The Kangaroos fly west to face West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday, on a mission to show their Round 1 form was no fluke.

North Melbourne began its season in style last weekend, downing Port Adelaide by 46 points at Marvel Stadium.

Round 2, West Coast v North Melbourne
When: Sunday, March 23 at 3.10pm AWST, 6.10pm AEDT
Where: Optus Stadium, Perth, WA
How to watch: Foxtel, Kayo Sports

The opposition

Despite being blown away by Gold Coast in the first half of their season opener, the young Eagles showed plenty of spirit, winning the third term and pegging the half-time margin back from 62 points to 48 at full-time.

Still, they’ll want a much better start when they host the Kangaroos on Sunday - a match-up that has been decided by 15 points or fewer for the past eight meetings.

Forward Jake Waterman will enter Optus Stadium in hot form, having booted three goals from nine touches against the Suns, while SSP signing Milan Murdock (two goals, 22 disposals) will be out to continue his fine start after an emphatic debut.

On the injury front, key backman Harry Edwards is a chance to return, which would help bolster the Eagles’ key defensive stocks. They'll also regain co-captain Liam Baker.

Running hot

In a round where North Melbourne conceded the lowest score in the competition, versatile key defender Charlie Comben was at the heart of it all.

Comben, who will play his milestone 50th AFL game this weekend, earned a perfect 10 coaches votes for his standout performance against the Power. He finished with 18 disposals, 14 intercepts and 11 marks, while also nailing a booming goal from beyond the 50-metre arc that ignited both the crowd and his team in the second quarter.

Growing in reliability behind the ball and in confidence, Comben continues to emerge as a cornerstone of the club's defensive unit.

What the coach has said

North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson on Wednesday: "We're trying to be as business-like as we can ... we want to make sure we came in on a Monday and the building couldn't really tell whether we'd won or lost, it was just a process.

"It was a more consistent effort than what we had demonstrated at different stages last year, so it's a good start. But it doesn't mean too much unless we can apply ourselves in a similar sort of manner this week against West Coast."

Last time we met

Starting off 1-0 in their new home away from home, the Kangaroos managed to snatch a thrilling victory, coming from behind to defeat the inaccurate Eagles by 10 points in Bunbury.

North Melbourne trailed by 18 points early in the fourth quarter but lifted to slot the final three goals of the game to win 9.8 (62) to 6.16 (52).

Forward Cam Zurhaar plucked a pack mark and converted to give his team the lead in the final minutes, before then-captain Jy Simpkin iced the game with 43 seconds to play when he snapped on the run.

Colby McKercher was damaging, racking up a game-high 35 disposals, while Paul Curtis booted three goals in a low-scoring affair.