1. Drought over
After letting several leads slip over the first five rounds, the Kangaroos finally finished the game in front to secure their first win of 2017. There were some nervous moments though. The Roos held a 20-point lead late in the third quarter but the Suns cut that to seven points at the final break. Coming into this round six clash, the Kangaroos had not won a last quarter this year, conceding a total of 170 points in the fourth term across the first five games. But against the Suns, North Melbourne held its nerve, key forward Ben Brown the hero with a three-goal final term to haul the Roos to their first victory.

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2. Gaz shines again
Gary Ablett loves playing against North Melbourne. In his last six games against the Roos he has averaged 33 disposals and eight clearances, as well as kicking a total of 16 goals. On Saturday night, once again he excelled against the Roos. The Gold Coast star gathered 45 possessions (27 contested) and had a career-high 18 clearances. He also laid nine tackles, and recorded 10 inside 50s. The Little Master worked tirelessly all game in what was a superb performance. And while it might earn him three Brownlow votes, it unfortunately wasn't enough to drag his side across the line.

3. Ben's night to forget
In his 150th game, Kangaroo Ben Cunnington had an absolute nightmare. The midfielder was barely sighted in the opening half, recording just one handball and two tackles. He struggled to keep his feet at times and was run down on a couple of occasions. He managed to finish the game with 12 disposals, but he turned the ball over too often. During the week, coach Brad Scott sent a very clear message, dumping former skipper Andrew Swallow and forward Lindsay Thomas from the side. Swallow had 24 disposals for Werribee in the VFL on Saturday afternoon, while Thomas kicked four goals. With the pair pushing their case for a recall, Cunnington could potentially find himself on the outer after a disappointing performance.

4. Ziebell strikes again
There's one thing you can't question, and that is the toughness of North Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell. His attack on both the player and ball is hard and tough, but it is that physicality that often gets the midfielder in trouble. Yet again, Ziebell faces a nervous wait ahead of the Match Review Panel's findings on Monday after a head high bump on Gold Coast's Brandon Matera. The skipper's shoulder made contact with the head of the Suns' forward late in the second quarter. Matera was awarded a free kick, and luckily did not receive any treatment. Ziebell has already come under MRP scrutiny this season after a bump on Travis Cloke left the Western Bulldog's forward with broken ribs. Fortunately for Ziebell, he was not suspended for that hit.

5. Brown bags six
Ben Brown was outstanding in the Kangaroos' victory, kicking a career-high six goals. The big forward was instrumental in the win and could have had an even bigger haul had he kicked straight. Brown set the tone early, taking a superb contested mark in the first quarter, and from there he barely faltered. He took eight marks on Saturday night, and had a total of 17 disposals. But it was his final term that was most impressive. Brown kicked three final-term goals to guide North Melbourne to victory for the first time in 2017. There is no doubt the Kangaroos' future looks bright with Brown standing tall in attack.

WATCH Brown's career-best bag