Sixty seconds late in the first half between North Melbourne and St Kilda illustrated why the former came into the match sitting 11 rungs higher on the ladder, and why the gap was widening.

Lenny Hayes was, yet again, a beacon for the Saints as they were held goalless across the first 53 minutes of the match, and but the ball was thankfully in his hands at centre half-forward when teammate Rhys Stanley found himself in 20 metres of space in the goal square. An instant after Hayes delivered a rasping kick Lindsay Thomas flung himself to smother the kick, with as much commitment as he routinely demonstrates in sharpshooting at the other end, even though his team already enjoyed a cushy 44-point lead.

A minute later the Saints' second-best player, fellow veteran Nick Riewoldt, earned a set shot just 20 metres out after a plucky pack mark. Riewoldt pushed it wide for his team's sixth behind for a quarter in which it had the better of general play - but a lack of precision.

That St Kilda was not blown away at Hobart's Blundstone Arena after being five goals down at quarter-time, at which stage North had doubled its possession tally, was solely down to the Hayes-led improvement in midfield. It slowed the scoring because it was getting a lot more of the ball. Once the Kangaroos got it back, however, the lack of accountability was glaringly evident.

As much as Hayes and Riewoldt were industrious for the Saints, Brent Harvey was even more damaging for the Kangaroos.

Harvey is 36 but still attracts a high-class opponent, this time Leigh Montagna. Sadly Montagna's usual class with the ball in hand did not extend to his diligence in minding the Kangaroos' whippet.

Montagna was the Saints' leading possession winner in the first quarter with six, yet his opponent had eight and a goal. By half-time Harvey's contribution had increased to 15 possessions, two goals and a score assist. While Montagna had 12 possessions, all of them were uncontested and he had not laid one tackle, the antithesis of what is required from someone opposed to Harvey.

Montagna was not alone in giving too much space to his opponent; it was endemic among the Saints throughout the match, even at centre bounces. But as one of the most experienced players in a team in the midst of a major rebuild, he had to set a better example. By time-on in the third quarter, when Harvey was progressing towards 30 possessions and had another two score assists, coach Alan Richardson finally assigned a replacement tagger, Dylan Roberton, to follow Harvey, albeit with a deficit nearing    10 goals.

North's early dominance was near universal. Ruckman Todd Goldstein repeatedly fed his midfielders, and kicked two goals himself in the first quarter. Small forwards Leigh Adams, Harvey and Thomas each kicked early majors while tall defenders Lachie Hansen, Scott McMahon and Michael Firrito had 25 possessions and seven marks between them to the first break.

The Saints deserved to have reduced their margin by half-time based on an improved midfield effort in the second quarter. But they failed to do so because they were so wasteful in front of goal. Most of their 15 behinds for the day were off the boot, rather than rushed.

Ruckman Tom Hickey missed an even easier shot than Riewoldt, from directly in front - sadly too, given it came after he had taken a strong pack mark. The Saints were only a minute away from being held goalless for the half when Riewoldt finally converted on his fourth attempt at goal for the afternoon.

Besides established performers Harvey, Goldstein, captain Andrew Swallow, late-blooming midfielder Sam Gibson and hard-working spearhead Drew Petrie, the Kangaroos' were best served by emerging midfielders Ryan Bastinac, Ben Cunnington and Sam Wright. The latter's performance was particularly encouraging, given that he seemed to have stalled over the past season and a half.

A highlight for the crowd of 10,641 was the last-quarter snapped goal of shaggy-haired key-forward Ben Brown, a proud Tasmanian.

A headache for North - literally - was a collision that forced the substitution of rebounding defender Hansen in the third quarter. It had no bearing on the result - a win was already assured - but coach Brad Scott will be hoping it was nothing more than a mild concussion.

St Kilda supporters looking for hope beyond veterans Hayes and Riewoldt could look to David Armitage, who rivalled Hayes as his team's best for the day and kicked two of its three goals. The second, two minutes from the end, dragged the Saints' deficit just inside the 10-goal margin, for what would have been the third time in their past six matches.