North Melbourne’s first win for eight years in Geelong was based on the back of a strong defensive performance after quarter-time.

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 (5) in particular relished his new role as a key-position defender. Thompson (4) frequently left his opponent in Walker and floated across the front of packs, while Wright (3) was one of the best men 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.

In the post-match media conference, Brad Scott made a point of emphasising how the side was able to absorb the early Geelong push, before countering with a momentum surge of its own.

Turnovers were highlighted, and indeed the Cats were able to profit from them in the early stages. In keeping with the general flow of the game, as North reeled Geelong in, the scoring source for the home side dried up.

Continuing the defensive theme of the victory, North was able to kick a winning score despite spending almost 15 fewer minutes in its forward half. It’s an enormous margin, but considering the wall didn’t look like breaking at any time after the first break, it also doubles as a vote of confidence in the defensive unit.

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.