NORTH Melbourne defender Josh Gibson has paid heavy mind to his side's last performance against the Brisbane Lions, largely for evidence of how not to play.
It was eight weeks ago that the Roos were rattled at the Gabba, with a half-time 40-point deficit narrowing only slightly as Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw ran riot.
Brown and Bradshaw kicked 12 of the Lions' 18 goals and it could have been worse if not for missed opportunities.
On Saturday night, the Roos host the Lions in their last home game at Gold Coast Stadium and will be determined to continue a three-game winning streak that sees them fifth on the ladder after 17 rounds.
The Lions, on the other hand, slipped to eighth after being overrun by Richmond last weekend.
"We got pantsed last time by their forwards and Michael Firrito and I have got to be better than that this week," Gibson said on Tuesday.
"It's going to be a great challenge. It's what you play footy for, challenges like this, so I'm looking forward to it.
"We've looked at it and we probably let them get the ball a little bit too easy inside 50. We just have to go back and watch the tape ... work on a few new starting positions and see how we go from there."
North Melbourne's defence responded strongly to mid-season criticism, especially after Geelong and Fremantle piled on big scores. In the past five weeks, no team has scored more than 100 points against the Roos.
It's a big turnaround from eight of the season's first 12 matches, with Gibson missing three after straining his knee against Melbourne in round four.
The 24-year-old says the joint feels better with every week, and his self-belief has had a similar lift with a run of 10 matches the longest of his blossoming 37-game career.
"The first few weeks back from the knee, it was still a bit sore getting into it," he said. "But over the past month, it's sort of pain-free now ... so it's been really good.
"Definitely since coming back from the knee, I've probably felt a bit more comfortable as part of the senior group. That's only going to help my confidence and it probably just settles me down to play each week, feeling welcome. It's a good feeling."
And while he's likely to concede mass to his Lions opponent , as he does most weeks, Gibson supports the 'size of the fight in the dog' theory and it continues to pay off.
"I do enjoy playing on the taller guys when you're out of your weight division, but it's nice to play on smalls some weeks," he said.
"But I take it as it comes each week – it doesn't really faze me."
