Two games last year effectively sealed Taylor Hine's move from Gold Coast to North Melbourne.

The first came in round 12 when the Roos learned first hand just how tenacious a defender Hine was.

In just his second AFL game, Hine applied a 'choker hold' to Leigh Adams in the first half and Lindsay Thomas in the second, as the Roos escaped with a seven-point win.

The Roos had expressed an interest in the out-of-contract Hine by the time they played West Coast in an elimination final at Patersons Stadium.

But their lack of a lockdown player like Adam Selwood was hammered home in their 96-point loss to the Eagles. 

Selwood did not give Brent Harvey a moment's peace in that match, but in Hine the Roos were confident they had identified a similar hard-nosed competitor.

Last Saturday against Richmond, Hine showed how sound North's judgment was.

Given the task of tagging Richmond vice-captain Brett Deledio, Hine restricted him to 16 possessions – eight disposals less than his season average entering the game (24.2). 

North had identified the need to stop Deledio from launching counter-attacks from half-back and Hine rose to the challenge, allowing him just three inside-50s, down from his season average of five.

Hine spoke to AFL.com.au this week and was at pains to acknowledge the help his North teammates gave him in his duel with Deledio, singling out North ruckman Todd Goldstein for his blocking work at stoppages.

In his nine games for North, Hine has added a steelier defensive edge to the team, playing on midfielders like Deledio, Fremantle's Stephen Hill and Sydney Swan Jude Bolton, along with dangerous half-forwards like Port Adelaide's Chad Wingard and Gold Coast's Aaron Hall.

It takes a certain type of player to rise to such challenges.

Three-time North best and fairest winner Brady Rawlings was one of the best run-with player players in his era and hated seeing his opponent touch the ball.

Since his retirement at the end of 2011, Rawlings has been a development coach at North. Hine has relished the chance to work with Rawlings this year, saying he has been an invaluable sounding board in his pre-match planning for opponents.

It's apparent he shares his mentor's competitive instincts.

"If you're not worried your opponent is getting a bit of the ball, then you're probably not ideal as a tagger," Hine says.

"It definitely does get under your skin a bit if they get a couple of possessions in a row. Even on the weekend I think I turned one over and Brett got a kick straight from it, so that was a bit annoying.

"But I love playing that defensive role as a tagger. It gives you a real kick when you feel like you're getting under their skin and they're getting a bit frustrated."

As good a fit as Hine and North have proved, the former Calder Cannon struggled with his decision to leave Gold Coast.

About eight rounds before the end of last season, it seemed Hine had no decision to make when the Suns said they wouldn't re-sign him.

At the time, he had played just three senior games after being one of the Suns' twelve 17-year-old concession picks at the end of 2009.

So when his manager, Alex McDonald, put some feelers out and North said it saw a defensive role for him at Aegis Park, Hine was ready to move on.

But a form spike almost derailed his passage back to Victoria when he forced his way back into the Suns' team and played the last six rounds of 2012.

Gold Coast decided to backflip and offered him a one-year contract extension.

Suddenly Hine had a tough decision to make. He had made a lot of friends at the Suns and had plenty of respect for Guy McKenna and his assistants.

He needed to clear his head and went on a holiday to Europe to get it. But while he was away, his grandfather fell ill, making the pull of family in Melbourne irresistible.

After the Suns and North could not agree to a deal in last October's trade period, Hine finally became a Roo when North snared him with its last pick in the national draft, No. 61 overall.

Hine soon joined the rest of North's draftees on a plane bound for America to join a high-altitude training camp in Utah.

Fittingly, it was Rawlings who introduced Hine to his new teammates.

"When Brady introduced me to the group in Utah, he said: 'This is Taylor, he's the bloke who shut down 'Patch' (Adams) and Lindsay last year, so that's half the reason we got him," Hine said.

"So that was a bit of an awkward introduction. I also got reported for running into Lindsay in that game as well so that comes up every now and then.

"But North have been great to me so far. It's been a great change."