DEFENSIVE pressure will be North Melbourne's key focus in its elimination final against Essendon next Saturday night, Roos defender Shaun Atley says.
Atley spoke with AFL.com.au after North rounded off its finals preparations with a 30-point win over Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
North entered the game with nothing really at stake - it had already cemented sixth position on the ladder and knew three hours before the opening bounce that it would be playing Essendon in week one of the finals.
The Roos started brightly against the Demons, kicking the game's opening three goals, but then conceded seven of the next nine goals and went into half-time level with a team that had last won in round 13.
Atley conceded playing a 'dead rubber' had been tough mentally, but said the Roos had gotten what they needed from the Dees clash.
"It is an interesting one when you know who you've got next week and it's in the back of your mind, so it would be silly to say that we weren't thinking about it," Atley said.
"But it was a really good effort by the boys to get out there and get the result that we wanted.
"We just wanted to make sure our pressure was good. The main thing was to get up on the first one.
"I think we were a bit slow to do that in the first half, but in the second half we nailed it."
Atley was one of North's best players against the Demons, finishing with 21 possessions and a goal, and providing his trademark run from half-back.
The 21-year-old was part of North's most recent finals campaign in 2012 when, after a blistering run home in the second half of the season, the Roos capitulated by 96 points to West Coast in an elimination final at Patersons Stadium.
Atley said the players in that team had not forgotten the bitter feeling of being knocked out in the first week of the finals and were hell bent on avoiding a repeat against the Bombers.
"It's just a really good opportunity and we've just got to take it," he said.
"We know the Bombers like to possess the ball, they don't like to kick long too often.
"We've just got to make sure our pressure is on and we're up on the first one and covering it."
