A largely unnoticed part of North Melbourne’s recent performances has been the ability of Ryan Bastinac to get on the scoreboard.

With goals in each of the last six matches and 16 for the season, the midfielder has become somewhat of an attacking weapon for Brad Scott.

Bastinac says a slightly altered role has been the key to his success.

“I’ve been playing inside-mid but going a little more forward as well. That’s the reason I’ve been hitting the scoreboard a little more,” he told NMFC.com.au.  

“Kicking goals is always something I’ve had in my career through my junior career so it’s been good to take that into my game this year.”

A trend in recent weeks has been that more of Bastinac’s disposals have come in the forward half. However, he doesn’t expect it to become a common theme, with the ability to adapt to different opponents important.  

In the absence of Andrew Swallow for the foreseeable future, North will rely on its other on-ball options to step up.

“All the boys are sharing the workload well through the midfield. We had Benny Jacobs come in and take the inside-mid position and he played well.

“If we can get a few more boys pushing forward and kicking goals it’s going to be good for us.”

At times throughout 2013, Bastinac has been asked to go head-to-head with some of the AFL’s prime midfielders. It can be a tough task to find the right mix of defence and attack.

“My endurance helps me a lot with that. I think that’s why I can get the balance of running with them (his opponents) when we don’t have the ball and then once we win the ball I can push hard and get the ball myself.”

The win against Geelong is now in the past, with the focus firmly switched to Adelaide on Sunday.

It’s an opportunity to rectify two recent ills; the late fadeout against the Crows in Round 9 and North’s poor interstate record.

Removing expansion clubs from the equation, North Melbourne has just one win from 13 games on the road since the beginning of 2011.

“It’s something we need to fix because if we’re going to be one of the best sides then we have to be able to play anywhere in the country,” Bastinac added.

“The preparation is a little different but it shouldn’t matter too much. You just hop on a plane and go play footy.”

As for the opposition, if North finds itself in front this time, the remedy is simple in theory.

“If we have got a lead it’s about trying to keep the game on our terms for as long as we can.

“We have to be more considered with the ball if we have a lead and focus on how we move the ball and go forward.”