North Melbourne has provided one of its best performances of the season at Marvel Stadium, but it wasn't enough to knock off St Kilda as it fell in a tight tussle 9.15 (69) to 9.7 (61).

The Kangaroos led at half-time and three-quarter time on Sunday evening, a welcomed sight in what has been a disappointing season so far, but an avalanche of Saints goals in the final term saw the home side claim a hard-earned eight-point win.

The dagger came when small St Kilda forward Jack Higgins pounced on a loose ball and opportunistically snuck one home by kicking the ball out of the air at the top of the goalsquare.

The defeat leaves interim coach Brett Ratten's group with 16 straight losses, while St Kilda jumps back into the top eight to end the week.

The loss was no fault of star North Melbourne on-baller Luke Davies-Uniacke, who was best afield with 33 possessions, 23 of them contested, and 12 clearances.

SAINTS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

Saints captain Jack Steele also racked up 33 disposals and put his side in front 12 minutes into the last term when he intercepted a clearing kick from Kangaroos defender Paul Curtis.

That crucial play typified the turnover-laden match, with neither side able to build momentum thanks to a succession of handling errors.

After trailing at quarter-time, North Melbourne built a two-goal lead at the main break and looked more likely to win as they kicked two goals to one in the third term.

However, the Saints quickly kicked the first two goals of the final term and the Roos were unable to curb their momentum.

Tarryn Thomas and Nick Larkey kicked three goals apiece for North Melbourne, while Mitch Owens and Jack Higgins had two for St Kilda.

Saints speedster Bradley Hill went to hospital with chest pain after a heavy bump from Aidan Corr in the first quarter.

North Melbourne youngster Charlie Lazzaro was a late withdrawal with back tightness and Daniel Howe took his place.

Centre bounce improvements 
After finishing behind in centre bounce clearances against the Cats in Round 17 (-16) and the Hawks in Round 18 (-5), North Melbourne flipped the script against the Saints. Led by the determined Luke Davies-Uniacke, the Roos were assertive at the centre contests throughout the clash and ultimately ended the match with a 10-5 advantage.

What's next?
North Melbourne heads west next week to take on the 18th-placed Eagles. The Roos picked up a Round 1 win against Adam Simpson's men by five points and will look to do the double as the campaign's end quickly approaches.

ST KILDA                       3.3    3.7    4.12    9.15 (69)
NORTH MELBOURNE     2.0    6.1    8.4      9.7 (61)

GOALS
St Kilda: Owens 2, Higgins 2, Marshall, Sharman, Sinclair, Caminiti, Steele
North Melbourne: Thomas 3, Larkey 3, Xerri, Ford, Ziebell

BEST
St Kilda: Steele, Sinclair, Marshall, Windhager, Wilkie, Higgins
North Melbourne: McKay, Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel, Thomas, Phillips, Tucker

INJURIES
St Kilda: Hill (chest)
North Melbourne: Shiels (calf), Larkey (ankle)

LATE CHANGE
North Melbourne: Howe replaced Lazarro in selected side

SUBSTITUTES
St Kilda: Jack Billings (replaced Bradley Hill in the first quarter)
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell (replaced Liam Shiels at three-quarter time)

Crowd: 18,279 at Marvel Stadium