NORTH Melbourne forward Leigh Adams pulls no punches when assessing his start to the 2013 season.

"I've been horrible," Adams told AFL.com.au on Wednesday.

"Hopefully I can start to turn things around pretty quickly. 

"From a team point of view, it's been good that they've been able to carry me, but I need to start to get a kick myself."

Although it's true Adams, 25, is yet to hit the form that earned him top-five finishes in North's 2010 and 2011 best and fairest awards, there are mitigating circumstances.

Most significantly, there was the 'bone block' surgery he had on both shoulders late last year.

Adams took this option – in which a bone graft is inserted to the shoulder socket – after dislocating his left and right shoulders on several separate occasions last season, most memorably his right in a 'chicken wing' tackle by Carlton skipper Chris Judd in round 16.

This disrupted Adams' 2013 pre-season, which meant he entered the home and away season "a little bit underdone". 

"There are some blokes who are just naturally fit that can get away with not having a good pre-season, but I'm someone who needs to get pretty fit over pre-season to be at the peak of my form," Adams said.

"Hopefully, I'm starting to run into some fitness now and the form will start to come as well."

Adams is adamant his shoulders have not affected his form, saying they are getting stronger each week. 

"They're definitely feeling better than they did last year and I've got a lot more confidence in them," he says. 

But Adams has had to adapt to a new role this season. Where in recent seasons he has divided his time between North's forward line and midfield, this year he has played primarily as a high half-forward. 

"I've had to change my game up a little bit to try and be a little more dangerous up forward," Adams says.

"It's about making the most of my possessions instead of trying to rack up as many as I can."

Adams was one of the central figures in the controversial finish to North's after-the-siren loss to West Coast last Friday night.

When teammate Aaron Black kicked long out of North's defensive 50 with less than a minute remaining in the game, Adams tackled Eagle Adam Selwood and was penalised for making high contact.

There was a lot of debate at time about whether a free kick should have been paid, especially after Selwood's resultant long bomb set up Nic Naitanui's 'speccy' and goal that sealed the Roos' two-point defeat.

Adams said he initially did not think he caught Selwood high and had been confused by umpire Simon Meredith's explanation that his second tackling motion had drawn the free kick.

But Adams has moved on, saying he now thinks Meredith's decision was "probably" right. 

He is also more concerned by the fact North's loss to the Eagles was its third this season by less than a goal. The Roos lost to Geelong by four points in round two and to Hawthorn by three points in round five, and have become the first team since Fitzroy in 1978 to lose three games by less than a kick in the first eight rounds.

Adams said watching Naitanui's game-winning goal sail through he had been in disbelief that North could snatch defeat from the belly of victory yet again.

"It was a pretty sickening feeling. I think all the boys were pretty flat, some of them said it was the worst feeling they've had in footy," Adams said.

"To see him kick that goal, to lose like that after we'd been in control of game for most of the night was a pretty poor way to lose.

"All three of our narrow losses have been pretty similar too: we've been up and the opposition has come back and just pipped us right at the line."

Adams says the Roos' inability to get over the line in close games is not a mental issue.

"Each game there's been a little area of our play that has let us down, but it's been different every game," Adams says.

 

"We're a pretty coachable group so we've been able to fix up those problems pretty quickly. It just seems that another little problem then pops up and that's what's been costing us.

"But we'll be right to go against the Crows this Sunday. Most of us were ready to play the game the day after the Eagles loss."