North Melbourne's new era started in ideal fashion in front of its devoted Shinboner fanbase… with four points.

With the added flavour of drama, the Kangaroos showed grit and determination to hold off a fast-finishing Eagles outfit after originally surging to healthy lead at the beginning of the third quarter.

The club faces a different challenge this weekend, however, which is a 2022 top-eight side on the rebound after a disappointing Round 1 display.

Two from two?

Momentum is an important aspect of football, and the Kangaroos have the chance to capitalise on it on Saturday night under the bright lights of Optus Stadium.

There was much to like coming out of last week's performance. Luke Davies-Uniacke's 32-disposals and 10-clearance outing in the midfield earned himself 10 AFLCA coaches' votes, while Harry Sheezel, in his debut no less, amassed a game-high 34 touches.

The Sheezel buzz has almost seen Nick Larkey's impressive six-goal haul fly under the radar, too. The key forward's impact inside 50 saw him shoot to the top of the goalkicking leaderboard and remain there as Round 1 concluded. Flanked by the likes of Paul Curtis and Cam Zurhaar who both kicked two apiece themselves, North Melbourne's forwards look primed to strike again.

Fremantle still looms as a difficult match-up given its depth and off-season acquisitions, but the Kangaroos appear to be trending in the right direction despite a small sample size.

Staying organised and disciplined

It was no surprise that the Kangaroos, under Alastair Clarkson, looked like they had a clear vision right from the first bounce against West Coast.

A pre-season spent learning the ins and outs of Clarkson's newly introduced gameplan resulted in a North Melbourne team that was confident in attack and stout in defence.

The leadership of Jack Ziebell and Luke McDonald allowed first-gamer Harry Sheezel to settle in rapidly and display his talent, and the overall improved ball movement, whether it was exiting defensive 50 or a chain from a stoppage, was a breath of fresh air.

In Marvel Stadium's other game of the weekend, the undermanned but switched-on Saints showed that following a well-developed and organised system can go a long way to stopping Justin Longmuir's side.

On the day, the Dockers were limited by the Saints in terms of how they could use the ball but considering the talent they possess - especially out of the backline - expect North Melbourne to have its structures tested for all four quarters, but for it to challenge Fremantle the other way.

Griffin back in familiar territory

A Round 2 trip to Perth places Griffin Logue quickly back in his home state and against his former side.

Logue was drafted by the West Australian club with pick No.8 back in the 2016 AFL Draft and went on to play 64 games after making his debut in 2017.

He'll now shape up in blue and white opposite his former teammates as he eyes down a second game of being his new side's main defending tall in the absence of Ben McKay.

"The way everyone plays defence now … we all work together and kind of work on a string so we're all pretty complementary down there (in our backline) and are slowly building chemistry," Logue told 6PR Perth early this week.

"That's the assertive defence that we're playing now and the system that Clarko's brought in, and everyone's bought into it."

It's been a while

While North Melbourne has recently fared quite well against the Eagles, it's been a different story for the club against their crosstown rivals.

The Kangaroos last overcame the purple haze in Round 10, 2018 but since then it's been all Fremantle both in Perth and at Marvel Stadium.

The latest clash between the two clubs is one to forget, too. After conceding five first-quarter goals, the hill promptly became too steep to climb for the Roos who ended up falling by 78 points.

Luke McDonald stood tall in the backline, however, and garnered 26 disposals, while Zurhaar shouldered the responsibility around goals in the absence of Larkey to finish the game with a pair of majors.