Andrew Swallow is confident the Kangaroos are in a good position, despite having lost their last three matches before the bye.

“I actually think our effort over the last three games in particular (has been good),” Swallow told 6PR.

“We lost to Geelong, I got knocked out early in the game and pretty much had Ben Cunnington running on one leg and we were competitive up until halfway through the last quarter.

“We probably should have beaten Hawthorn, but for some inaccurate kicking a couple of weeks ago.

“We still feel like we’ve been playing some reasonable footy, even though we’ve lost those games.”

North was one of the last clubs to have the bye, playing 14 games before its weekend off.

Swallow said the break came at the right time.

“We probably had a few sore and tired boys going into the bye,” he explained.

“It’s a good chance to get refreshed and really set our sights on the last eight home and away games.”

There are several players missing from what would arguably be North’s best 22, their returns keenly anticipated.

“Ben Jacobs is (about) three weeks away. Shaun Higgins we expect in the last couple of rounds,” Swallow said.

“Hopefully we’ll get Sam Wright and Luke McDonald back towards the back end of the season.

“We feel like if we sneak a couple of wins over the next few wins, once we start getting these guys back we can really build into top form right at September.”

This Sunday looms as one of the toughest tests North has faced, travelling to Domain Stadium for the first time this season to face West Coast.

A win would put the Roos two games clear of the Eagles, but a loss could see it slip to eighth place by the end of the weekend.

“We talk about the opportunity when you play another top eight side, it takes four points away from them, it’s almost an eight point game every time.

“For us, our number one priority is to get to 12 wins, because once we get to 12 wins we know we’re going to be playing finals.

“Once we reach that, we can start setting our sights a bit higher.”

For Swallow, Sunday carries extra significance as he reaches the 200-game milestone, the 27th Kangaroo to do so.

Originally from Perth, the 29-year-old has been smiled upon by the fixture.

“It’s something I can look back on and really be proud of when I finish up. When you first start out you never think you’re going to play 200 games.

“It’s a nice milestone and hopefully I’ll have plenty of family and friends in the crowd to watch it.”