North Melbourne's VFL side has finished with three wins from three games in the 2023 pre-season, after defeating Williamstown 19.14 (128) to 9.6 (60) on Saturday morning at Arden Street Oval.

After being left out of the AFL team for Round 1, club veteran Todd Goldstein was an influential presence in the ruck, often giving his midfielders first option at centre bounces and stoppages throughout the clash.

"His attitude was fantastic coming back and playing in our group today," VFL coach Tom Lynch told NMFC Media post-game.

"(The same applies) to some of our other senior guys … their leadership and competitive juices were flowing so I was rapt for them that they were able to contribute and play their role today."

Daniel Howe, Tarryn Thomas and Charlie Lazzaro spent plenty of time in the midfield and were the main beneficiaries of Goldstein's ruck dominance, while recruit Darcy Tucker shone in the opening two quarters and slotted a classy goal at the beginning of the second term.

Defensively, Kallan Dawson and Aidan Corr were impactful as the two key pillars. They were ably supported by Flynn Perez, Blake Drury and Aaron Hall who all used their run and composure to dissect Williamstown coming out of the backline.

On his return to action, Jackson Archer was at his forceful and assertive best. He and Tucker were pulled from the game at the main break, however, as the pair continue to have their loads managed.

It was a competitive opening 30 minutes to start the contest, but Tom Lynch's side exploded in the second quarter to create a half-time buffer of 43 points after kicking seven goals to one.

Two of those belonged to Sam Lowson, who quickly became a dangerous threat when he went forward. He finished with three, as did Hamish Free who ended the day with a trio of well-executed majors himself.

VFL-listed Nick Stevens stamped his authority on the game in the second half working through the half-backline and midfield. The former Geelong Cat racked up the disposals and proved difficult to contain at stoppages.

"He was fantastic," Lynch mentioned.

"I thought all our (VFL) guys today in Nick, Tyler Sellers, Alex Noblett, Connor Downie, Sam Lowson and the others contributed but also brought great energy, and they gelled in well with the team.

"That's a really important part of what we do as an affiliated club; is make sure those guys connect and understand what we're trying to do gameplan-wise, and I couldn’t be more pleased on how their summers have been."

A purple patch for Williamstown saw it kick three goals in a row as the third quarter drew to a close, but it was Eddie Ford and a host of others who hit straight back with conviction in the fourth with another seven-goal avalanche.

North Melbourne is set to host Port Melbourne next Saturday at Arden Street Oval to kick off the 2023 VFL season.

NORTH MELBOURNE     2.3     9.5     12.8    19.14 (128)
WILLIAMSTOWN          1.4     2.4     6.6     9.6 (60) 

NORTH MELBOURNE GOALS
Lowson 3, Free 3, Ford 2, Downie 2, Lazzaro 2, Sellers, Watkins, Dawson, Tucker, Hope, Spicer, Stevens

NORTH MELBOURNE BEST
Goldstein, Howe, Thomas, Hall, Drury, Stevens, Dawson, Corr, Free