With North Melbourne scheduled for a bye this week, NMFC.com.au looks back at the season so far.

Keep an eye out in the days to come for more round-by-round reports.

RELATED: Rounds 1 & 2

Round 3

Match photos | Video: Match highlights | Post-match: Round 3

At Blundstone Arena for the first time in 2017, North faced a highly fancied Giants outfit and hit the lead early with goals from Todd Goldstein, Jack Ziebell and Braydon Preuss.

Not to be outdone, the Giants stayed in the game despite North winning the inside 50 count 16-10 in the first.

Preuss opened the scoring in the second quarter with his second goal and it was followed soon after with one from former Skipper Andrew Swallow. But kicking with the wind, GWS started to pepper the goals – Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene causing headaches for the North defence. Lucky for the home side the Giants kicked a wasteful 3.7 from a dominant 29-9 inside 50 advantage. 29 was the most inside 50s for a side in a single quarter since the statistic has been recorded (1999).

Against the tide, Trent Dumont, Ben Brown and Ryan Clarke goaled for North in the third term, but were still outscored by two points for the quarter.

The Giants controlled the game, winning the contested possessions 166-137 and inside 50s 71-49, and if not for some inaccuracy in front of goal with 15.19 to 10.7, may have won by a much larger margin. Greene and Cameron finished with three goals apiece, while Preuss had two goals to go along with 16 disposals and 26 hitouts.

NORTH MELBOURNE 3.2 5.4 8.6 10.7 (67)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 3.4 6.11 9.15 15.19 (109) 

GOALS
North Melbourne: Preuss 2, Goldstein, Ziebell, Swallow, Brown, Dumont, Clarke, Garner, Turner
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 3, Greene 3, Lobb 2, Reid 2, Johnson, Hopper, Kelly, Ward, Wilson 

BEST 
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Hansen, Preuss, Mullett, McDonald
Greater Western Sydney: Kelly, Ward, Cameron, Greene, Shiel, Mumford

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Daw (concussion) replaced in selected side by Clarke
Greater Western Sydney: Buntine replaced in selected side by Corr, Griffen (leg) 

Reports: Nil 
Umpires: Curtis Deboy, Justin Schmitt, Chris Kamolins 
Official crowd: 8,758 at Blundstone Arena

Round 4

Match photos | Video: Match highlights | Post-match: Round 4

Still looking for its first win, North took on the Bulldogs in the first ever Good Friday match. It was hot from the get-go and again, Ben Brown got the Roos going with their first goal. A worrying sign for Brad Scott however was the Dogs’ ability to generate inside 50s. Within the first 15 minutes they had 10 of the 13 in total.

Jack Ziebell was racking up the contested ball while his team’s defenders were generating scores from the back half. Brown and Turner were able to cash in, but accuracy was an issue for both sides. The Dogs went at 16 per cent from set shots compared to the Kangaroos’ 25.

Two unanswered goals to Brown was just the start to the second half North was after and Jy Simpkin also contributed with one of his own.

The Kangas had a 29-point lead at the six-minute mark of the third term from six consecutive goals, but watched it slip away.

The Dogs hit back with majors from Robert Murphy, Travis Cloke and Luke Dahlhaus to stay within striking distance.

Goals to Simpkin and Garner put North eight points up in the fourth before the Dogs kicked three in as many minutes to steal a 10-point buffer. Ziebell kicked truly a minute later and in his 200th game, Lindsay Thomas had the chance to win it right on the siren but missed. The Dogs got home by three points.

Ben Cunnington had 33 possessions and 10 clearances and Ziebell collected 27 possessions, eight clearances and one goal to do everything they could to get the Roos over the line, while Brown held North's forward line together with four goals.

NORTH MELBOURNE     2.4   4.7   8.11   12.14 (86)
WESTERN BULLDOGS   2.2   2.8   7.15   12.17 (89)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Brown 4, Turner 2, Simpkin 2, Higgins, Garner, Goldstein, Ziebell
Western Bulldogs: Stringer 2, Dahlhaus 2, Suckling 2, Cloke, Bontempelli, Murphy, Liberatore, Dunkley, Macrae 

BEST 
North Melbourne: Cunnington, Ziebell, Goldstein, Brown, Macmillan, Hrovat
Western Bulldogs: Dahlhaus, Bontempelli, M.Boyd, Macrae, Stringer, Murphy   

INJURIES 
North Melbourne: TBA
Western Bulldogs: T.Boyd (concussion), Cloke (ribs) 

Reports: Nil
Umpires: Meredith, Williamson, Findlay
Official crowd: 42,814 at Etihad Stadium