Gather Round is in SA and we're heading to take on North Melbourne this Friday the 5th of April at 4:10pm (local).

Who: North Melbounrne vs Brisbane Lions
Where: Norwood Oval, Adelaide • Kaurna
When: Friday 5th April at 4:40pm (local)
Gates Open: 2:40pm, check your ticket for your entry gate.

Weekly Notices
→ Come down and watch the Players train at open Captains Run: Thursday 4th April, 10am.
→ Make sure to check out the Festival of Footy

Tickets → Gather Round tickets have Sold Out.

Food & Entertainment → Norwood Oval has a few things going on around the grounds! With food trucks, merchandise and a Chill Zone you'll want to make sure to check it out before bounce!

Festival of Footy → The AFL is pleased to announce longstanding partner McDonald’s Australia will come on board as the official naming rights partner of the much-loved Footy Festival that will return to AFL Gather Round… A Festival of Footy. Located at Elder Park, the 2024 Macca’s Footy Festival will run from Thursday, April 4 until Sunday, April 7 as part of the league’s Gather Round festivities. The four-day festival will be full of free activities and entertainment for all ages, including some of South Australia’s best local vendors, food trucks and licensed bars, while the popular 150m long zip line over The River Torrens will return for another year. Check out all Information here.

Traffic will be heavier than usual around the precinct and roads around Norwood Oval will be closed. Allow for extra travel time to the match, be patient when leaving car parks and follow the directions of police and traffic controllers. Regular bus stops outside of the stadium will be closed and buses will use alternative stops nearby. If you’re travelling home by taxi or ride share services, choose a pickup location away from the stadium. You can find real-time updates on traffic conditions at traffic.sa.gov.au.

Address → Cnr The Parade and, 4 Woods St, Norwood SA 5067

Travel for FREE on the City-Norwood bus shuttle and from 12:00 pm on regular Adelaide Metro services with your game day ticket. Gather Round patrons can travel by bus, train or tram to the Adelaide CBD, and transfer to the dedicated City-Norwood bus shuttle service to Norwood Oval. ^{View the City-Norwood bus shuttle here.}

Bus → A dedicated City-Norwood bus shuttle service will operate before and after the match at Norwood Oval at a high frequency. Between 2:00 pm to 4:20 pm, bus shuttles will depart from a dedicated bus stop opposite the Macca’s Footy Festival at Elder Park on King William Road. Bus shuttle services will operate up to one hour after the match, departing from a dedicated bus stop on The Parade. Regular Adelaide Metro services to The Parade will still be operating.

This includes the H20 and H22 from city stops:

• B2 and E1 Currie St
• G3 and I1 Grenfell St

^{Find a timetable by using ‘Norwood Oval’ as your destination and search for the dedicated bus shuttle stop location.}

Taxi/Rideshare → More information on bus stop closures will be available soon here. 

Watch → Free to air on Channel 7mate or stream on Fox Footy or Kayo. Broadcast kicking off at 4pm.

Remember! Sign up with a Digital Membership to get discounted Kayo! Become a member today →

After the Kangaroos hopped out to an early 18-point lead, the Lions controlled the second term with five successive goals and never looked back, running out 22.20 (152) to 12.5 (77) winners. Fagan would be thrilled with his team, which after a slow first 15 minutes swarmed with defensive pressure and played an unselfish brand of attacking footy to pouch a staggering 33 marks inside forward 50. Lachie Neale (37 disposals and 13 clearances) was magnificent in a return to his home state, while Dayne Zorko (22, one goal and three assists), Eric Hipwood (four goals and two assists) and Charlie Cameron (four goals and two assists) also made strong contributions.

BRISBANE                        5.1     10.6     17.13     22.20 (152)
NORTH MELBOURNE        5.1      7.1        9.2        12.5 (77)

GOALS 
Brisbane: Daniher 5, Hipwood 4, Cameron 4, Rayner 2, Berry 2, Zorko, Wilmot, McKenna, McCluggage, Fort

BEST 
Brisbane: Daniher, Neale, Zorko, Dunkley, Hipwood, Andrews, Starcevich

Crowd: 7,329 at Mount Barker

Ah South Australia, famous for its food, wine, wildlife, Australia’s oldest surviving German village Hahndorf and now… Gather Round!

Yep, it’s that time of the year again when all 18 AFL clubs assemble in the southern central part of Australia for a festival of footy.

So, it's time to gather round, grab your mates and celebrate all things footy as we descend into this week’s match preview.

Last Time We Met

Last time: Brisbane 22.20 (152) d North Melbourne 12.5 (77), Gather Round 2023

It was this time last year that we went head-to-head with the Kangaroos at Mount Barker, coming away with a dominant win.  

Lachie Neale made the most of his return to his home state with 37 disposals and 13 clearances, Joe put on a forward line clinic with five goals, including strong performances from Dayne Zorko (22 disposals and one goal), Eric Hipwood (four goals and two assists) and Charlie Cameron (four goals and two assists).

Not to mention our last two encounters with North Melbourne we’ve had an average winning margin of 91 points! Our fingers and toes will be crossed when we run out onto Norwood Oval Friday afternoon that we can produce another strong performance against a young Kangaroos outfit.

Remember! Sign up with a Digital Membership to get discounted Kayo! Become a member today →

Excited About

A Firing Forward Line!

It’s been bubbling underneath the surface for the last few weeks now, you can smell it in the air rolling off the Adelaide Hills, our forwards are ready for a BIG day out!

Whether it’s the fresh, vibrant festival of footy atmosphere who knows but our boys love Gather Round and last year’s inaugural festival saw Daniher, Hipwood and Cameron kick a combined 13 goals! Daniher and Hipwood will be able to use their athleticism up the ground and long kicking to impose themselves on the contest, a handy weapon at Norwood Oval, while goal sneaks Cameron, McCarthy and Bailey will be waiting at their feet as they compete hard in the air, providing opportunities at ground level for them to go to work at what they do best. 

What better way to entertain our South Australian members and fans at a sold-out Norwood Oval!

Match-ups we're keen for

Nick Larkey vs Jack Payne

A battle of the big men to say the least but this will be a key match-up. All-Australian Nick Larkey, a genuine forward of the competition will be the go-to man for the Roos up-and-coming midfielders as they look to hit a target inside 50.

However, we know our man Payney will be there ready for the contest, to quash any and all attempts to hit up the Kangaroos leading goal kicker. It will be a battle of forward and defensive craft smarts as these two key men fight to leave with bragging rights.

Heading to the game against North Melbourne at Norwood Oval? Plan your trip! → 

Brisbane has broken its duck in emphatic fashion on Friday afternoon, dismantling North Melbourne by 70 points at Norwood Oval.

From the moment Charlie Cameron swerved, turned and snapped a goal from the left forward pocket inside the opening minute, the Lions were never troubled, winning 16.16 (112) to 6.6 (42).

They led by 56 points at half-time against their shell-shocked opponents, and despite some third quarter resistance from the Roos, easily notched their first win of the season to move to a 1-3 win-loss record.

Lachie Neale started the early avalanche with 14 of his 27 disposals in the first term, before midfield mates Hugh McCluggage (36) and Josh Dunkley (31) chimed in to give their team the ascendency in the middle of the ground.

Joe Daniher kicked five goals as he returned to his preferred role as back-up ruckman, while Eric Hipwood put a tough week behind him with three goals, including a high-flying final-quarter mark, in a more involved performance.

One sour note was the sight of Zac Bailey hobbling from the ground in the dying minutes with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

Brisbane's pressure was good early on and set the tone, harassing and bustling North into repeated mistakes and able to keep the ball locked in its front half to kick seven first quarter goals and burst to a 33-point advantage.

Unlike each of their three previous losses where they had troubles converting inside 50s to scores, the Lions had a plethora of avenues to goal against a North defence that, at times, looked all at sea.

While the talls did their job, youngster Kai Lohmann made the most of a full game, kicking two goals, as reliable Lincoln McCarthy and Charlie Cameron – who still looked below his best – did likewise.

The Kangaroos were overwhelmed in the first half, beaten at the contest and then on the spread.

To their credit, they showed some life after the main break, with Eddie Ford and Paul Curtis kicking consecutive goals before the Lions steadied again.

Harry Sheezel (35 disposals) was tireless, while Charlie Comben showed promise as a key defender and Luke Davies-Uniacke and Tom Powell battled hard.

Cobra Kai could be the guy
After three games as the sub to start his season, Kai Lohmann was given a full game – and boy, he made the most of it. The talented half-forward that turned his back on rival offers to stay with Brisbane at the end of last season kicked two goals from his 18 disposals (that included eight score involvements) and looked lively any time the ball was forward of centre. The 20-year-old should now get an extended run of games to show whether he can impact consistently at the top level or not.

Now we're about to learn about Brisbane in 2024
The Lions were expected to break their duck against North Melbourne, and did a professional job in doing so, but the next three weeks could inform us just how serious they are this season. Next Thursday night they have in-form Melbourne at the MCG, followed by Geelong at the Gabba and then Greater Western Sydney at Canberra's Manuka Oval. Two wins from those three and the tough start to the season will be well and truly behind them.

BRISBANE                     7.3      11.9     13.11    16.16 (112)
NORTH MELBOURNE     2.0      3.1       5.5       6.6 (42)

GOALS
Brisbane: Daniher 5, Hipwood 3, McCarthy 2, Lohmann 2, Cameron 2, Zorko, Gardiner
North Melbourne: Xerri, Larkey, Greenwood, Ford, Curtis, Duursma

BEST
Brisbane: McCluggage, Daniher, Neale, Zorko, Dunkley, Lohmann, Payne
North Melbourne: Sheezel, Comben, Davies-Uniacke, Powell, Tucker

INJURIES
Brisbane: Bailey (ankle)
North Melbourne: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Brisbane: James Tunstill (replaced Lachie Neale at three-quarter time)
North Melbourne: Liam Shiels (replaced Dylan Stephens in the third quarter)

Crowd: 9000+ at the Norwood Oval