North Melbourne enjoyed a famous victory in its Round 7 clash against Sydney.

Today, North Media looks back to the SCG blockbuster, ahead of the teams’ next meeting on Sunday.

Sam Wright was back for his first game in over two seasons, Shaun Higgins returned from concussion and Mason Wood a thumb injury, as the eighth-placed North side took on Sydney.

The SCG played host to the Saturday night clash, as Wood got the Roos off to a flyer with the first goal of the game.

North was dominant in the opening ten minutes, with almost 70 per cent of time in its attacking half, and 24 disposals to 7 forward of centre; that dominance didn’t transition to the scoreboard though, with Sydney taking the lead at the half-way point of the term.

Ben Brown was having an impact without slotting any majors, while the likes of Shaun Higgins and Ben Jacobs were getting the job done in the middle, with the former racking up 12 first quarter disposals.

An early Brown goal in the second term took the Roos out to a 14-point lead, before the home side kicked into gear.

Goals to Will Hayward and Robbie Fox brought the game back to level pegging, but despite the Swans’ clearance dominance (12-3), North held sway at half-time by seven points.

Ben Cunnington was impacting the contest in the ‘premiership quarter’, and kicked a vital goal late, just as Sydney was charging, giving his side an eight-point lead at the final change.

2.5 to 2.4 was the result of a scrappy third term, and many expected the Swans to run over the top.

Goals to Hayward and Zak Jones had the visitors on the ropes, and with the first five clearances, and first six inside 50s of the last quarter, Sydney looked home.

Enter Mason Wood; 13 minutes into the last term he booted his third goal. The Swans hit back through Jake Lloyd, but Wood had one more big effort to come.

After trading behinds for the best part of ten minutes, North fired the ball forward to its number 32, who baulked an opponent before calming putting his team in front from 45 metres.

Just three minutes remained, but they were perhaps the most nerve-racking three minutes of the 2018 season so far; Sydney peppering the 50, and missing a late chance through Tom Papley to take the four points.

It was a game that had all the traits of the famous Shinboner Spirit.

SYDNEY 2.1 4.4  6.8  9.12 (66)
NORTH MELBOURNE 3.3  5.5  7.10  9.14 (68)

GOALS
Sydney: Hayward 3, Sinclair, Towers, Fox, Parker, Jones, Lloyd
North Melbourne: Wood 4, Hartung, Higgins, Brown, Simpkin, Cunnington 

BEST 
Sydney: Kennedy, Sinclair, Hayward, McVeigh, Grundy, Jack
North Melbourne: Higgins, Jacobs, Wood, Wright, Cunnington, Anderson 

INJURIES 
Sydney: Nil
North Melbourne: Vickers-Willis (knee) 

Official crowd: 29,124 at the SCG