This week’s game takes us right back to where it began between the Kangaroos and the GIANTS, Hobart.
The Tasmanian capital hosted the GIANTS in just their second ever AFL match and it saw the Roos cruise to a 129-point victory.
Exactly five years later, it’ll be a different looking GIANTS team that takes to the field.
Eleven of the 22 who ran out on April 8, 2012 are still on the GIANTS list and nine of them played last Saturday against Gold Coast.
One of those players, star forward Jeremy Cameron, will remember his first outing at Blundstone Arena in Hobart quite well.
The 24-year old will be returning to the ground he kicked four goals and took seven marks at in just his second AFL game.
That performance was enough to secure Cameron the GIANTS’ first ever NAB AFL Rising Star nomination – the first of eight in 2012.
That same game also saw this week's milestone man, Phil Davis, kick his first (of five) goals for the club.
For years the Kangaroos held the upper hand in contests between the two clubs and averaged a winning margin of 74.8 points in our first five meetings.
That included games at Spotless Stadium (R23, 2012 and R12, 2015), UNSW Canberra Oval R20, 2014, Etihad Stadium (R14, 2013 and R23 2016) and the firs clash in Hobart.
While memorable moments against the Roos were few and far between over the years, Will Hoskin-Elliott’s running goal under the roof at Etihad in 2013 was one to behold.
The lightly built forward took an intercept mark behind the centre circle and with no one in front of him, took four bounces and ran into an open goal – a rare highlight for the GIANTS on a dark afternoon.
The GIANTS managed to end a run of five straight losses against North Melbourne in the clash at Etihad Stadium in the final round of the 2016 Premiership season.
Despite an emotional North Melbourne crowd saying farewell to club greats like Brent Harvey, the GIANTS held strong to win by 37 points on the eve of the club’s first finals appearance.
Saturday’s match will be the only game the GIANTS play against North Melbourne in the 2017 Premiership season.
