Rhyce Shaw didn’t have to search hard for an example of the commitment he wants from his North Melbourne players for the rest of the AFL season.

But it did come from what could seem like an unlikely source – his shortest and lightest player.

Jack Mahony was crunched in a huge tackle by Collingwood midfielder Levi Greenwood during the Kangaroos’ 30-point loss on Monday night, hurting his left shoulder in the process.

The 19-year-old didn’t flinch in his next act as he won a 50-50 ball against strong-bodied opponent Taylor Adams to set up an important goal for teammate Bailey Scott in the second quarter.

“We actually showed it at half-time,” North Melbourne coach Shaw said post-match.

“It was a great effort and he probably wouldn’t have had to deal with something like that at this level.

“The way he did it was fantastic but I don’t expect anything less from the kid because that’s just what he’s about.”

Mahony and tall forward Tristan Xerri will both undergo further assessment on shoulder injuries in the coming days as North Melbourne continue to deal with a long list of casualties from their horror season.

Despite the latest defeat – a 10.5 (65) to 5.5 (35) result which left the Kangaroos wallowing in second-last position – Shaw took plenty of positives from the performance.

“The score probably doesn’t reflect what the game looked like from our point of view,” he said.

“We did so much right but in the end it just wasn’t enough.

“It’s another disappointing loss, but there was some really good stuff in there.”

North Melbourne have just one victory from their last 11 games but will fancy their chances against fellow strugglers Gold Coast on Sunday.

“We just have to keep whacking away and I know our boys will because they’ve got that fight in them and they want to win,” Shaw said.

“We’ll continue to coach them really hard and prepare as best as we possibly can to win next week.”