LAST season, then North Melbourne skipper Brent Harvey wondered aloud when Sam Wright, among other Kangaroos youngsters, was going to step up.

Harvey's question was borne out of the frustration of an 87-point thrashing at the hands of reigning premier Collingwood in round two.

Although Wright would respond with two three-goal performances, against Port Adelaide and Essendon, recurring shoulder problems ended his 2011 season prematurely, denying him the chance to fully respond to Harvey's challenge.

But in North's 17-point victory against Geelong last Sunday, Wright, 21, gave the strongest indication yet he is ready to deliver consistently as an AFL player.

He did so after facing one of the most daunting match-ups of his career, star Geelong forward Steve Johnson.

Although Johnson went into last Sunday night's match after suffering a corked thigh the previous round, Wright performed brilliantly to keep him to just one behind and 13 possessions, seven of those coming in the last quarter when the game was effectively over.

At the same time, Wright had 18 possessions, five rebound 50s and one inside 50.

Wright told kangaroos.com.au on Wednesday that when North defensive coach Shane Watson told him he'd be playing on Johnson he'd realised just how big a challenge he'd been given.

"'Stevie J' is one of the best forwards in the game. He's got so many tricks that you can't relax for a second or he'll tear you to pieces," Wright said.

"It was nice that he didn't run amok against me, but I'm not getting carried away. I had a lot of help from our defenders who gave me a chop out whenever I needed it.

"And our midfield was on top for a lot of the match, so Steve wasn't always getting the best delivery into the forward 50."

Wright's defensive role is not a new one for him. During his first three seasons at North, he alternated between defence, the midfield and, predominantly, the forward line.

While Wright trained with North's defensive group in the pre-season, he says that's not necessarily a sign he will now settle in defence. Personally, he would prefer to continue to play as a utility.

Given his freakish eye for a goal - he kicked 23.11 from 20 games in his second season - Wright offers the Kangaroos the type of flexibility that's invaluable in the modern game. It seems a safe bet they'll take advantage of it.

Fortunately, Wright says injury should not prevent him from delivering on his all-round talents this season. He says surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder last June has been a success, and the infected foot he suffered in the pre-season is no longer troubling him.

North's victory against Geelong was its first against one of the competition's top teams since it defeated then ladder-leader St Kilda in round 21, 2009. It was a breakthrough win that had every North fan excited.

Wright is no different, but is mindful the Cats win was merely an important step in the Kangaroos' quest to return to the AFL's upper echelon.

He is also mindful of just how tough North's next assignment promises to be - the Sydney Swans at the SCG, this Sunday.

"The way we played against Geelong was the sort of game style we've been striving towards for a couple of years now," Wright said.

"But we've got to make sure we bring the same form into the Sydney game. The Swans are incredibly hard to beat at the SCG, they play the ground so well.

"But we're confident if we keep doing what we need to do, we'll go well."

Although teams face the danger of a letdown after a big win, Wright says North coach Brad Scott has not raised the issue with the team.

"We've really proved nothing as a footy side yet," Wright said.

"So I think you'll find there's almost no chance of us taking the foot off the gas after one good win.

"Our record against the Swans hasn't been great in recent years either. So I would have thought that's enough to keep our minds on the job."

Nick Bowen covers North Melbourne news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter @AFL_Nick