A five-goal masterclass from young forward Eddie Ford has seen North Melbourne's VFL side open its campaign with a commanding 24-point win over Williamstown.

A six-goal-to-one third term laid the bedrock for the victory and saw the Kangaroos lead by 46 points at the final break, but the Seagulls managed to pull the margin back in the final term.

VFL senior coach Leigh Adams says a mixture of midfield dominance and forward X-factor played key roles in the victory.

KANGAROOS v SEAGULLS Full match coverage and stats

"We played some really good footy in the first three quarters. We had some really strong contributors in the midfield which allowed us to move the ball really well," Adams told North Media.

"Once we moved the ball with a bit of speed some of our forwards were able to get on the end of it, and you could see some of our AFL-listed boys got on the scoreboard.

"We ground them down in the first two quarters, and then you saw in that third quarter our centre bounce work was really good. 'CJ' (Callum Coleman-Jones) got his hands on it a little bit, and Dom Tyson and Harry Jones were able to chain it out and give us nice, deep entries.

"We've got some pretty talented young forwards up there in Eddie Ford, Charlie Comben and Paul Curtis, when they're allowed to run and jump at the footy they're pretty hard to stop. It worked out well from us being able to get the ball in there well."

After being named a late emergency for North's Round 1 AFL clash with Hawthorn, Ford did his chances of a senior call-up no harm with his exceptional performance in in the clash.

Finishing with 19 disposals, five goals and a game-high 10 marks Ford was a strong and damaging presence for the Kangaroos and impressed with not only his ability to hit the scoreboard, but his defensive pressure and ability to maintain structure.

"'Fordy' was the main beneficiary of our good ball movement, but his work-rate was also phenomenal. He was laying tackles, flying for marks, he did a lot right. Most importantly he finished his work," Adams said.

"He's a really exciting player and hopefully he can reach that level consistently. It might not result in the same goal output every week but hopefully he can maintain that level in terms of his work-rate and his defensive pressure.

"If he can get that right, with his talent he'll have more days like that than he doesn't."

Curtis is another young forward knocking the door down for a senior call-up. The first-year forward kicked two goals of his own and was among the Kangaroos' best contributors in the first half.

His game was capped by a brilliant goal from outside 50, where he played on after winning a free kick for holding the ball.

"He's got some real talent, Paul. He works really hard as well and he's tough. The Williamstown defenders actually put a little bit of work into him today which is a credit to how well he's played in our practice matches," Adams said.

"For him to cope with a little bit of physical pressure from them and then still perform, particularly in the first half, was phenomenal. It's good preparation for an AFL game."

After struggling to influence proceedings in North's Round 1 AFL clash with Hawthorn, Coleman-Jones found some form against the Seagulls at reserve level.

The young ruck/forward spent most of his time running through the middle of the ground, and his class shone through not only in the ruck contests, but in general play as well.

"It was the first time CJ would have met a fair few of these boys today because of the AFL preparations in the last few weeks. It's an absolute credit to him how he came in, dominated in the ruck and gave us first use," Adams said.

"He's a really likeable guy and got around the boys today. He put his best foot forward and that's what we like about him.

"It's just unfortunate for him at the moment that he's got two ahead of him who are also going really well. If he keeps playing like he did today then it won't be long until he gets another opportunity."

Two players who benefitted from Coleman-Jones' ability to provide the Kangaroos midfield with first use of the ball were Jones and Tyson, with the VFL-listed pair the two major ball-winners of the game.

Jones, who won last season's John Law Medal, has been elevated to the post of co-captain with Kade Answerth, while Tyson is also taking on an assistant coaching role with the group.

Adams says the pairs leadership shone through today.

"'Jonesy' really leads by example and you could see that today. He ran himself into the ground and had a really good game even though he picked up a corky mid-way through the second quarter," Adams said.

"He just kept turning up and grinding his way through the contest. He's a really honest leader who sets the example with his actions. The boys love having him in the team and as one of our leaders.

"Having guys like Dom in the side, and Marty Hore as well, just gives us that bit of experience we probably lacked last season.

"Dom's been great for the group and he was really good today, he just knows how to stand up in pressure situations. He runs our midfield exceptionally well and has been juggling his coaching and playing commitments really well, too."

Flynn Perez made his first competitive appearance in North colours since injuring his knee during the 2021 pre-season, and kicked two goals from the wing as he continues to find match fitness after his long injury layoff.

Jaidyn Stephenson was amongst the major ball-winners and ended the game with 24 touches, while Marty Hore stood up as the general of the Kangaroos' back line and finished with 22 disposals.

North Melbourne: 15.12.102
Williamstown: 11.12.78

AFL-listed players:

Callum Coleman-Jones: 25 disposals, one goal, six marks, 17 hitouts, six clearances
Jaidyn Stephenson: 24 disposals, two clearances
Eddie Ford: 19 disposals, five goals, 10 marks
Josh Goater: 19 disposals, three tackles
Flynn Perez: 15 disposals, two goals
Miller Bergman: 13 disposals 
Pat Walker: 11 disposals, two tackles 
Charlie Comben: 10 disposals, two goals, seven marks, three tackles
Paul Curtis: 10 disposals, two goals, four tackles
Jacob Edwards: 10 disposals, one goal, 10 hitouts, three clearances
Jackson Archer: Two disposals, two tackles

Best of VFL-listed:

Harry Jones: 27 disposals, six tackles, six clearances
Dom Tyson: 26 disposals, three clearances
Marty Hore: 22 disposals, three tackles
Jack Watkins: 17 disposals, five tackles, five marks