If last week's performance against Narrm (Melbourne) is anything to go by, North Melbourne certainly looks to be on the way up.

A fourth quarter fadeout against the unbeaten premiers saw the margin balloon to 47 points at the final siren, but the Kangaroos were within touching distance of the Demons right up until the final break, and even kicked to within a goal midway through the third term.

St Kilda offers another strong challenge for the side this week. The high-flying Saints have won two games in a row to bounce up to fifth on the ladder and are, currently, surpassing many of the pre-season expectations placed upon them.

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

Can the Kangaroos build on last week's performance?

This season has been tough for the rebuilding Kangaroos, there's no debating that. If one win in 10 games is hard enough for fans to get behind, the manner and margin of some of those losses have been seriously difficult to swallow.

Last week's clash against the best team in the competition had the potential to be a morale booster or morale buster depending on the quality of performance put in. Given how the game - or the first three quarters at least, played out - this young North side should now hold belief that they can honestly match it with the best the competition has to offer.

The close Round 4 defeat to Sydney represented something of a false dawn for the young side, and a series of generally lackadaisical performances followed. The boost of genuinely competing with Melbourne last week is one that cannot be wasted as this team continues to move forward.

Will North rise up for Ziebell's 250th?

With all the negative, and at times false, media rhetoric surrounding North Melbourne at the moment it's well worth remembering and celebrating the fact Jack Ziebell is set to tick off a massive milestone on the weekend.

Set to play game number 250 in royal blue and white, the way our captain conducts himself both on and off the field personifies what a Shinboner should be. Since his arrival at the club in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft he's been a true North Melbourne man through and through.

The team was in a difficult position both on and off the field when he arrived. A change of coach was looming, debt was high and relocation talks to the Gold Coast or Tasmania were still in the mouths of many pundits and media personalities.

Ziebell has seen and experienced so many highs and lows during his time at the club, but the one constant has been the sheer effort and love he puts into our colours every single day.

If there's anything that should add some extra motivation for the side to win this Sunday it's to win for the captain who has so courageously led them for so long.

How much selection pressure is there?

David Noble has lamented the lack of selection pressure coming through the club's VFL program in recent weeks, but thanks to a spate of players returning from injury, and even more working their way back, competition for spots is just about as high as it's been during the senior coach's tenure.

A VFL bye last week made it hard for players to push their cases for a recall, but with senior players like Jaidyn Stephenson, Jack Mahony and Callum Coleman-Jones currently fighting for senior opportunities it could remain difficult to overlook them. Atu Bosenavulagi and Charlie Lazzaro are also available, while Matt McGuinness has been close to a senior call-up for much of the season.

With the likes of Ben McKay, Aiden Bonar, Aaron Hall, Phoenix Spicer and Eddie Ford all pushing to come back in the near future, that pressure is only going to get stronger.

Does the recent record against St Kilda matter?

The Kangaroos will be looking to its form against St Kilda over the last decade as evidence and motivation that they possess the capability to get over the top of this weekend's opposition.

In the 13 clashes between these two sides since 2012, the Kangaroos have emerged victorious in 10 of them - including four of the last five. As a rule the Roos have certainly had St Kilda's number in recent times.

The biggest of these wins came in Round 10, 2014 where five goals from Aaron Black and four each for Drew Petrie and Brent Harvey saw the Kangaroos register a massive 68-point win.

St Kilda got over the top of North in the teams' only meeting last year, with a late surging Kangaroos side going down by 20 points but recent history suggests it should be a strong contest that, hopefully, falls North's way.