When the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne meet for a game of AFL on Good Friday this year, there’ll be four points on the line, but much more at stake. 

The Dogs and Roos will take centre stage in the fourth edition of the Kick for the Kids, a Good Friday blockbuster which plays a key role in raising funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital. 

Both clubs were present at the official launch of the Good Friday Appeal at the hospital this week, with the countdown now on to the Round 4 game between the teams on April 10. 

“The thing I remember most about the first Good Friday game we played in, was just the emotion in the game,” said Bulldogs’ Director of Football, Chris Grant.

“You walk away from games like that knowing that there’s a result which dictates a little bit about what happens with your season, but there’s a bigger cause at play and emotionally the community really comes together to support it. 

“If you talk to the players, being involved in games like this has been very important to them.” 

In 2017, the Dogs and Roos were the first teams to play an AFL match on Good Friday, with 42,814 fans packing Marvel Stadium for the contest. 

Despite the Bulldogs’ eagerness to remain part of the fixture annually, the AFL rotated North Melbourne’s opponents for the next two years. 

“It’s great to be back involved.  We felt that we had a fantastic game and event with North Melbourne in the first installation of the game, so to be back is terrific,” said Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains. 

“We’re hopeful and we’ll continue to push for this to become a regular fixture for the Club. 

“We’d love to see fans of both clubs, but AFL football followers in general, come and support the game and support the cause.”