Emergency sirens at Arden St are keeping a sleep-deprived Rhyce Shaw on his toes as he settles into life as North Melbourne's AFL caretaker coach.
An issue in the steam room forced the Roos to twice evacuate the building on Wednesday morning, interrupting Shaw's weekly press conference.
Firefighters arrived and quickly gave the all-clear, continuing an eventful fortnight for Shaw that included a stunning upset win over Richmond in his first game in charge.
The 37-year-old admitted he'd been getting by without much sleep as North prepared for Saturday's clash with the Suns on the Gold Coast.
But despite losing defender Jamie Macmillan to a calf injury, Shaw was confident the Roos could sustain their resurgence following Brad Scott's departure.
"In terms of the emotion of the last two weeks ... there is that thing where you think, 'Is there going to be a flat spot here and there?'" he said.
"But we're really focused on our opponent and what we need to bring next week. We did that last week, although there was emotion around it.
"We're in a position where we just want to win football games and I think that's enough of a carrot for the guys going forward."
Shaw has spoken of wanting the Roos to play to their strengths and their physicality around the ball defined their win over the Tigers.
"I think that brand reflects our football club and how we've gone about it over many years," he said.
"To see it in full flight on the weekend, I think it not only pleased us as coaches and the club but hopefully the fans as well.
"That's really important, that we play a style of football that really replicates what we're about and what fans can identify with."
Shaw said he had looked to keep things simple, noting that players' decision-making appeared to be clouded at times earlier in the season.
North will start favourites against a Suns outfit that has lost seven straight games after stringing together several early season wins.
Shaw said he wouldn't be underestimating Stuart Dew's side, particularly in a likely greasy Metricon Stadium.
"They've been in a lot of games for long periods, especially against good teams," he said.
"They're a good, young up-and-coming team and, like us, probably aren't getting the results they deserve at certain times."
