Chief of Football Donald McDonald says North's destiny is in its own hands and a finals spot is up for grabs if the players want it enough.

“It’s a real exciting time at North Melbourne, not only for our players but more importantly for our supporters as well,” McDonald told kangaroos.com.au.

“We’re actually in the eight whereas in the last two years we’ve been fighting to get in and weren’t in the mix leading up to the finals.

"This year it’s there for us if we want it and there’s a real hunger among the group to succeed."

One of the club's biggest tests in the run home is set to come on Sunday. While a long injury list means some of Essendon’s most experienced players are unavailable, McDonald says the Bombers shouldn't be underestimated with a wealth of talent at their disposal.

“I don’t see Essendon’s injuries as any advantage to us. You just have to look at their list and see the abundance of other great players they have coming up.

“The Bombers are going to be super-tough but I’m sure our guys will come out very aggressive and keen to get the four points.”

North had to come back in the second half against the Bulldogs to win its fourth game in a row, but McDonald believes it was the opposition's resilience, not a lacklustre start that saw it fall behind.

“You’ve got to give respect to the Doggies. I think they’ve been starting games really well but they have a lot of younger guys as well and eventually we got on top of them.

“I think it was pretty similar to the Melbourne game. Those were two matches we walked away with solid victories but we were made to earn them.

"But that’s AFL footy, there are no easy wins.”