A little over two months ago, Shaun Atley was running around in the VFL for North Ballarat.

On Sunday, he was one of the match-winners in North’s stunning win over Fremantle.

It’s been quite a turnaround and according to teammate Scott Thompson, Atley has put in plenty of hard work since the selection axe was swung.

“Atley running off the half-back in the last quarter … when he’s going it’s unbelievable,” teammate Scott Thompson said on SEN's Morning Glory on Monday.

“His pace is so good to watch and you just want to get the ball in his hands.”

Atley had seven last quarter disposals and gained an impressive 189 metres for his team, the most on the ground. He played a big role in the Roos’ five goal to two finish to the game.

“He really did turn us around in the last quarter,” Thompson said.

“He’s probably one of our quickest, if not the quickest on our list. Just his few first steps are so quick and he’s pretty hard to tackle, so off the half-back it’s a great asset to have.”

Thompson was also impressed by the work of Andrew Swallow, who played arguably his best game of the year.

The skipper finished with 21 disposals (15 contested), 12 clearances and 9 tackles.

“He’s huge. He’s a sensational player and has already won two best and fairest’s so he’s definitely not underrated at our club … maybe in the rest of the world he is,” Thompson said.

“His pressure and his ability to hold the tackle and not let the ball out, you can really notice it. That’s what you want in your team – someone to hold the tackle and to win the contested ball.”

Thompson said North wasn’t alarmed by Fremantle’s flying start, reiterating Brad Scott’s “maintain the faith” message.

“It didn’t help when they kicked seven straight in the first quarter. They were getting really easy inside 50 entries and there was no pressure on the ball carrier,” he added.

“We didn’t change any tactics. We just had to be a bit cleaner and our pressure wasn’t on in the first quarter, so it was good to see the boys hold their nerve and stick to the game plan.

“After quarter-time our midfield really worked and made sure if they (the Dockers) did win a clearance it was under a lot of pressure and it was a quick kick in.”

The Roos have now won seven games in a row, with a huge Saturday twilight game against the sixth-placed Bulldogs looming large.