A new-found level of comfort has catapulted North Melbourne’s Shaun Atley into a rich vein of form.

While he hasn’t received the accolades or recognition like some of his teammates, Atley has been nothing short of impressive over the past fortnight.

Having played up forward for much of last season, the 26-year-old has made a shift to the backline in the early parts of 2019, and excelled. 

“At the moment, I’d say playing down back is my best position,” Atley told North Media.

“I enjoy playing forward, but I’m pretty settled playing down back and I feel really comfortable.” 

In Round 3 against the Hawks, Atley tied his career-high for disposals, recording 27 touches in the narrow loss.

While he was impactful defensively by laying five tackles, it was his run that stood out. He finished with seven rebound 50s, a personal-best. 

In Round 4, the Roos’ number 18 was clean with ball in hand, finishing the match with a disposal efficiency of 95.5 per cent. 

Of his 22 disposals, 18 were kicks, proving his value to the side. 

“The boys in defence make me feel very comfortable,” Atley said. 

“The talls down there, Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson, are good at setting everyone up structurally. 

“Then blokes like Jamie Macmillan, Jasper Pittard and Luke McDonald are all pretty experienced and knowledgeable, which really helps.” 

The transformation hasn’t happened overnight, with a combination of hard work on and off the track fast-tracking his transition to a role he played regularly in his early years.

“I’m just trying to get some greater consistency in my game, and continually trying to get to the right spots more regularly,” Atley said.

“During the week I put in a lot of work to know what has to be done. Whether it’s forward or down back, you just need to be across your spots and your role.”

Atley and his fellow defenders face a big test on Friday against Essendon in the annual ‘Kick for the Kids’ match.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti starred last weekend kicking a career-best seven goals, while Orazio Fantasia and Jake Stringer have also been lively. 

Limiting their impact on the scoreboard will a big focus, but that attacking run will also be vital. 

“They’ve (the Bombers) been in good form,” Atley added.

“The mindset is to defend when Essendon has the ball, but when we get the ball, run off and make them accountable.”