North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson is confident his side is maturing and on track for success after making a flying start to 2026.
The Kangaroos broke a run of six consecutive losses against Port Adelaide to hand Josh Carr a 46-point loss in his first game as Power senior coach.
North hadn't beaten Port since 2019, but proved far too strong at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, running out 17.11 (113) to 9.13 (67) winners.
"You'll need to cart me out in a casket, in terms of wanting to help this footy club and help this group of players," Clarkson said after the match.
"We've got a great group of young kids, we've got some wise old veterans that can steer us in the right way, and we've got a group of players now around that mid-aged bracket that have really matured into fine players for us.
"I'm with these guys all the way."
Harry Sheezel gathered 31 possessions, Luke Davies-Uniacke's power around stoppages was telling, and Nick Larkey booted four goals in his first game as captain.
But North had winners across the board, with strength in the clinches and creativity on the outside.
Port started well, kicking the first two goals of the game, but conceded three majors in stoppage time to trail at the first break.
With North tightening the screws defensively and moving the ball quickly from their back half, the margin stretched to 25 points at the main break and 38 points at three-quarter time.
The Power rallied to reduce the margin to 25 points early in the final term, but Paul Curtis settled the Roos' nerves with a clever snap after weaving through traffic, and North were able to kick away with three more goals.
Port coach Josh Carr was left disappointed with his side's inability to apply scoreboard pressure, given North had just three more inside-50s.
"The connection going inside 50 just looked stagnant at times and looked like we lacked a bit of method," Carr said.
"We know we've got plenty of work to do."
Connor Rozee (24 possessions) and Zak Butters (23) battled hard for the Power, but lacked support and were ultimately overwhelmed by North's midfield.
Jason Horne-Francis was met with a chorus of boos from the home crowd all game, more than three years on from his decision to leave the Kangaroos after just one season.
It was the first time the 2021 No.1 draft pick had faced his old side in Melbourne since the 2022 trade.
The Kangaroos will look to extend their winning form with matches against 2025 bottom-four sides West Coast and Essendon in the next fortnight.
