North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has challenged the Kangaroos' best ruckman Hamish McIntosh to start dominating his opponents.

North have a clear ruck advantage going into Sunday's clash against Hawthorn in Launceston, where McIntosh, Todd Goldstein and David Hale get the chance to triple-team the Hawks' only fit senior ruckman Brent Renouf.

"We think it's a strength," Scott said on Thursday.

"It's time for Hamish to really stand up and really assert himself on a game.

"He's put bits and pieces together within games but he hasn't done it over a full four quarters.

"... we've got three 200cm-plus players, all of whom can play in the ruck, and they've got one, so we expect to get dominance in that area."

McIntosh has yet to match the heights of 2009, when his tally of 514 hit-outs placed him third in the AFL. He was also sixth in North's best and fairest award last year.

With Anzac Day falling on a Sunday in 2010, the Kangaroos and Hawks get a rare chance to perform on a day usually dominated by traditional MCG protagonists Essendon and Collingwood.

And Scott said both teams would relish the chance of squaring off on such an important day at Aurora Stadium.

"It's a huge test and we know that Hawthorn have been to Kokoda, so they know the significance of this day," said the first-year coach.

"No doubt they will be fired up, firstly for the honour of playing on Anzac Day and secondly coming off a disappointing loss (to Collingwood).

We know how we felt losing to St Kilda in round two, we came out firing and we expect nothing less from them.

"We know they'll have some real quality players coming back into their side.

" ... I expect nothing less than a fired-up, aggressive, hard-running Hawthorn and we'll be prepared for that.

"We also understand the significance of playing on Anzac Day."

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