Daniel Wells says North’s composure was key to Sunday’s win over St Kilda.

Wells, who made a surprise return to the field after suffering a corked leg in the third quarter, exemplified that composure, with some individual brilliance in the dying stages of the match.

The 31-year-old said he had no hesitation in returning to the game to help secure North’s seven-point victory.

“I had a bit of a corky, so I was off for most of the last quarter, little bit of the third quarter,” Wells told NMFC.com.au.

“I didn’t think it’d respond that well, the corky, but I came on and just tried to get over it and help the team out.

“They (St Kilda) had all the momentum. I watched a fair bit on the bike on the sidelines and felt a bit helpless, so thought I’d try and get out there and contribute some way.”

Wells executed a perfect smother just seconds after returning to the field, and his presence was instrumental in stopping the Saints' going forward.

“You try and be controlled as possible, but human nature gets you, it’s pretty cut-throat, anything can happen,” Wells said of the pressure stakes in the final minutes.

“We train for those situations, so you’ve got to try and be as cool and calm as you possibly can and just try and make good decisions.

“We got the win in the end.”

While the effort to secure four points remained the overarching goal, the number eight said yesterday’s match also had special significance, with Drew Petrie’s 300th milestone front of mind.

“Every time we play a milestone game, we always tend to do really well,” Wells said.

“It always had a little bit of kick in it (being Drew’s 300th). Drew’s such a team man, he made it all about the team, (but) all the boys felt they needed to do something to make sure Drew got the victory tonight.”

Wells said his long time teammate’s impact this season has been understated.

“This year has been unbelievable, people are starting to realise the impact he’s had, with ‘Waitey’ and ‘Browny’ getting probably most of the goals.

“We love playing with him, we’re just happy to get the victory for him and he’s just a champion bloke and gets what he deserves.”