As North Melbourne prepares to face Geelong for the second time this season, NMFC.com.au looks back at how the Roos got the job done in round four.

From the post-match wrap, it was illustrated how a strong defensive performance after quarter-time was the foundation for the win:

After conceding the first four goals within 23 minutes, North held the Cats to just five more majors for the rest of the game, with the home side ending on its lowest score against the Kangaroos since 2006.

On first glance, it would have appeared that Geelong’s tall forward line, consisting of Tom Hawkins, Mitch Clark, Josh Walker and occasionally Rhys Stanley would have had an edge over a North defence missing Lachlan Hansen and Nathan Grima. However, 56 inside 50’s yielded only 67 points – the work of Sam Wright, Scott Thompson and Robbie Tarrant at the back a big reason for that.

The trio had an impressive 12 intercept marks between them, as Tarrant (five) in particular relished his new role as a key-position defender. Thompson (four) frequently left his opponent in Walker and floated across the front of packs, while Wright (three) was one of the best players on the ground with 32 disposals and seven rebound 50’s.

Through the first three rounds of the season, North had struggled to contain opposition’s inside 50’s. Based on the back of the team’s defensive effort, it changed at Simonds Stadium. The visitors forced a turnover from more than half of Geelong’s entries.

But things could be different with Geelong’s forward setup on Saturday night. Mitch Clark and Rhys Stanley will be unavailable due to injury, while Shane Kersten has played every game for the Cats since the last meeting between the side.

The Cats' tall structure will likely be influenced by how they attempt to tackle Todd Goldstein. From Round 4:

On an individual note, Todd Goldstein continued his stunning start to 2015. It was a frequent sight to see two Geelong ruckmen at stoppages around the ground, attempting to throw the Kangaroo off his game with additional pressure.

However it didn’t work, as Goldstein picked up where he left off the last time he met Geelong in 2014’s semi-final. On that evening he had a whopping 54 hit-outs, and while he ‘only’ registered 42 on Sunday, his work around the ground played a huge hand in North’s advantage in the contest.

Considering Goldstein has amassed a remarkable 142 hit-outs in his last two matches, there will likely be a lot of time put into the North ruckman.

Last time the two sides met at Etihad Stadium, turnovers were a key part of the end result. North conceded 69 points from its own mistakes en route to eventually losing by 32 points.

It appeared that the Roos had dried the source right up at Simonds Stadium, but the faster track at Etihad could prove crucial on Saturday night.