Friday’s only AFL NAB Challenge match is between Hawthorn Hawks and North Melbourne Kangaroos. The opening bounce is set to commence at 7.10pm with the game to be played at Aurora Stadium. The home team Hawthorn Hawks are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Hawthorn Hawks and North Melbourne Kangaroos.

When: 7.10pm AEDT, February 21
Stadium: Aurora Stadium (Launceston)
Weather: 22° Mostly sunny.

Featured Bookmakers:

Hawthorn Hawks $1.55 vs North Melbourne Kangaroos $2.40 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Hawthorn Hawks $1.57 vs North Melbourne Kangaroos $2.40 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Hawthorn Hawks	1.55	1.57	1.52	1.57	1.55	1.53
North Melbourne Kangaroos	2.40	2.40	2.50	2.40	2.40	2.40

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Tips: North Melbourne Kangaroos to win at $2.40

Preview:

HAWTHORN captain Luke Hodge is set to return for the Hawks’ NAB Challenge clash with North Melbourne at Aurora Stadium on Friday night.

Hodge will be joined by premiership stars Brad Sewell and Josh Gibson, who are named in the squad of 29, which will be trimmed to 26 before the match.

Half-back Grant Birchall has not been named and will be relying on one practice match to tune up for the Hawks’ round one clash with the Brisbane Lions on March 22.

Other notable absentees are Ben Stratton, Paul Puopolo and impressive draftees Billy Hartung and Dayle Garlett.

North Melbourne has named exciting ruckman Majak Daw in its squad of 29, with midfield recruit Nick Dal Santo included for his second NAB Challenge match.

Liam Anthony, Leigh Adams, Nathan Grima and Robbie Tarrant will all miss.

The Kangaroos start their season against Essendon on March 21.

Teams:

HAWTHORN HAWKS:
2. Jarryd Roughead, 3. Jordan Lewis, 4. Matt Suckling, 5. Sam Mitchell, 6. Josh Gibson, 7. Ben McEvoy 9.Shaun Burgoyne, 10. Bradley Hill, 12. Brad Sewell, 13. Kyle Cheney, 15. Luke Hodge, 16. Isaac Smith 18. Jonathon Ceglar, 19. Jack Gunston, 20. David Hale, 21. Ben Ross, 22. Luke Breust, 23. Tim O’Brien, 26. Liam Shiels, 29. Will Langford, 30. Luke Lowden, 31. Angus Litherland, 32. Jonathan Simpkin, 33. Cyril Rioli, 35. Sam Grimley, 36. Derick Wanganeen, 38. Mitch Hallahan, 39. Alex Woodward, 46. Kurt Heatherley

NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS:
1. Daniel Currie, 2. Brad McKenzie, 3. Ryan Bastinac, 5. Ben Jacobs, 6. Lachlan Hansen, 7. Jack Ziebell, 8. Daniel Wells, 10.Ben Cunnington, 12. Lindsay Thomas, 14. Trent Dumont, 15. Nick Dal Santo, 16. Scott Thompson, 18. Shaun Atley, 19. Sam Wright, 20. Drew Petrie, 21. Luke McDonald, 22. Todd Goldstein, 27. Taylor Garner, 28. Robin Nahas, 29. Brent Harvey, 31. Cam Delaney, 34. Jamie MacMillan, 35. Aaron Black, 36, Joel Tippett, 38. Majak Daw, 41.Aaron Mullett, 42. Scott McMahon, 43. Sam Gibson, 44. Max Warren

News:

Senior Hawthorn officials shielded coach Alastair Clarkson from Jeff Kennett when the Hawks’ 2010 AFL season threatened to go into freefall.

A new book on the reigning premiers confirms that Kennett, then the Hawthorn president, floated the radical idea of demoting Clarkson to their Box Hill VFL affiliates early in 2010.

After stunning Geelong in the 2008 grand final, Hawthorn had slumped to ninth in 2009 and started 2010 with only one win in seven games.

The outspoken Kennett was predictably on the warpath.

But Andrew Newbold, then the vice-president, chief executive Stuart Fox and former football director Jason Dunstall made sure Clarkson was able to focus on fixing the team’s problems.

“I didn’t have a view, because these two gentlemen (Newbold and Fox) and Jason Dunstall, they shielded me,” Clarkson said at Wednesday’s launch of Playing To Win.

“I was pretty-well shielded and protected from the real goings-on.”

Fox also spoke on Wednesday of a meeting he had at Kennett’s home in the midst of the crisis.

“My strategy was to bide our time,” Fox said.

“It was a nervous probably hour and a half with Jeff – I came out fairly sweaty.”

Kennett was Hawks president from 2006-11, with Newbold succeeding him.

“That was Jeff … even when we were going well, he would ring me up,” Fox said.

“I think his whole strategy was to destabilise organisations, no matter how well we were going.”

Kennett continues to be a major AFL figure, saying after a narrow loss to Geelong early last season that the Hawks should look at moving on Clarkson at the end of the season.

This week, Kennett pointed to that controversial statement and boldly said he took full credit for Hawthorn going on to win the flag.

“He is the best self-promoter of all time, isn’t he, Jeffrey Gibb?,” Clarkson said with a chuckle.

“Listen, he’s had a significant influence at our footy club for a long time.

“I’d suggest it was probably the players and coaches and the administration of the club, more so than anything Jeff did last year.

“You can talk about some of the left-field stuff with Jeff Kennett.

“But something he’s continued to challenge us with is to continue to stretch ourselves as an organisation.

The two years after the 2008 premiership were pivotal for Clarkson, because they taught him of the need to continually refresh how the team plays.

“There’s a tendency to think that once you’ve got the system in place or the players in place or the coaches in place, that we’ll just keep trotting out that formula,” Clarkson said.

“The professional era now, it’s highly unlikely that you can do that.”