North Melbourne has gone down to the Sydney Swans by 11 points in a heartbreaking finish at the SCG.

The Roos led for much of the last quarter, but the Swans hit the front with seven minutes remaining and held on to record a 13.8 (86) to 12.3 (75) victory.

Justin McInerney, who racked up an incredible 14 touches in the final quarter, kicked a crucial goal in the 22nd minute to make the margin six points but the Kangaroos then had several forays forward that included a behind to Jaidyn Stephenson until Heeney's final intervention ended the contest.

Lance Franklin was mobbed by thousands of fans after kicking his 1000th career goal the last time the Swans visited the SCG but this time was forced to watch on for the last quarter and a half when substituted out of the match due to a finger injury.

While the Swans will be happy to leave with the four points there will also be some concerns for Paddy McCartin after he went straight down to the changerooms following a heavy knock halfway through the final term. The former No.1 draft pick returned to run out the match.

North Melbourne shook things up with Jack Ziebell starting forward and he earned an early free kick with a desperate tackle on Nick Blakey that set the tone for the Kangaroos and gave them the opening goal of the match.

Ziebell brought some of the pressure and intensity he has played with in defence over the past year back to the Kangaroos' forward line but impressed just as much as a leading target to finish with five goals.

SWANS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats 

At the other end, Swans veteran Sam Reid marked his return to the senior side with an early goal, taking his chance from a set shot 50m from goal and close to the boundary in the first term.

The injury-prone forward-ruck was involved in several attacking plays and helped stretch a North Melbourne backline that also had to deal with fellow talls Franklin and Hayden McLean (both two goals).

The Kangaroos appeared to have the edge in the ruck with Todd Goldstein and Tristan Xerri double-teaming the Swans' club debutant Peter Ladhams, but the deep Sydney midfield was able to dominate the clearances 42-30.

Air-Horne nearly takes MOTY

It seems only a matter of time before Jason Horne-Francis takes a mark of the year contender. After showing his high-flying ability in the pre-season in an intraclub match, Horne-Francis nearly repeated the feat against the Swans. He launched over James Bell on the wing and got hands on the ball, but a late Callum Mills fist prevented the No.1 pick from hauling in an epic mark.  

Captain Jack’s switch a success

From the moment he pinned Blakey holding the ball in the early minutes of the game, the Swans had no answer for the North Melbourne skipper.

At 188cm, Ziebell’s frame served as a third tall target for the Roos midfielders next to Goldstein and Nick Larkey, and three times he was awarded free kicks when his marker panicked as he broke to lead.

After a season and a bit spent in defence, the 31-year-old swung forward and his trademark set shot with his right foot swinging across his body served him well. His five goal haul matched career-best tallies against Collingwood in 2017 and the Swans in 2018.

The midfielders share responsibility

Davies-Uniacke’s return from a concussion sustained in the Round 2 win over West Coast helped the Roos rediscover another dimension in the midfield.

With Hugh Greenwood (12 contested possessions) at the coalface and Jason Horne-Francis (six clearances) taking the ball from inside to outside, other players were released to tap into their creative talents.

Simpkin mopped up the groundball and took territory with 543 metres gained, and was both at the heart and on the end of a coast-to-coast move to reignite the Roos’ hopes early in the third term.

By contrast, ‘LDU’ patrolled the patch of turf behind the centre and opened up the game for his team with shifts of angle on his run and bullet passes by foot.

What’s next?

North Melbourne will host the Western Bulldogs on Good Friday at Marvel Stadium. The 2021 runners-up lost their opening two matches to premiers Melbourne and reinvigorated Carlton, but scratched out a win over the Swans in Round 3. The first bounce on Friday afternoon is at 4.20pm AEST.

SYDNEY                              3.2   6.4    9.6    13.8  (86)
NORTH MELBOURNE          4.0   6.1.  11.1   12.3  (75)

Goals
Sydney: Bell 2, Franklin 2, Heeney 2, McLean 2, Hayward, McInerney, Reid, Ronke, Warner
North Melbourne: Ziebell 5, Goldstein 2, Mahony, Simpkin, Turner, Xerri, Zurhaar

BEST  
Sydney: McInerney, Mills, Heeney, Florent, Warner
North Melbourne: Ziebell, Simpkin, Horne-Francis, Stephenson, McDonald

INJURIES  
Sydney: Franklin (finger)
North Melbourne: Zurhaar (concussion)

LATE CHANGES
Sydney: Sam Wicks (H&S protocols) replaced in selected side by James Bell
North Melbourne: Nil

SUBSTITUTES  
Sydney: Ben Ronke (replaced Lance Franklin in third quarter)
North Melbourne: Aiden Bonar (replaced Cam Zurhaar in fourth quarter)