Historically speaking, teams in the initial 'development' phase of a long-term quest for AFL premiership glory tend to drop off the longer a home-and-away season drags on. It's not so for North Melbourne, who are bucking the trend this season under first-year coach David Noble. The Kangaroos have snared two wins and a draw from six matches since the bye and are edging closer to their goal of climbing off the bottom of the ladder, playing a far more competitive brand of football than they displayed early in the campaign. Historically speaking, teams in the initial 'development' phase of a long-term quest for AFL premiership glory tend to drop off the longer a home-and-away season drags on. It's not so for North Melbourne, who are bucking the trend this season under first-year coach David Noble