Brad Scott described the performances of some of his players as ‘terrible’ after the loss to Adelaide and those words would have echoed in the ears going into Sunday’s match.
The Crows’ pressure had been unrelenting and North crumbled as a result.
"If you want to get pressured and cough up the ball, do what we did tonight," Scott said at the time.
Against a Demons’ side praised for its pressure under Paul Roos, the Kangaroos answered the challenge.
While kicking backwards and sideways played into the Crows' hands the week before, more patient, considered build-ups were the story of Round 14.
The statistic that illustrates that improvement the most, kicking efficiency.
| Opponent | Kicking efficiency |
| Round 13 v Adelaide | 60.1% |
| Round 14 v Melbourne | 72.4% |
| Differential | 12.3% |
Remarkably, North went from the second most wasteful team by foot in Round 13, to the most effective a week later and with that registered its best result of the season.
To drill it down even further, it was those classified as ‘short kicks’ that cost the Kangaroos’ most at Adelaide Oval.
| Opponent | Short kick efficiency |
| Round 13 v Adelaide | 49.6% |
| Round 14 v Melbourne | 69.1% |
| Differential | 19.5% |
The importance of cool heads under pressure can’t be understated, and against the Demons, North regained its mojo.
Work-rate has been another area that’s been down in losses, but an uncontested mark tally of 116 was the highest of the season by a long margin (next best 99). The numbers suggest a willingness to work to space on the wide expanses of the MCG.
Unlike its Round 5 clash against Collingwood in which the opposition simply worked harder, North's ability to move the ball quickly to loose team-mates meant more opportunities through the zone termed as ‘the corridor’.
14 of North’s 15 goals and 96 of its 107 points came from that area, easily the highest of any side around the league for the round.
| Scoring area | Angle | Corridor |
| Round 14 v Melbourne | 1.2 | 14.12 |
The chart below highlights North’s shots at goal, and perhaps a missed opportunity to win by an even greater margin due to wasted chances in front of goal.
 |
At just 53.8 per cent, the Kangaroos were the least accurate of all sides through the corridor.
"Squandering chances is frustrating. Roosy’s a genius. I don’t know how he does it. He forces the opposition to miss; he’s done it better than anyone this year," Scott said post-match.
"We had a few 12-point plays where we not only squandered an opportunity to score for us but we opened ourselves up on the rebound.
"Again, really good sides don't do that."
Despite room for improvement, there were important steps against the Demons.
Special mention must go to Drew Petrie, the topic of much discussion this year surrounding his form.
The vice-captain finished with 12 score involvements, only surpassed by his 13 two weeks’ previous against Richmond.
