The circle of redemption in sport observes no statutory limitations.

It can be swift as in the case of golfer Rory McIlroy. After destructing spectacularly having led into the final round of the US Masters, the Ulsterman dominated the very next major on a record-setting spree to bury his demons in the US Open.

Or it can be excruciatingly prolonged as evidenced by the Boston RedSox 86 years of suffering under the Curse of the Bambino.

North Melbourne this weekend takes its first look at setting things right.

The Kangaroos were April fools the first time they faced Collingwood. Desperate to stake a claim for relevance, the club went all-in against a loaded hand.

They won the battle of the jumpers with City Hall to wear their traditional strip, then staged a plebiscite for North Melbourne-kind under the banner Earn Your Stripes.

Throughout the pre-season, coach Brad Scott had determined the measure of its worth would be performances against top four teams. These would outweigh all other challenges and achievements.

But they weren’t ready. In the minutes before the game commenced it was clear what a bounty North had put on a mission that fulfilled the prerequisites of impossible.

And so it was. An awful 87-point hiding. What might’ve been the understandable price of doing business became a blue chip catastrophe.

In the aftermath captain Brent Harvey gave what remains the rawest interview of the season. Dumbstruck with disappointment he apportioned blame. Then named names.

The young players were not toeing the line. This failure was theirs. When would they reach the point of re-enforcing the senior core? If they didn’t soon they would no longer be welcome.

Condemnation of Harvey was swift. Those who had led football teams objected that this crossed a line. Doubtless it helped form the view that was used to publicly question his leadership months later.

Yet having conducted the interview with Harvey I held the view he was guilty only of injudicious repetition of the truisms delivered behind closed doors.

In his search for answers he’d parroted the criticism of the coach. Such a blunt message sounded vastly different on the airwaves than it would’ve in the privacy of the post-match address.

At the end of the interview Harvey apologised for not really being able to articulate what he felt, oblivious to the firestorm he’d ignited.

Yet that moment might well come to be regarded in the same way as Paul Chapman’s scathing assessment of his Geelong mates as a team wasting its time and talent early in 2007.

Or Hawthorn’s line-in-the-sand game against Essendon when at half time it was decided the Hawks could be the Bomber whipping boys no more.

The moment when a standard was set. When excuses would no longer be tolerated. When those who shirked at shouldering the responsibility were told to carry the load.

North Melbourne is better equipped now than it was in Round 2 yet few if any will seriously consider it a chance to beat the reigning premier.

The Kangaroos are a team that can sniff out calamity. If not for that uncanny trait they’d already be in the eight.

The litany of woe is front of mind. They were cruelled by a dicey decision late against Richmond in the most decisive moment of the match.

They were dumb beyond belief against Brisbane to have a match-winning lead finally snuffed out by a blatant Simon Black throw.

And how they didn’t come away with at least a draw against Sydney having had the ball on the behind line for the tying score is a mystery befitting Dan Brown.

Having shown depths of character to salvage the season with four commendable wins they were at it again last Sunday.

The Saints had decided against scoring in the last term but every time snatching victory was within their grasp the Kangas would give up a free kick or a daft 50-metre penalty or botch a standard shot at goal.

They loomed to win for 30 minutes. They might have played another 20 and still got no closer than nine points.

Part of this is development. Part of it has to be slow learning.

North Melbourne has publicly taken the quiet road back to Collingwood. Privately it will have been something else entirely.

No excuses. No regrets. It’s time to be re-evaluated and measured up for redemption.

Gerard Whateley leads the Grandstand AFL team on ABC Radio