YARTAPUULTI needs no reminder of how the AFL's lower-ranked teams can bite, including the bottom-placed, winless North Melbourne.
A week after the successful come-from-behind game against Hawthorn - while another bottom 10 team, West Coast, was preparing to bite top-four challenger Melbourne - Yartapuulti coach Ken Hinkley is taking nothing for granted in Saturday's clash at Hobart.
Certainly not potentially decisive percentage against a team it has beaten by 70 and 69 points in the past two games, both in Hobart.
"A win," says Hinkley is the major objective while Yartapuulti at 7-3 seeks at least six more wins to qualify for consecutive finals series. "You just have to keep getting it done.
"Every week you see the competition is so even and so close that North Melbourne in Hobart will be a challenge. They are a young side that last week showed against Essendon how challenging they can be.
"For us, this game is about playing the brand of football we want to play - and win. We need to play well. We want a good solid win. Right now, I would be happy to take the four premiership points (rather than ask for a percentage boost)."
The memory of handing Hawthorn a 41-point lead on Sunday should serve as a reminder to the Yartapuulti players of the need to be in tune from the 1.15pm start to this game.
"We don't need reminders," insists Hinkley. "We know how close and even it is. We know if you are off you get yourself in trouble."
KING'S REIGN: Charlie Dixon will rest - as planned - for the second time this season with Hinkley unperturbed by the physical toll on his 33-year-old key forward while taking on the battering of ruck duties.
"We have said right from the start that Charlie would rest more than once this year," Hinkley said. "And he will rest more than twice. He will rest when we need him to rest. It will give him the best preparation to play out a strong season.
"We have a short week next week (in the lead-up to playing Carlton at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night). And then the bye. It is a really good opportunity for Charlie to give his body a really good rest. A five-day turnaround would have made it tough for him to get up (for the Carlton clash)."
Hinkley describes Dixon as "no more (banged up) than any other day".
"It is the result of years of work," Hinkley said. "We are managing him mindful of his age and time in the game.
"And it is fair to assume there will be more games he rests through. He knows well in advance and is aware of the opportunities (to rest) in the first half of the year. We will explore the second half in the next couple of weeks.
"The idea is to get as many games as we possibly can out of Charlie. How many that is, we don't know."
FULL ATTACK: Dixon's absence last time opened the door for a two-ruck theme with Jordon Sweet and Ivan Soldo. This option will not unfold this week with Sweet and Dante Visentini, who falls out of the match line-up but will travel as an emergency.
"We think the right method for us is to have genuine forwards," Hinkley said.
"Todd Marshall, Jeremy Finlayson (who pinch hits in ruck) and Mitch Georgiades. We feel that is the right balance in this game."
Hinkley declared there is a "real chance" Soldo will return from a knee injury against Carlton. He will have managed minutes in the SANFL this weekend.
Hinkley forecast young prospect Ollie Lord's return to AFL action - after a pre-season setback with a leg injury - will require at least another three games in the SANFL.
CAPTAIN CALL: Connor Rozee returns from his much-watched stint on the sidelines with a hamstring strain that went wrong during the Showdown.
"He has had a fair bit (of training); more than enough," Hinkley said. "Probably more than he wanted. I live and learn. I am not immune to mistakes. I have learned from that (call to play Rozee in the derby). I am doing my absolute best to make sure it does not happen again."
FINE WINES: Brownlow Medallist Ollie Wines is all clear to play after last week's unexpected early exit with heart issues.
"He is really well," Hinkley said of the midfielder. "It sounds terrible when we talk of a player's heart, but Ollie is really comfortable with how it is treated. He takes comfort that it has not happened often.
"He has this week had all the right checks by all the specialists who have ticked it off. Ollie is very happy with how he sits right now."
ROO BALL: North Melbourne's attacking brand of "Roo Ball" will challenge Yartapuulti's midfielders and defenders through the corridor.
"They have good youth and good enthusiasm around the ball," Hinkley notes. "They have really high draft picks in that team. Let's be mindful they are in a stage where their team is rebuilding and they will be a really powerful team through the middle of the ground soon.
"That is where they will challenge any side - as they did last week to Essendon who have an outstanding midfield."
ON REVIEW: Yartapuulti's review of the Hawthorn match remained on the usual theme at Alberton.
"We don't get distracted," Hinkley said. "We have a method we like to keep - we look at all parts of our game. We don't miss any opportunity to review whether it is good or bad.
"Play well, play bad; start well, start poor; we look at our game as a whole. We review it that way.
"We should identify Hawthorn were very good. It is not an easy process to work out why you do or don't start well at times."
The match will mark the 50-game milestone for midfielder Jason Horne-Francis who faces the club that gave him his AFL start as a No.1 draftee.
"And it has been some 50-game journey," said Hinkley. "He knows Port Adelaide is his footy club and part of his journey was with North Melbourne. It is now Port Adelaide.
"Jason handles (the attention he draws in this game against his former team-mates) well."
