North defender Jamie Macmillan says the eveness of the competition means no team can afford to be off its game.

The Roos are set to play Richmond, Essendon, Fremantle and Collingwood in May, in what looms as a defining month in its 2015 campaign. 

Speaking to The Mercury’s Brett Stubbs, Macmillan pointed to the Roos' need to improve as they prepare for a vital block of matches. 

"The competition is so even that you can go into a game and, if you are going to get the win, you have to tick all 10 boxes and at the moment we are only ticking nine of them," Macmillan said.

"The issue is every week it is a different box that we are missing. That’s what’s making it hard." 

North lost to Hawthorn by 60 points on Saturday night, leaving it on two wins and three losses after five rounds. 

"At a bare minimum you always want to have an even (win-loss) ledger.

"Unless we can consistently start putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, we are not going to get the results we want.”

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After missing three games with achilles soreness, Macmillan said he was happy with the way he got through the clash against the Hawks. 

The focus had now shifted to this week’s opponents, Richmond, for the first of the club's three home games in Hobart.

Macmillan is confident the Roos can bounce back in front of a big crowd at Blundstone Arena. 

"If we play the right way we are almost certain we can beat Richmond regardless of what they bring," he said.

The match is expected to go close to a sell-out, with limited tickets remaining.

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