AFTER banking a club record nine consecutive wins to start the season, North Melbourne coach Brad Scott can't wait to see how the pacesetting Kangaroos respond to a fierce test of their premiership credentials in the coming weeks.
The Roos easily accounted for Carlton by 67 points on Saturday night, clinically dispatching the Blues with a "complete" performance led by dominant ruckman Todd Goldstein.
But things now heat up for North, which faces a powerful Sydney Swans outfit at the SCG on Friday night to kick-start a testing phase of the fixture.
After the Swans, the Roos face a resurgent Richmond, Geelong, Hawthorn and Adelaide, followed after the round 15 bye with an away trip against the Eagles in Perth.
"We've built a really good platform, but we'll come up against some really good opposition and the reality is – win, lose or draw – we'll learn a hell of a lot out of all of those games," Scott said post-match.
"This is going to be a really good test for us and one that we're up for."
Scott said he was "rapt for the supporters" after North notched nine-straight wins to start the season for the first time in club history, but declared the Roos weren't about to break out the champagne.
"We're really focused on Sydney this week. It will bring us back down to earth pretty quickly if we're not careful," he said.
Five talking points: North Melbourne v Carlton
Friday night's win over the Blues, was set up in the middle by Goldstein, who dominated the ruck and led his side to a 17-6 centre clearance count, had 16 hit-outs to advantage and booted three majors from 19 disposals.
WATCH: Goldy's 18-karat performance
The All Australian big man will face a sterner test against an in-form Kurt Tippett and Callum Sinclair combination at the SCG next week, but Scott was pleased with Goldstein asserting his authority over Blues debutant Daniel Gorringe.
"I thought he was great. He gave our midfield really good use and Goldy has been challenged this year in terms of opposition ruckmen who have been having really good seasons," Scott said.
"Who the premier ruckman is at the moment in the competition is open to interpretation or opinions of others, but Goldy really set himself a few years ago to assert himself on the competition and he's taken his game to a new level.
"He's got different strings to his bow now and he's got a bag of trick so he can adapt his game based on what the opposition are doing. So it was another really good performance from him."
The Roos could be boosted for the Swans clash by the return of Daniel Wells, although Scott was non-committal about the smooth-moving midfielders' chances after Achilles soreness.
"The truth is I don't know. He's in a really good place mentally and feels like he's been unfairly held back," he said.
"We're hopeful, but one thing I can say is regardless of what the medical staff say, unless he is absolutely perfect we won't put him out there.
"If that means he misses a little bit more footy, then we're just determined to get him back and make sure he's right because we won't go through the in one week, sore the next (scenario).
"We've got to do the right thing by him there."
