In a season full of highs and lows, Andrew Swallow says there much to learn from leadership coach and Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling.

Swallow believes the day the former Cat spends at Arden Street each week has been valuable in shaping the team's leadership group.

"We are fortunate to have Cameron Ling on board this year and talking to him it's just about being consistent," Swallow told The Herald Sun's Jay Clark.

"The amount of years it took them (Cats) to get to the point they were at in '07 and things started to go really well and players were able to step up and know what it takes because of the other guys around driving them.

"We've still got a long way to get to that, but we are hopeful we are building that sort of system."

Ling is confident the Roos are on the right path with the personnel they have leading the way.

"To see Andrew, Scotty Thompson, Jack Ziebell and these guys up close, they are just so keen to improve themselves and are so keen to learn and drive the team," he said.

"They've got challenges and there's more to come but they are doing everything they can do to push through them. I've got no doubt they will eventually achieve genuine success because they're such great quality people who want to do it."

Ling attends North's weekly match review to help pinpoint critical moments in games and to ask the leaders what they were thinking and feeling.

"It's about how we can come out of ourselves, identify things and speak to guys in games," Swallow said.

"We haven't nailed it completely, but the big challenge for us over the next four or five weeks is to try and do that."

North's leadership has been questioned but the captain admits those doubt are "valid".

"We all need to continue to work hard and demand more from each other because that's probably the only way we are going to iron out these inconsistencies," Swallow added.

"We (leaders) are the ones who cop it and that's fair enough, because we are the ones who are empowered to help get the group to where we want it to be. So we don't admit to being perfect, but we are working on it and we come in here hungry each week."

The Roos come up against Geelong on Saturday as they fight to remain in finals contention.

"The season has been disappointing in a few areas, but it's also been exciting. We are still inside the eight and you look at the last couple of years we have always been chasing our tail a bit.

"At least we are still in a reasonable position and we have played some footy that has really challenged and beaten the best. In saying that, we want to be like the Hawthorns, Sydneys and Fremantles and the teams that you know what you are going to get from them week in week out."

After Brent Harvey suggested on radio that Brad Scott should be harder on some of the younger players, Swallow explained that feedback had been passed on to the coach.

"What we all love about Brad is that he backs us in and early on (in his tenure) that had a lot to do with (the age profile of) the list. Some guys could have been easily dropped but Brad continued to back them and they've really come on.

"Now we are at a point where we are starting to develop some depth in the team. So where Boomer was going with that is that we really want Brad to demand more from the guys and be really ruthless and we've spoken to Brad about that."