THE EXTENT of Dustin Fletcher's brilliance was again on show on Saturday night, with the champion Essendon defender crucial to helping his club to its two-point win over North Melbourne.

Although many might only remember Kangaroos ruckman Hamish McIntosh missing the shot after the siren that would have handed North the win, if not for Fletcher the Roos would have already held the lead before McIntosh's last effort.

Kangaroos forward Aaron Edwards appeared certain to take a mark and give North the advantage at the 28-minute mark of the term when a long kick sailed deep into attack, but Fletcher caused a spoil and spillage at the goal line.

Although outnumbered, Fletcher - using his canny instincts - desperately rushed the ball across the line for a behind.

Moments later, he safely took a mark in the defensive 50, holding the ball as long as he could before kicking it as far down the ground as possible. The 36-year-old (he turns 37 in May) may be the oldest player in the game, but he is still one of the best.

"He saved the game, there's no doubt," coach James Hird said.

"He saved the game at least three times in that last five minutes. Let's hope he never retires. He's a genius.

"He's got a gig as long as I'm coaching. He's a gun."

As well as praising his veteran defender, the second-year coach noted that the Bombers' win over North Melbourne was further proof that his team had developed its resilience. There were little steps of progress clear on Saturday night, but the Bombers still have a long way to go.  

"We're not there yet, and we're not kidding ourselves that we've gone where we want to go, but you've just got to keep trying," Hird said.

"The resilience in this group is building and building, and the maturity is building.

"I think everyone is impatient about when a team is going to get good. We've got a lot of work to do, and we will take a bit more time, but hopefully we're going in the right direction."

Brent Stanton was another Bomber vital to the club's push to victory, gathering 35 disposals. The tally included 18 contested possessions, nine inside 50 entries, two goals and five tackles.

But, after losing tagger Heath Hocking to concussion early in the game, Stanton was also given the task of shutting down star Kangaroo Daniel Wells after quarter-time. Wells had 13 touches in the opening term after running free, but finished with 25.

"There's challenges every game you play and it's something I've been focusing on since the new coaches came in," Stanton said.

"They've really given me the confidence to take on different roles, and it's fantastic that the team defence - it wasn't just me - helped stopped Daniel Wells. He was obviously on fire early on."

Follow Callum Twomey on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.