Right out of the guts again from the Pies as Jack Crisp drives through a tackle and launches long to Lachie Schultz, who takes a good contested mark.

He handballs over the top to the free Dan McStay who torps the Sherrin into the corporate boxes!

The Kangaroos take the lead as Zac Banch kicks the set shot from about 40m out on the angle.

It's a beautiful kick, right through the middle! A hot start for the Kangaroos!

It's another strong pack mark for the Kangaroos after a beautiful releasing handball from Luke Davies-Uniacke broke the game open up the field.

Darling wrestles to the front position, takes the grab, and kicks the goal.

Scores all tied up at Docklands.

Nick Larkey looks on as he misses a sitter in the first quarter. (Getty Images: Michael Willson)

An odd quarter of footy as Collingwood did look the better team for the most part, but North should have been leading had it not been for two absolutely shocking misses from skipper Nick Larkey.

What hurt even more was that the Pies went end-to-end from both Larkey misses to kick crucial goals, and they take the six point lead heading into the first break.

Jy Simpkin leads the field with 12 touches, while Steele Sidebottom has seen the ball the most for the Pies with eight disposals.

Nick Daicos is looking dangerous though, while Like Davies-Uniacke is providing the x-factor for the Roos.

This is all down to the brilliance of Nick Daicos as the Brownlow favourite bursts out of the middle, then puts the deft touch on a lovely kick to the leading Scott Pendlebury.

Pendlebury sneaks the kick in behind the goalpost and the Pies are back in front!

Cooper Trembath goes all Wayne Carey and takes a beautiful pack mark with six players around him!

His kick is an absolute shocker again, but it goes through the middle and North Melbourne take the lead!

It's a 50m penalty against Nick Daicos for being in the protected zone after a holding free kick against Nick Larkey, and it's a short 50m by my count.

Larkey has the shot and surely he can't miss it ... aaaaannnnndddd he doesn't ... just! It's not a great kick, it goes all of 20m, but it's through the middle!

This is as good a reason as any, Mike.

Oh no, Nick! Oh no.

The Sherrin spills out the back of the pack and into the North Melbourne goalsquare, where Larkey runs onto it untouched.

But the big guy is kind of falling as he runs in, he shins it, and he hits the post from all of 5m out from goal.

That's three behinds for the skipper, two of which were absolute sitters.

It's deja vu all over again!

Nick Larkey misses a gettable one at one end, and Collingwood goes all the way from the kick-out to a running Tim Membrey goal at the other.

That's 2.1 from the kickouts already for the Pies and that's an unusually high number this early in the game.

Dan McStay gets the free kick for an arm over the shoulder that didn't need to happen because the ball was going over McStay's head anyway.

The kick looks like a shocker off the boot but it swings back and goes through for the major.

We're tied up at Docklands as Paul Curtis converts the set shot after getting on the end of a perfect Harry Sheezel pass.

Curtis has been missing for three weeks due to a dangerous tackle ban and North will be thrilled to have him back in that attacking 50.

Oh that's got to hurt for North.

The Magpies go end-to-end from the Larkey miss and hit up up Lachie Schultz on the fast lead.

Schultz kicks and kicks truly. Magpies on the board first!

It's spectacular footy from Luke Davies-Uniacke in the middle to get things underway, who dances around his opponent and spears a perfect pass to a free Nick Larkey on the top of the goalsquare on a slight angle.

But Larkey pokes at the kick and he hits the post.

That's no reward for Davies-Uniacke's work.

Collingwood will kick to the right of your screen or radio.

A huge clash for both teams who both face tough runs home into September.

We are about to get underway!

Anthony Albanese, Narendra Modi and Andrew Dillon at the MCG. (Getty Images)

In case you missed it today, Indian PM Narendra Modi was in town to announce that the Big Bash League would start its season in India on December 12, a decision I personally cannot fathom as being a good one for the BBL.

And of course you can't have an international dignitary on the MCG in July without them holding a Sherrin (or in this case, a Kookaburra for some reason).

AFL boss Andrew Dillon used the visit to announce that the AFL is targeting India as a growth region with a plan to bring in more than 100,000 registered participants in India over the very open to interpretation 'coming years'.

New Zealand, China ... could India be the next country to host an AFL game for points?

Fair call Phillip, I mentioned TGIF in another post and didn't explain what it was.

It simply means "thank God it's Friday" and is usually used in the office setting for celebrating the fact the week is over.

Having worked in sports journalism now for more than a decade I can confirm it is not a feeling I am familiar with.

The teams for Sunday have been released, and as we reported yesterday the Lions are welcoming back premiership stars Dayne Zorko and Hugh McCluggage to the team to face Essendon, which should result in a collective shudder for all other teams in the flag window.

The Bombers have made the big call to drop key defender Ben McKay as one of five changes to their team, while the Bulldogs have also made five changes for their clash against the Eagles.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

In: L.Cleary, S.Davidson, R.West, J.Busslinger, B.Williams
Out: N.Coffield (concussion), C.Budarick (ankle), W.Lewis (omitted), L.McNeil (omitted), R.Sanders (hand)

WEST COAST

No change

MELBOURNE

No change

RICHMOND

In: D.Prestia, Z.Peucker, S.Grlj
Out: J.Ross (concussion), J.Short (quad), S.Green (omitted)

BRISBANE

In: D.Zorko, H.McCluggage
Out: D.Gardiner (hamstring), J.Tunstill (omitted)

ESSENDON

In: A.Roberts, A.Clarke, H.Jones, M.Kondogiannis, L.Blakiston
Out: W.Setterfield (omitted), J.Ridley (managed), B.McKay (omitted), N.Cox (omitted), S.El-Hawli (omitted)

Ben Brown starred for North Melbourne the last time they played a standalone game on a Friday night in primetime. (Getty Images)

Feel like it's been a while since North Melbourne played in prime time on a Friday night?

You'd be right.

While the Kangaroos have played every Good Friday for the past few years, and did play a night game against the Dockers in 2022 that butted up against a game in Adelaide, this is the first time since Round 20, 2019, that the Kangaroos have played a standalone Friday night match in primetime.

That night they beat the Hawks by 22 points as Shaun Higgins found the ball 28 times and kicked two goals, while Ben Brown kicked four majors.

Only Cam Zurhaar, Jy Simpkin, Nick Larkey and Luke Davies-Uniacke remain from that game.