Unfortunately for the Kangaroos, they go missing in second quarters.

North has won just seven for the season, and hasn't outscored its opponents in the second term since round 17 against St Kilda.

However, they outscored two of the remaining finalists, Port Adelaide and Fremantle, in the second quarter early in the season and went on to win the game.

Kangaroos star Brent Harvey admitted on Monday that such inconsistency within games was a problem, but he had no solution.

"I can't explain it," Harvey said.

Brad Scott, too, has conceded he is mystified by his side's disparity between the quarter played before half-time and the one after.

He has even allocated an assistant coach to the task, stopping just short of providing the individual with a magnifying glass and a Sherlock Holmes hat to find out why it's happening.

Perhaps the explanation is experience – or lack thereof.

Until North Melbourne players understand what it takes to arrive at every game ready to go before the ball is bounced then they are destined to start slowly.

It was a concern after round one and it remains a concern now, almost six months later.

If North blows an opportunity in the same way the Western Bulldogs did in the 2009 qualifying final, when they let Geelong get out to a healthy first-quarter lead that they never relinquished, the Kangas will kick themselves.

Funnily enough, North Melbourne often kicks the first goal of the game – 13 of its 23 games – with Saturday night being the first match since round 13 it had not kicked the first goal.

However it also finds itself behind at half-time more often than not – 12 times from 23 games in 2014.

North has managed to come from behind to win four times this season (against Fremantle, Richmond, Adelaide and Essendon) but it is a tough ask. Only 18 times this season has a team trailed at half-time and won.

Of the other teams, only Fremantle and Port Adelaide have managed to do so four times.

Perhaps the Kangaroos do not yet have the mental toughness of mature sides who hit the throttle when the game is on level terms, rather than waiting until all seems lost.

The Sydney Swans have won 32 quarters in the first half, Hawthorn 29, Geelong 34, Fremantle 24, Port Adelaide 27 and North Melbourne just 19 this season.

North  needs to 'shop early' rather than reacting once the game unfolds. It's mentally easier to take risks when all seems lost, rather than when a mistake might make you look stupid.

On Saturday night, the difference between quarters was the ball use, with North Melbourne's disposal efficiency 11 per cent better in the third quarter compared to the second (72 per cent to 83 per cent).

Turnovers sparked 37 of the 43 points the Kangaroos scored in third quarter, whereas in the second quarter they scored just one point – and that solitary behind did not come from a turnover.

The difference in individual performance was huge.

Sam Wright gained 33 metres in the second term and 198 metres in the third. His intercept mark between Brendon Goddard and Jobe Watson – one of 12 the Kangaroos took in the second half – turned the game, as it led to North Melbourne’s first goal of the second half.

Sam Gibson gained 79 metres in the second and 182 metres in the third while Levi Greenwood went from -12 metres in the second (although assisting teammates to gain 58 metres) to 143 metres in the third.

The brilliant Daniel Wells – who played four outstanding quarters – dropped from 175 metres gained in the second quarter to 83 metres in the third as his teammates began to take up the slack.

The performance of Wells underlined how teams benefit when they bring in stars via free agency.

Nick Dal Santo, who arrived from St Kilda as a free agent for 2014, didn't have his usual impact with 24 possessions but took the attentions of Essendon's tagger Heath Hocking.

In any other year during Brad Scott's tenure the opposition tagger would have gone straight to Wells, particularly with Brent Harvey missing through suspension.

On Saturday night, each of Wells' 28 disposals pierced Essendon's defence.

That depth allowed North to find players on every line who could lift enough to overcome a deficit that blew out early in the third quarter to 33 points after Paul Chapman goaled.

Harvey knows Saturday night's great win – and it was one for the ages – was a sign of a team on the up rather than one of a great team. The veteran knows the difference. But he remains optimistic about the path the team is on.

"We've just got to get the starts right," Harvey said. "We know we're a good finishing team so if we can get the starts right, we are going to be a good team, aren't we."