FOR club and captain, redemption was sweet.
North Melbourne and Brent Harvey were humiliated by St Kilda a week ago and yesterday they celebrated a win for the first time this season.
The challenge was issued by coach Brad Scott to respond against West Coast and the group did him proud.
It was obvious from the opening minutes that spirit and intensity had returned.
And leading the way was Harvey who bounced back brilliantly from one his worst efforts.
His inspiring 44-possession game was highlighted by a blistering seven-bounce run in the last quarter that would have earned him goal of the year.
Instead it was hailed as point of the century and the only hiccup in an otherwise superior performance.
But it didn't bother Harvey, who virtually ran free throughout the afternoon.
"It was pretty good," Harvey said.
"I know Scotty McMahon kicked me the ball and I turned around and no one was chasing. (Matt) Priddis was coming and I knew he wasn't the fastest so I went for it.
"The arm was half in the air and with the weary legs it just faded to the right and hit the post. It was unfortunate but I'm very happy.
"I just wanted to get my hands on the footy early and get some confidence back."
Harvey racked up 12 possessions by quarter time and had already emerged as the clear standout.
He was thrilled with the support he received from third-gamer Ryan Bastinac, the often maligned Daniel Wells and classy finisher Liam Anthony.
Bastinac was given the job on Eagles midfielder Daniel Kerr and restricted him to little impact. An NAB Rising Star nomination must surely be coming his way.
Wells set the tone with his attack on the ball early and was also desperate with his smothering and chasing.
Three goals to Anthony showed his value and Andrew Swallow was again dominant around stoppages with eight clearances.
"That's what I spoke about to the boys before the game," Harvey said.
"How bad we felt and how embarrassed we were.
"We started well and to West Coast's credit they came back, but we finished well and it was fantastic to get our first win on the board.
"Third game in and (Bastinac's) going to be around for a very long time. He went onto Priddis in the end but for a third-gamer to play the part he did was sensational.
"We'd gone back to basics and we had a little bit of match-practice early in the week.
"It was pleasing the way Brad (Scott) handled it - he could have gone off the edge but he stuck to his guns and we backed him up today."
It was West Coast's turn to feel the grating sting of a loss - the first time since 1989 the club has lost its opening three matches of a season.
The Eagles are not renowned for their healthy away record but with Mark LeCras back in the side they loomed as a dangerous opponent.
LeCras kicked three goals in the first quarter, finished with five, and was by far the side's most dangerous forward.
The attack needed more from Josh Kennedy and Ashley Hansen but credit has to go to Nathan Grima and Scott Thompson.
West Coast's midfielders found plenty of the ball but turned it over far too often.
North's all-round structure was impressive.
The most pleasing aspect for the Roos was how they continually defended their lead and how determined they looked to atone.
Scott predicted after the loss to St Kilda that Harvey would bounce back like a champion and his assessment was spot on.
STATS THAT MATTER
North Melbourne racked up a club record 436 disposals, of which Brent Harvey had 44. It was a career-high for the North skipper and his 12 score involvements was also a game-high.
The overall turnover count was 74 to 70, but behind centre West Coast turned it over 30 times to 14. Will Schofield and Scott Selwood were responsible for two turnovers, each costing the Eagles goals.
Ryan Bastinac had majority of the responsibility for Daniel Kerr in the first half and Matt Priddis in the second. In 70 minutes on them, he had 22 disposals to their 12. He had 24 for the game.
SCOREBOARDNORTH MELBOURNE 6.1 10.6 15.11 17.14 (116)
WEST COAST 6.5 7.5 12.6 13.13 (91)
Goals: North Melbourne: D Hale 3 L Anthony 3 A Edwards 2 B Warren 2 L Thomas 2 B Harvey G Urquhart H McIntosh J Ziebell S Wright. West Coast: M LeCras 5 J Kennedy 2 A Hansen B Ebert D Cox M Brown M Rosa N Naitanui.
Best: North Melbourne: B Harvey R Bastinac A Swallow M Firrito D Wells L Anthony B Rawlings. West Coast: M LeCras M Priddis B Ebert D Cox B Waters.
Umpires: Troy Pannell, Robert Findlay, Scott McLaren.
Official Crowd: 18,394 at Etihad Stadium.