North Melbourne defender Sam Wright has heaped praise on forward Ben Brown, labeling him as the club’s “barometer” for team success this season.

Brown, who was left out of the Kangaroos’ team that lost to Adelaide by 79 points in round one, has averaged 11 disposals, five marks and nearly three goals a game in the past three weeks.

Wright said Brown had become a crucial member of the team.

“He’s sort of a barometer for us,” Wright told Crocmedia’s Sportsday.

“He gets you up and about when you see his unorthodox way of going about things I guess.

“He was really good again on the weekend, he just keeps hitting the scoreboard.”

PRESS PLAY above to listen to the Wright interview.

The Kangaroos have lost just three of Brown’s 14 career matches, and he combined with Drew Petrie and Jarrad Waite to kick six goals between them in Sunday’s win over Geelong.

“He just gives the opposition another target to worry about,” Wright said.

“I think he is close to a lock now and he’s a really important player for us.”

Wright said having Brown fire was also proving beneficial for ruckman Todd Goldstein.

“The best thing about ‘Goldy’ is that he sets the tone for us early and he keeps it going all day,” he said.

“It’s just his physicality in there, and his follow-up work is absolutely outstanding.

“That’s what we expect from him every week and he absolutely delivers.”