North Melbourne defender Kallan Dawson to miss Melbourne Demons clash following MRO verdict

North Melbourne's defender, Kallan Dawson, will miss his side's Round 15 clash with the Melbourne Demons after accepting a one-match suspension for striking Collingwood's Jack Crisp last Sunday. Dawson was found guilty of striking the Magpies' midfielder in the Kangaroos' narrow loss to the defending premiers in Round 14.

The incident which occurred in the third quarter saw Dawson deliver a high elbow to Crisp's face while trying to block him after a handball. After a review, the strike was graded as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact by the Match Review Officer.

This latest sanction is another setback for the Kangaroos, who are still licking the wounds from their heartbreaking loss to the Magpies. Motivated after picking their first win against the West Coast two weeks ago, North Melbourne almost pulled off one of the season's biggest upsets.

They outplayed the defending premiers in the first two quarters, leading by 48 points at halftime. An early goal in the third quarter extended North Melbourne's lead to 54 points. However, Collingwood produced a remarkable comeback to win the tie by a point (119-118), recording the seventh-biggest comeback in AFL history and the third-greatest in this century.

Despite the loss, North Melbourne's display on the day was a show of brilliance and hope for the future of the footy club who are rock bottom in the standings. They will look to build on their recent performances as they fight to move up the ladder and avoid a third wooden spoon in four years.

Nick Larkey led the Kangaroos' goals chart against the Magpies with four goals, 13 disposals, and seven marks. The now-suspended Dawson registered four marks and eight disposals in the loss.

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North Melbourne to face wounded Demons after heartbreaking Collingwood loss

The North Melbourne Kangaroos will look to recover from last week's loss to the Collingwood Magpies when they trade tackles with the Melbourne Demons on Saturday, June 22 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Both sides come into this clash with losses from their previous outing and will look to bounce back. The Kangaroos threw away a 54-point lead against the Magpies, losing by the slimmest margin (119-118).

The Demons, meanwhile, had a bye last week but were also beaten 89-51 by Collingwood in their last outing. It was fourth loss in the last five games for Melbourne.

The Kangaroos are last in the standings with a 1-12 record, while the Demons are 11th with seven wins and six losses.