Melbourne Football Club, the oldest Australian Rules Football club in the world, get their pre-season underway in a simulation match against city rivals North Melbourne on Saturday.
After a decent start to their campaign last season, Melbourne slipped outside the top eight and ended a lowly 14th in the AFL ladder. This meant that the 13-time AFL Premiers missed out on a place in the Finals Series for the first time in four years.
It was yet another poor campaign for North Melbourne last season as they finished in the bottom-two for the fifth season in a row. Alastair Clarkson's side failed to win a single match in the opening 12 rounds and narrowly avoided the wooden spoon.
The simulation match will be played at North Melbourne's training base of the Arden Street Oval. The match will consist of four 25-minute quarters and will include game-specific simulations at the end of the second and fourth quarters.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Kayo Sports and Foxtel are providing both live and catch-up coverage of the AFL pre-season.
Fans can stream North Melbourne vs. Melbourne on Kayo which is currently offering a free trial for new subscribers so you can essentially watch this game and others this week for free.
The AFL simulation game between North Melbourne and Melbourne will be played on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. AEDT.
It will be played at Arden Street Oval in North Melbourne, Australia.
Here's how that kick-off time translates to the various Australian time zones: