North Melbourne has snapped a five-game losing streak and stabilised its sinking season, kicking away in a dramatic 'mini-final' on Friday night to beat Collingwood by 40 points at Etihad Stadium.
In what was billed as a do-or-die clash for the Kangaroos, they built a 46-point lead in the third quarter but were made to fight to the end after a spirited Magpies' fightback.
The margin was cut to just 17 points early in the fourth quarter after five straight Collingwood goals, but after a 20-minute deadlock that produced seven behinds, young Roo Trent Dumont roved cleanly and snapped the sealer.
The final score was 18.16 (124) to 12.12 (84), with the Roos kicking the final four goals of the game to build a flattering margin.
The win effectively eliminated the Magpies as a finals contender and ensured North would keep at least two games between it and challengers Port Adelaide and St Kilda for another week.
It was a fitting result for Kangaroos champion Brent Harvey, who kicked a late goal in his record-equalling 426th game and finished with 25 possessions and eight inside 50s.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said his team was willing to put its reputation on the line on Friday night and would bring finals-like intensity, setting the stage for what turned into a feisty clash, full of spot-fires.
The Kangaroos not only met that intensity, they raised the stakes again and built a 27-point lead at the first break, which it protected well for the next two quarters before the Pies' late rally.
Key forward Drew Petrie tackled his way back to form, laying a team-high seven bone-crunching tackles to create opportunities and kicking 2.2 himself.
Midfielder Sam Gibson was tireless with 33 possessions, while Daniel Wells overcame a pre-game calf scare and worked through a flat spell mid-game to emerge with 29 touches, six clearances and five inside 50s.
The Kangaroos' backline was also superb, led by Michael Firrito and Robbie Tarrant, while Lindsay Thomas – who was again involved in a number of controversial moments – finished with five goals.
The drama started early, with Wells walking from the ground with trainers 25 minutes before the bounce to seek treatment for a calf concern.
All signs pointed to the damaging midfielder being withdrawn, but the Kangaroos took what must have been a calculated risk and benefited immensely.
Wells was the dominant player on the ground in the first quarter, racking up three of the first four centre clearances to get the game on his team's terms.
By quarter-time the Kangaroos were 27 points clear and he had 11 possessions, two inside 50s and two goal assists to his name.
The Magpies were already one man down after defender Ben Sinclair suffered a head knock in the first quarter and eventually was taken for precautionary scans.
They could have rolled over when the margin swelled to 46 points in the third quarter, but they fought back bravely on the back of ruckman Brodie Grundy (29 hit-outs and 19 possessions) and midfielder Steele Sidebottom (28 and two goals).
Sidebottom's second goal five-minutes into the final term sparked the match to new life, cutting the margin to 16 points, but from there a series of missed opportunities will haunt the Magpies.
Their tackling pressure was superb and they finished well ahead in that category 81-66, but missed shots and spilt marks when the game was on the line, robbing them of a memorable comeback win.
As well as Grundy and Sidebottom, captain Scott Pendlebury (30 possessions and seven clearances) and Taylor Adams (30 and four) were brilliant in the clinches.
COLLINGWOOD 2.2 4.4 10.7 12.12 (84)
NORTH MELBOURNE 6.5 10.7 14.10 18.16 (124)
GOALS
Collingwood: Blair 2, Moore 2, Greenwood 2, White 2, Sidebottom 2, Pendlebury, Fasolo
North Melbourne: Thomas 5, Petrie 2, Brown 2, Ziebell 2, Dumont 2, Harvey 2, Macmillan, Gibson, Goldstein
BEST
Collingwood: Sidebottom, Adams, Grundy, Pendlebury, Treloar
North Melbourne: Wells, Gibson, Thomas, Petrie, Cunnington, Firrito, Clarke
INJURIES
Collingwood: Sinclair (concussion)
North Melbourne: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Fleer, McInerney
Official crowd: 36,041 at Etihad Stadium
