Caretaker coach Rhyce Shaw encouraged North Melbourne to embrace their physicality before their stunning win over Richmond in his first AFL game in charge.
The Shinboner spirit was on full display on Friday night as the Kangaroos out-hunted the AFL's pressure kings and ran out 15.9 (99) to 9.8 (62) winners at Marvel Stadium.
North won the tackle count (68-55) and contested possessions (153-130) and never looked like being overtaken after booting six goals to one in a brilliant third quarter.
Shaw's first game at the helm after taking over from Brad Scott was highlighted by fierce performances from the likes of Cameron Zurhaar, whose 10 tackles included crunching rundown efforts on Dylan Grimes and Nathan Broad.
The Kangaroos notably targeted Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch, taking every opportunity to put the key forward under physical duress.
"That's the type of footy that we want to play going forward and that's our benchmark," Shaw declared after the game.
"We went in with the mindset that we wanted to attack our opponents. That's what we're about. We're a physical football team, we've got physical players.
"Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington, Cameron Zurhaar, Jed Anderson - these guys are big bodies. They attack the man ... I wanted to encourage that in those players."
Stepping into the primetime spotlight less than a week after taking over as senior coach, Shaw went for a run before the game to shake off his nerves and indulged in plenty of lollies in the coaching box while the action unfolded.
The 37-year-old's nerves quickly dissipated as the Roos' next generation spearheaded arguably the club's best performance of the season.
"The kids have been really, really good," Shaw said.
"They probably haven't got the accolades ... but these guys are playing some super footy."
North Melbourne face Gold Coast on the road next week then host Greater Western Sydney in Hobart before their mid-season bye.
Describing the past week as a whirlwind, Shaw said he would encourage his players to celebrate a win that will live long in the memory at Arden St.
"I'm all for that. The boys have got to enjoy their wins," he said.
"If you don't enjoy them, it just makes them so much harder and I think our guys are going to get a good balance this week."
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