A CANDID Drew Petrie has confronted questions about his form head on, ahead of his 250th game on Friday night.
The North Melbourne forward has admitted he has to step up as his side travels to play Fremantle at Patersons Stadium.
Petrie, 31, has kicked just three goals in his club's opening five games and has been subject to scrutiny from a number of commentators.
“When you do hear stuff, you want to make something good out of it, not dwell or feel sorry for yourself,” Petrie told the AFL Exchange podcast.
“Part of the reason I guess I’m not going great, it’s my own fault. I’m just not working hard enough or not marking the footy cleanly enough and I’m not giving our midfielders a good enough option inside the forward 50."
“[But] definitely - turn it into a positive and respond. It makes you a little bit angry, but if you can channel that aggression into a better performances then that’s a good thing.”
Petrie ranked fourth in contested marks in the League last year, his third successive top-four finish, while he also ranked eighth for marks inside 50.
The Roos’ stand-in skipper, who is contracted until the end of 2015, is a three-time leading goal kicker for the club and was named an All Australian in 2011.
North Melbourne sits in seventh with three wins and two losses so far this season.
