For the first time in over a month, North Melbourne boasted very few stand-outs against the Saints, and the end result proved a true indication of that fact.

Although there was one player who could hold his head very high: Todd Goldstein.

Amassing 47 hit-outs on the highly-rated Ben McEvoy, Goldstein moved 34 ahead of his nearest rival Matthew Leuenberger as the league's leading tap-winner.

His worth around the ground can't be ignored either. In 2010 he averaged 11 possessions a game, this year he's increased that to 14. There's little surprise then that Goldstein is starting to catch the attention of the coaches and the footballing world for his undoubted talent.

The big man was rated the Kangaroos' best by Brad Scott and Ross Lyon on Sunday, and arguably he would have polled even higher if his team had finished with a win.

Leigh Adams is another who slips under the guard of the opposition. His 17 possessions and three goals including an important one late in the last gave his team the greatest chance possible, while Daniel Wells was also instrumental in the middle despite his numbers being slightly down on previous weeks.

North Melbourne vs St. Kilda
8 Dal Santo (St K)
5 Goddard (St K)
4 Peake (St K)
4 Riewoldt (St K)
3 Goldstein (NM)
2 Adams (NM)
2 Dawson (St K)
1 Gwilt (St K)
1 Wells (NM)