After three losses in the last three weeks, it's time for North Melbourne to come out firing against a Carlton side that's exceeding expectations so far this season.

If the Blues have something that resembles a bogey team, it's North Melbourne. The Kangaroos have won six of their last seven contests against them. Who can forget Nick Larkey's seven goals in last year's 39-point win?

There are a number of questions to be answered and stories to be told this weekend, but here are four of the most pressing.

How does North manage McKay being out?

Ben McKay was forced to bide his time for consistent opportunity at AFL level. After four games in his first four seasons at North Melbourne he finally cemented place in the senior side midway through North's 2020 campaign.

Since then he's been one of the first names on the teamsheet to play each week. In fact, since making his return to the side in Round 7, 2020 he's missed just two games. He's featured in 37 of the last 39 North Melbourne games at AFL level.

He's become the linchpin of this Kangaroos defence. As the deepest defender and most likely to take the opposition's best forward, he's become the general back there. This weekend though the Kangaroos will have to live without him.

McKay will miss this game due to a one-match suspension picked up for a late collision with Geelong ruck Rhys Stanley last week, and David Noble has already earmarked a number of possible options to cover for the absence of 'Buckets'.

Key defender Matt McGuinness and versatile options Aiden Bonar, Luke McDonald and Miller Bergman have all been touted as potential replacements while the likes of Kyron Hayden, Josh Goater, Jackson Archer and Flynn Perez could also run through defence.

The versatility of the Kangaroos' backline is one of the biggest strengths of the group. Faced with the prospect of stopping a forward line that could contain the reigning Coleman medallist in Ben's twin brother Harry, whoever comes into the side will need to bring their A-game.

Can the Kangaroos connect better through the attacking lines?

If there's one area in which North Melbourne has consistently competed and performed so far this season, it's been in the ability to win the ball at the stoppage.

Using last week's clash with Geelong as an example, North Melbourne won the clearance count 38-27, the centre clearance count 15-10 and the stoppage clearance count 23-17 against a side that featured established midfield stars like Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan, Cam Guthrie and Shaun Higgins.

The contested possession count was narrowly won by the Cats, but given the nature of the game, coming to within 11 of Geelong's total was an impressive feat in itself.

How then, if they can consistently win first use of the ball, are the Kangaroos struggling to produce scoreboard pressure?

After six rounds the Kangaroos rank 16th in the competition in goal efficiency (20 per cent) and shot efficiency (43.9 per cent) while ranking 13th in goal accuracy (45.6 per cent). The issue isn't winning the ball, it's creating high-quality scoring opportunities inside forward 50.

If North can figure out a way to improve the connection between the midfield and the forward line then it would go a long way to making the most of its ability to win the contested ball.

Will North's team defence stand up?

If there's one issue David Noble would hope to have addressed from last week's loss to Geelong it would be the ease with which the Cats scored off of North turnovers.

That ability to make the most of winning the ball is where the game was won by Geelong. Not just won, in fact. It's where the game was dominated.

Time and time again the Cats made the most of North's poor forward 50 entries and exited their defensive half with uncontested ease. Jeremy Cameron didn't kick seven goals and three behinds because of poor man-marking from North's defence. He had those 10 scoring shots due to the stellar service he was allowed to receive from higher up the field.

Defence starts from the front and it's a team mentality that has to be honed. If the opposition don't get easy use out of their back 50, they don't get uncontested ball in the midfield, which means they can't find simple forward targets as easily.

The Kangaroos need to bring an intensity and a willingness to defend this week. If they don't then the likes of Patrick Cripps and Adam Cerra could run riot through the middle of the ground, and the scoreboard will certainly show it.

Which side bounces back this week?

There's only one thing that can turn the tide of confidence and turn doubters into believers in sport, and that's winning games. Carlton's season so far is a brilliant example of that.

The Blues started the season on fire. They snapped their 11-game losing streak against Richmond and followed that milestone win with hard-fought victories over the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn.

After years of starting seasons slowly Carlton is nestled comfortably in the top eight with a 3-3 record six rounds into the new campaign.

Losing to Fremantle last week certainly would not have been in the plans for Michael Voss' Blues, and they, much like North Melbourne, will be hoping to steady the ship with a much-needed victory this weekend.

If the early part of the season is anything to go by then these sides have different goals for 2022, but earning a win will go a long way to righting the respective seasons back on track.