NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott says the Kangaroos' inspiring win over premiership threat Geelong is "one small step" towards rebuilding their credibility in pressure-cooker situations.
In round two, North went down to Geelong by four points after surrendering a 41-point lead, and Scott admitted he had felt "an eerie sense of deja vu" when the Cats slashed a 25-point margin to just two points in the third term.
But he was pleased with his side's ability to stand firm when Geelong challenged.
"We've had some really disappointing losses this year that have cut pretty deep," Scott said.
"From a coaching perspective, we could have taken the loser's attitude and said, 'Gee we've been unlucky'. But we haven't done that at any point.
"It's very, very rewarding when you learn from those situations and you can hold up under pressure because there's no doubt Geelong were coming at us ...
"The losses have been tough this year but we've got to make sure they’re the making of us. Tonight was just one small step in the right direction."
North remains 10th on the AFL ladder, two games outside the eight and with eighth and ninth-placed Port Adelaide and Carlton still with a game in hand.
The Roos also have a tough run home, with clashes against Adelaide (at AAMI Stadium), Essendon, Hawthorn and Collingwood to come, but they still have a flicker of hope of making the finals, particularly with the potential for Essendon to lose its premiership points following the joint AFL-ASADA investigation into the club's controversial supplements program.
The Kangaroos’ season has been defined by a series of late-game fadeouts, with five losses coming by no more than four points.
Scott said the Roos' performance against Geelong was "reward for effort", and "reinforces" what they have been working on to rectify the manner in which they close out tight games.
He wouldn't go into detail about these specific areas of attention, but said it was related to how they defended and moved the ball, both of which were "really good" on this occasion.
Scott was pleased with the efforts of acting captain Drew Petrie and young leaders Jack Ziebell and Ben Cunnington to lift in the absence of injured skipper Andrew Swallow.
