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 | Rounds 3 & 4 | Rounds 5 & 6 | Rounds 7 & 8

Round 9

Match photos | Video: Match highlights | Post-match: Round 9

Returning to the MCG for the first time in 2017, North burst out of the blocks against the Demons.

By the 10-minute mark of the opening term, the Roos had three goals on the board, two of those to Ben Brown.

Ben Cunnington was dominant at the stoppages with Todd Goldstein providing first use in the middle, as North raced to a 26-point lead by quarter-time.

There was plenty of spite in the game, Bernie Vince and Shaun Higgins involved in several collisions with the Roos’ midfielder copping plenty of attention from the opposition all day.

Melbourne hit back strongly in the second term, with six goals to two, and when Sam Frost kicked a long bomb from outside 50 late in the half, the momentum was all going one way.

Taylor Garner and Brown steadied the ship early in the third quarter though; North enjoying a large period of the premiership term in its attacking half.

By late in the quarter, the Roos’ number 50 had five goals to his name, as his team extended the margin to 22 points.

As was the nature of the game, the momentum changed again, with Melbourne kicking the first three of the final term to reduce the margin to just two points.

North’s young guns stood up late though, with Garner, Wood and then Luke McDonald kicking vital goals to seal a great win.

Cunnington finished with 26 disposals, as did Sam Gibson, while Kayne Turner, Scott Thompson and Robbie Tarrant were all fantastic.

Goldstein finished the game with 61 hit-outs.

MELBOURNE 2.5 8.7 9.9 13.12 (90)
NORTH MELBOURNE 6.7 8.9 12.13 15.14 (104) 

GOALS
Melbourne: Hannan 3, Pedersen 2, Jones, Viney, Frost, Jetta, Oliver, Salem, Lewis, Kent
North Melbourne: Brown 5, Wood 3, Garner 2, Cunnington, Ziebell, Williams, Higgins, McDonald

BEST 
Melbourne: Hibberd, Tyson, T. McDonald, Jones, Hannan
North Melbourne: Brown, Cunnington, Turner, Goldstein, Thompson, Tarrant

INJURIES 
Melbourne: Nil
North Melbourne: Cunnington (right ankle/knee),

Reports: Nil
Umpires: Nicholls, Hosking, Hay
Official crowd: 33,218 at the MCG

Round 10

Match photos | Video: Match highlights | Post-match: Round 10

As it’s done on many occasions this year, North hit the ground running with a dominant first term.

Goals to Nathan Hrovat and Jarrad Waite kick-started the Roos, before Taylor Garner kicked two in succession to help them to a 32-point quarter-time lead.

Shaun Higgins was the dominant player on the field early with three goal assists in the first term alone, and it looked like the party was going to continue early in the second with North booting three of the first four goals.

Carlton hit back hard, but the Roos maintained a 25-point lead the main break.

Goals to Sam Docherty and Bryce Gibbs quickly reduced the margin further and North went almost a full quarter without a single score.

Taylor Garner stepped up with his third major, a career-high, but the Blues’ domination continued. By the final change, the once huge lead was reduced to two points.

Having led for 99 minutes of the game, North’s lead was surrendered early in the last quarter.

But as they did a week earlier, the Roos responded; Mason Wood kicked a vital goal, before Shaun Atley stepped up when the match was on the line.

Wood kicked another at the 17 minute mark, before Luke McDonald and Lachlan Hansen finished the job late. In the end, North won by 17 points.

McDonald finished with 28 disposals, including 11 in the last quarter, while Higgins, Ziebell and Marley Williams were all strong performers.

CARLTON 2.0 7.2 12.4 15.6 (96)                               
NORTH MELBOURNE 7.2 11.3 12.6 17.11 (113)          

GOALS
Carlton: Gibbs 3, Casboult 2, Cuningham 2, Docherty 2, C.Curnow 2, Wright, Cripps, Murphy, Sumner
North Melbourne: Garner 3, Higgins 2, Turner 2, Wood 2, Hansen 2, Hrovat, Waite, Brown, Dumont, Atley, McDonald

BEST 
Carlton: Gibbs, Kreuzer, Cripps, E.Curnow, Docherty, Simpson, C.Curnow
North Melbourne: Higgins, McDonald, Williams, Ziebell, Dumont, Tarrant

INJURIES 
Carlton: Nil
North Melbourne: Dumont (head knock)

Reports: Nil
Umpires: Harris, S Ryan, B Ryan
Official crowd: 32,802 at Etihad Stadium

Round 11

Match photos | Video: Match highlights

Taking on the Tigers at Etihad Stadium, North got off to a strong enough start, booting the first two goals of the game through Ben Brown and Jamie Macmillan.

The Tigers quickly got back into it though, with Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin influential; by quarter-time they had the lead.

North was making the most of its opportunities; despite their opposition winning the inside 50s, the Roos were hitting the scoreboard.

Jack Ziebell was playing a huge game with 388 metres gained in the first half alone, and while Richmond was wasteful in front of goal, North would have been rapt with a two-point lead at the main break.

From there the momentum swung completely. The Roos gave away 50-metre penalties and turned the ball over at will, as Richmond took full advantage.

The Tigers booted six goals for the term, with only Shaun Atley finding the big sticks for North.

Richmond held a 28-point lead at the final change, and despite the Roos’ defenders continuing to work hard to get the ball into attack, the damage was done. The final margin was 35 points.

Jamie Macmillan (26 disposals), Robbie Tarrant (24 possessions and eight marks) and Ryan Clarke all battled hard, but it was a tough night heading into the bye.

"There wasn't much to like about tonight … (but) four or five years ago, if we'd played like that we would’ve been absolutely pumped – the game would’ve been over by half-time. So the foundations, I think, are still pretty good," Brad Scott said. 

NORTH MELBOURNE 2.4 7.6  8.9 9.12 (66)                  
RICHMOND 3.4 6.10 12.13 14.17 (101)           

GOALS
North Melbourne: Wood 2, Atley 2, Brown, Waite, Higgins, Gibson, Hansen
Richmond: Riewoldt 2, Martin 2, Butler 2, Lambert 2, Castagna, Cotchin, Edwards, Ellis, Grigg, Rioli 

BEST 
North Melbourne: Gibson, Dumont, Macmillan, Tarrant, Hrovat
Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt, Prestia, Rance, Houli, Lambert, Ellis, Cotchin 

INJURIES 
North Melbourne: Garner (leg)
Richmond: Nil 

Reports: Nil
Umpires: Foot, Rosebury, Hosking, Schmitt
Official crowd: 36,100 at Etihad Stadium