final by 17 points.

There’s not much change for either side in today’s match. The Tigers have brought in Caleb Smith onto the interchange in place of the omitted James Trezise.

Smith was added to the squad a day or two back when Jayden Short failed to recover from the knee issue that made him a late out for last week’s match against West Coast. That will be a key out down back, and the Kangaroos forward line will look to take advantage.

North go in with the same lineup they had against the Lions.

The midfield is an area that the Kangaroos will look to dominate this afternoon, but that will start with Luke Davies-Uniacke, or LDU as he is also known.

The Kangaroos’ number nine has had a less than stellar start to 2025, with most of his key categories down on last season, including clearances and disposals.

When he is up and flying his team usually is too, so with some help from the likes of George Wardlaw, the Kangaroos will be hoping LDU is back to his best today.

This is an interesting promo from the Tigers, but we all send congratulations to Kamdyn McIntosh on his milestone game today!