He may have only played 10 games for North Melbourne, but Nathan Hrovat is fast becoming an important member of the forward line.

“I love having ‘Rat’ in the team,” teammate Ben Brown told RSN Racing and Sport on Tuesday morning.

Brown had the highest of praise for Hrovat’s ball use, comparing him to a North legend.

“His ball use is awesome going inside 50, which definitely makes things easier for me when I’m leading out of the goal square.

“I know he’s going to put it right out in front and that’s something that’s a little Brent Harvey like.

“Having Boomer in the team the last few years you know exactly where the ball’s going to be kicked, right out in front, and I think Nathan Hrovat is a bit in a similar vein.”

Across the league, teams retain possession with kicks inside 50, 50.3 per cent of the time.

Hrovat is significantly improved on the league average, finding a teammate 56 per cent of the time.

The former Bulldog has been part of a forward line which has found its scoring groove recently, breaking the century mark in four of the last five games.

“We had a little bit of a focus on (moving the ball quicker) over the pre-season,” Brown explained.

“That’s not necessarily a massive change for us, but I suppose it was a renewed focus on that area of our game.

“When the ball is coming in quicker I think any forward is enjoying the service a little bit more than when it’s slow and stagnant.

“It’s a little bit of realising when you need to go quickly and when you need to go slowly and I think we’re starting to get that balance right.”

Brown is often the deepest in North’s forward line this season, playing close to home, while the likes of Mason Wood and Jarrad Waite roam further up the field.

“Having Mason and Waitey back in the side definitely makes life a bit easier for me and like you say, they do provide something a bit different,” Brown said.

“I’ve got the tank to go up the field if I need to, and probably having Jarrad and Mason in the side, they’re two guys that like playing a little higher up the ground so it’s meant that I’ve played a little bit deeper the last few weeks.

“I think it’s good we’ve got a forward line mix which is capable of playing in multiple positions on the ground.”