AFL House is reportedly fearing the worst ever crowd for an AFL match at Marvel Stadium this Sunday afternoon when North Melbourne and the GWS Giants in a genuine stoush of the cellar dwellers.

The record-low attendance for the venue is currently held by the Melbourne-GWS fixture in Round 23, 2015, when just 8,974 people attended.

With North Melbourne and GWS currently occupying two of the bottom four ladder positions, there is strong reason to believe a new record-low could be witnessed under the roof this Sunday.

Speaking on SEN's Dwayne's World,ย SEN's Sam Edmund relayed the fears at AFL House.

"There is a real fear, this home game against GWS on Sunday afternoon could be less than 10,000 [people]," Edmund said.

"That is a worry, Sunday, 3:20 PM at Marvel Stadium against the Giants.

"They had 5,000 against Port in Hobart, 13,000 in that home game against Melbourne at Marvel, 14,000 for West Coast at Marvel as well and that was way back in Round 2 before they really went down that slippery slope."

Discounting the restriction-impacted 2020-21 seasons, North Melbourne's 2022 average home attendance of 14,713 ranks as the club's worst since the 1972 season (50 years ago), when their average home attendance was a lowly 11,272.

Granted, the Roos have played two 'home' games at the small-capacity Blundstone Arena in Hobart, however, with over 38,000 club members locked in for the 2022 season, an average home Marvel Stadium attendance of 19,929 simply isn't good enough.

The pair's most recent meeting in Round 13 of last year ended in a draw and drew just 3462 fans through the Blundstone turnstiles.

The tumult at Arden Street this season may be a key reason for the crowd drop-off; the David Noble post-game spray saga, list management walk-outs and uncertainty around Jason Horne-Francis' desire to sign a fresh contract at North have surely left a sour taste in Roos fans' mouths.

So, with all that in mind, in addition to lingering COVID and flu concerns, will we see a record low attendance at Marvel Stadium this Sunday?

Irrespective of the venue's roof, with 21 kmph winds and a top of 11 degrees currently predicted for Sunday, the afternoon clash appears set to be a 'diehards only' affair.