A win on Saturday will see North Melbourne reach its greatest ever start in VFL/AFL history.*

The Roos' current 8-0 race out of the blocks has equalled the efforts of the 1978 outfit to begin a season.

That team, coming off the famous 1977 premiership victory, took all before it in its winning streak.

The likes of Malcom Blight, Wayne Schimmelbusch, Arnold Briedis were at the top of their games – Blight would end up winning the Brownlow Medal that year.

In a strange coincidence, the 1978 Roos’ first loss was in Round 9, against Carlton. Of course, North's players will be doing everything in their power to ensure that doesn't happen again on Saturday night.

In 1978 it was Carlton as the home side, playing in the hostile surrounds of Princes Park.

On that day, the Blues were too good from start to finish, a trend North will be aiming to avoid at Etihad Stadium.

Of more importance to the Roos this season, a win against Carlton will guarantee a three-game buffer inside the top four, an incredibly handy advantage less than halfway through the season.

*For the record, North went undefeated for 49 consecutive matches in the old VFA, from July 1914 to August 1919