Sam Jacobs waited three months for redemption against the Kangaroos and their in-form ruckman Todd Goldstein.

Jacobs watched Adelaide’s miraculous Round Nine comeback against the Kangaroos from the bench after being subbed out early in the third quarter.

The 2012 All-Australian nominee had been soundly beaten by Goldstein, who finished the match with 39 hit-outs and 11 possessions, prompting the Crows coaching staff to make the radical move to sub big 'Sauce' and thrust Shaun McKernan in the lead ruck role.

The Adelaide coaches showed enormous faith in Jacobs last week, leaving McKernan out of the team and backing Jacobs to respond against the Roos on Sunday. And he did.

Jacobs racked up 33 hit-outs to Goldstein’s 22 and also collected 13 possessions and five marks, including a strong contested grab at a crucial time in the last quarter.

“I think I set myself for this game about 10 minutes into the third quarter at Etihad earlier this year,” Jacobs said with a laugh after the game.

“Goldy is a great player. He’s been my pick of the ruckmen this year.

“I have a lot of respect for him and I look forward to many more battles throughout our careers.”

Coach Brenton Sanderson was rapt with his midfield’s effort against the No.1 clearance team in the competition. The Crows won the hit-outs 46-25, contested possession 139-132, and broke even in the tackles (59 apiece) and clearances 31-32.

“You pick one ruckman and you hold your breath and hope you don’t get an injury to that ruckman,” Sanderson said.

“North are a really good clearance team – the No.1 clearance side in the comp. We put it on our mids to get it done. Sauce (Jacobs) was great. Andy Otten gave him good support in the ruck and our midfielders were able to break even against a really good stoppage side.”

Jacobs also praised the performance of captain Nathan van Berlo. Van Berlo restricted in-form Kangaroo Brent Harvey, who averaged 36 possessions in his previous two matches, to 16 disposals and no score.

“Outside of the Club, I think a lot of VB’s efforts go unrewarded,” Jacobs said.

“He does jobs on the best opposition players every week and probably doesn’t get the footy as much as our other midfielders, but he plays a great role for our team.

“He did another good one on Harvey today.”

The win over North Melbourne was Adelaide’s third (second against North) victory by less than 10 points this season. The Crows have also lost four games by 10 points or under in 2013.

Jacobs said it was important his team showed composure under pressure again on Sunday.

“It was another heart stopper for our supporters. After last week, we just wanted to come out and give a great showing for our supporters and everyone involved in the Club,” he said.

“I think we were able to maintain possession of the footy a lot more this week. When games get tight late like that, you need to be able to hold onto the footy and chew up 20-30 seconds with each mark.”