North midfielder Shaun Higgins expects Carlton to be at its best on Saturday night, after competitive losses in its first three games.

Higgins says that despite the Blues’ early defeats, their key players have shown just how dangerous they can be.

“It looks so even across the whole competition because teams fluctuate from week to week,” Higgins told The Mercury.

“But that’s just the evenness of the competition, we know we need to be at our best each week to be really competitive.

“That is no different this week, we know we will have to be at our best because even though Carlton are 0-3, they have played some good footy at times this year.”

Although the Blues are yet to secure a premiership point, their winless record fails to give a true representation of their 2018 form.

In Round 1, Carlton led Richmond by as much as 29 points, and just last week, the Blues got an early jump on arch-rivals Collingwood, kicking the first three goals of the match.

“What we know is they have started games really well ... and they have some top-end talent throughout the team that we need to make sure we get things right to combat that,” Higgins said.

North will travel to Hobart with plenty of confidence, given its impressive record at Blundstone Arena.

Since its first game there in 2012, North have been victorious in 11 of the 15 outings at the ground, a record that Higgins attributes to the overwhelming support shown by the local fans  

“It is well noted we have a pretty good record down there, it is a big opportunity for the footy club,” he added.

“But more importantly, the players enjoy going down there, we get great support and the atmosphere is really good and this week there will be a big crowd with the first game and playing a Victorian team.”