Challenges like this one don’t get much tougher for a developing team.

Under the MCG's bright lights, North Melbourne will front up against a Melbourne outfit that not only boasts multiple All-Australians but a contingent of premiership players as well.

Alastair Clarkson's side will relish their return to Victoria though and will have the opportunity to claim a significant scalp as it looks to put a disappointing month of results behind it.

Cunnington's cobwebs are clearing

He may not be at his contested ball-winning and authoritative best just yet, but Ben Cunnington's response to being subbed off on Good Friday is one to take note of.

With 10 disposals and zero clearances to his name midway through the term against Carlton, Clarkson made the decision to replace Cunnington. A move that has perhaps reignited the two-time Syd Barker Medallist's fire.

The No.10 reacted by gathering 22 touches and four clearances against the Lions, but levelled up last week against the Suns, leading the way with a team-high 27 possessions (16 contested), eight clearances and five inside 50s in Jy Simpkin's absence.

Saturday night, opposite a stacked Melbourne midfield, Cunnington will have the chance to take another step towards recapturing the form North Melbourne fans know he's capable of displaying.

Battling Melbourne's big men

The Demons welcomed captain Max Gawn back into its line-up on Monday night as the side reformed its dangerous and dynamic rucking duo with him and Brodie Grundy.

In their second full game together, the pairing evenly split their time between ruck and forward, as they handily defeated Richmond's young talls Ben Miller and Samson Ryan at centre bounces and around the ground.

This weekend, it will be up to veteran Todd Goldstein and young key forward Charlie Comben to disrupt Melbourne's big man division.

In his 300th game, Goldstein arguably put in his best shift for the season coming away with 33 hitouts, 14 disposals and five clearances, while Comben's effort and intensity when called upon to ruck hasn’t wavered this year.

Sheezel's response

No.3 pick Harry Sheezel has arguably been the most impressive draftee over the season's opening six weeks, but Sunday evening on the Gold Coast saw the damaging Roo closely checked.

Gold Coast half-forward Nick Holman was able to curb the defender's influence at Heritage Bank Stadium, limiting him to 11 possessions after five weeks of gaining 26 touches or more.

Despite the fact he struggled to impact the contest, Clarkson believes it was a valuable lesson the young gun will be able to learn from heading forward.

"We need to learn as a side and he needs to learn as a player just how to deal with attention like that," Clarkson said after North Melbourne's loss to the Suns.

"It was actually a credit to the kid that he got up. He was a bit bashed up after last week's game against Brisbane he had a corkie, sore thumb, got knocked around a little bit and got himself up to play, which is once again just part of his maturity and lessons learned at the top level of AFL footy.

"Even though his preparation was hampered, to get himself up was a credit to him, and then he found another lesson in terms of the attention that he got from Holman.

"(Sheezel) didn't have the influence that we'd like him to have, but it's a great learning lesson for him as he goes through."

Last time we met

The 8.5 (53) to 14.16 (100) scoreline in Melbourne's favour doesn’t necessarily reflect the way the most recent meeting between the Dees and Roos played out.

Round 10 last season saw a dogged North Melbourne team test the then reigning premiers for three quarters at Marvel Stadium, but the Demons flicked a switch late to run out 47-point victors.

Luke Davies-Uniacke (27 disposals, six clearances) and Bailey Scott (27 and 12 marks) were two of the Kangaroos' best, while defender Luke McDonald racked up 31 touches and recorded a game-high 640 metres gained.