North Melbourne’s pre-match team ritual has been caught on camera before their clash against Hawthorn on Saturday.

The ritual has become a regular move by captain Jy Simpkin and the team for the past couple of seasons.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: North Melbourne’s pre-match ritual explained.

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It involves the entire playing group standing in the rooms topless as Simpkin delivers a captain’s speech before they all put their jumpers on together.

While they have been doing it for a couple of years, it’s rarely been seen on camera.

Fox Footy showed the ritual on Saturday with commentator and former North Melbourne player Nick Dal Santo shedding more light on it.

“This is about solidarity and respect for the jumper,” he explained.

“Jy Simpkin, the captain, speaks to the group and then they all put the jumper on together.

“What it stands for and how they are going to live the values throughout the course of the next two hours.”

Unfortunately, the Roos failed to make a strong start after the ritual.

They only managed two goals in the first quarter as the Hawks piled on five to dominate the opening term.

Things only got worse after the first break with Hawthorn adding another eight goals to the Roos’ three in the second quarter.

The lead ballooned out to 51 points at half-time.

North Melbourne were also forced into an early substitution with gun midfielder George Wardlaw suffering another concussion.

They ended up slumping to an 85-point defeat, which was their worst of the season.

Veteran Jack Gunston kicked a career-high bag of seven for the Hawks, while Mabior Chol chimed in with five.

The 33-year-old Gunston was in the thick of the action, with a one-handed pick-up in traffic in the goal square in the third quarter a highlight.

He surpassed his previous best of six goals midway through the final term when he slotted a set shot from outside 50.

Hawthorn’s Lloyd Meek outpointed Tristan Xerri with 37 hitouts to 31, with his side winning the clearances 44-30 and inside-50s 63-40.

After improved defensive showings in recent weeks, it was the Kangaroos’ biggest loss this season and the second-most points they have conceded.

Hawthorn have now won six of their past seven games against North Melbourne, including a 124-point rout in round 23 last season.

Keen to make amends for sluggish openings in their previous two games in Tasmania this season, Hawthorn came flying out of the blocks.

They dominated inside-50s 19-9 and clearances 17-8 in the first quarter, kicking five straight goals, but went somewhat off the boil with five straight behinds after that.

Ahead 35-15 after the first change, Hawthorn piled on more pain in an eight-goals-to-three second term.

Nick Larkey picked up five goals for North Melbourne, while teammate Colby McKercher was the best possession-getter for the game with 34.

- With AAP