It's been more than a decade since Michael Firrito started a season in the VFL. Yet judging by his form the last three weeks, it seems inconceivable the veteran had missed any time at all.

When Jamie Macmillan fractured his fibula in the Round 3 victory over Port Adelaide, Firrito was welcomed back into the side. Starting with his 20 possessions and 8 rebound 50's against Sydney in Round 4, the number 11 has looked much like the player who was a permanent fixture in North's best 22 for so many years.

"It's the first time since my first year that I started a season outside the side so it's been a little different working my way in," Firrito told NMFC.com.au.

"I knew that was going to be the case so it was a matter of working hard to earn a spot.

"The last few years I've had limited pre-seasons and this year I was able to do almost everything. I knew I had the fitness base behind me even with some limited time towards the end just to protect the body."

Champion Data says Firrito has only conceded two goals in his three appearances, showing he has returned to the side in good form.

In a twist of fate, starting the season with Werribee and former North development coach John Lamont may have proved a blessing in disguise.

"I'm the sort of player that needs a few games under my belt to really get the touch back," Firrito explained.

"When I was back with Werribee, we've got a really strong alignment with them. Johnny Lamont coaches there too so it was great to play under him. I was able to get a bit of the footy, get some touches and it held me in good stead for when I did get called up."

In Firrito's three games, he has spent most of his time on the mid-sized opposition forwards. It's a far cry from what he had to deal with in the last fortnight of the 2013 season.

When North faced Hawthorn and Collingwood, Firrito was forced to match up on Lance Franklin and Travis Cloke respectively. Due to injuries to Scott Thompson and Nathan Grima, Firrito was the number one key defender.

However it just makes Firrito a versatile member of the backline defensively and offensively; an attribute he points out is in high supply at the moment.

"At the moment we've got a flexible defence who can play a range of matchups which gives us a lot of different options.

"Offensively we all take the responsibility (in possession) to work for one another and we're comfortable with the ball in anyone's hands. It's a good way to be at the moment. We even had Tippo (Joel Tippett) come in for his first game and it just felt like he'd been there for years.

"Normally you like to settle your back six and keep it the same but we've got about 10 guys who can go through there at the moment. It's good for the footy club that we have depth and anyone who steps in will be switched on and knows what's going on."

That depth has helped North to big wins interstate against Sydney and Fremantle in the first six rounds. However the inconsistency has also led to heavy losses against Collingwood and Essendon.

In his 12th season, Firrito is better placed than most to educate a list about the ups and downs. Understandably he's refusing to get carried away at this early stage of the year.

"We're not in any position to get ahead of ourselves. Obviously there's the results from last year and it's such an even competition that anyone can beat anyone, the AFL have what they want now.

"If you're a little bit off your game you can get smacked as we found out against Essendon and Collingwood just a week ago. There's no room for complacency and we don't deserve to even think of that really."

North has won four of its first six despite not cracking 100 points in any game so far this season. The counter to that has been a much improved defensive effort as it is conceding more than four goals less per game compared to 2013.

League wide it has been a similar story, with scoring at its lowest level in almost 50-years. However Firrito doesn't believe there is any problem with the image of the game, pointing out an old cliché to bring everything into focus.

"There's been a big emphasis on the defensive side of the game and everyone always says defence wins premierships. It seems like every team almost tries the same thing it's just who does it better.

"Everyone's really focusing on the defensive focus and the games are just as entertaining. There's been some good battles and good contests but it's just not the shootouts of the last few years."