As the GIANTS prepare to take on North Melbourne at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena on Saturday, let’s take a look at the stats that could impact the contest.

The GIANTS’ midfielders will need to be on their toes with the Kangaroos leading the competition for scores from centre bounce clearances.

One in every two of their centre bounce clearances won has resulted in a score, which sees the Kangaroos  score an average of 30 points per game from the centre bounce clearances.

Earlier in the week, GIANTS coach Leon Cameron praised North Melbourne’s attack on the football by labelling them “the hardest side in the competition” and the numbers back this up.

Around the stoppages, North Melbourne truly dominate with the boys from Arden Street sitting at the top of the competition for scoring from stoppages.

The GIANTS will need to work hard on this as they are ranked fifth in the competition for scores against from stoppages. 

North Melbourne’s tackling and pressure have notably lifted in 2017.

They were ranked ninth in the competition last year in tackle differential, laying 1.4 more tackles than the opposition.

This year they sit fourth in the competition having laid on average 8.5 more tackles than the opposition per game.

Their pressure around the ground has been exceptional with the Kangaroos ranked fourth for pressure acts, while the GIANTS are close behind in fifth. 

North Melbourne’s ball movement has also drastically changed as they move the ball forward by foot more than any other side (91 per cent of the time).