NORTH MELBOURNE, with Majak Daw making a memorable debut, has joined the winners list in emphatic style, belting the Brisbane Lions by 63 points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday night.

The Kangaroos, who lost their opening three games of the season to 2012 finallists Collingwood, Geelong and the Sydney Swans, dominated from start to finish to win 18.17 (125) to 9.8 (62).

To exacerbate matters for the Lions, playmaker Pearce Hanley left the field in the third quarter with a suspected knee injury, while Jack Redden was reported after bumping Leigh Adams.

Meanwhile, Roos forward Drew Petrie was booked after making late contact with Rohan Bewick.

North set up the victory by firing the first 11 scoring shots of the match in the opening 22 minutes, blazing 4.7 to nothing.

A key to the blue-and-white blitzkrieg was the history-making Daw – the first Sudanese player to make the AFL – who had an eventful first quarter.

Daw played just 19 minutes of the match before being accidentally knocked out, but showed enough to suggest he could forge a career at the highest level.

In the opening minute, the 22-year-old goaled after taking a big pack mark. Then came another contested grab and scoring assists with a spectacular tap-out and a deft knock-on, before being accidentally knocked out in a clash of heads with teammate Ben Cunnington.

The Lions also suffered an early casualty with Ashley McGrath being given the red vest after sustaining a shin injury.

The contest would have been over midway through the second term had it not been for North's inaccuracy. At one point the Roos had blazed 17 scoring shots to four but led by just 28 points.

The Kangaroos finally capitalised on their efforts in the third term when they rattled on five successive goals to lead by an impregnable 63 points

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North coach Brad Scott said he was happy with 90 to 95 per cent of his team's performance.

"I was really pleased with the overall performance and the way we kept pressing on," he said.

Lions coach Michael Voss lamented his team's loss as "completely unacceptable".

"Despite trying to achieve a couple of different things and approaching them a different way, nothing seemed to work for very long," he said.

"It was certainly something we walk away and say, well, that's unacceptable and we've got to be able to go away and make sure we've got to work harder."

North had a stranglehold on every line, with their runners particularly damaging. Midfielders Jack Ziebell and Daniel Wells were influential, while Shaun Atley, Aaron Mullet and Scott McMahon set up numerous attacks from the back half.

Scott Thompson completely blanketed Lions skipper Jonathan Brown and also provided great rebound.

At the other end, Roos pair Lindsay Thomas and Drew Petrie were constant dangers, bagging four goals apiece.

The best for the visitors were ruckman Matthew Leuenberger and Tom Rockliff, who battled manfully against overwhelming odds.

After winning the NAB Cup Grand Final at Etihad Stadium, the Lions have been belted in both of their subsequent matches at the Docklands venue.

But despite the gulf between the teams, they are level on one win apiece.

Among the few positives for the Lions were the efforts of their two debutants – Sam Docherty, who was among his side's best ball-winners, and Marco Paparone, who kicked three goals after starting as his side's substitute.

Next week, North Melbourne faces Hawthorn at the MCG while the Lions host Melbourne at the Gabba.

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NORTH MELBOURNE     5.10   8.13   15.16    18.17 (125)
BRISBANE LIONS              1.2     4.5      6.5      9.8 (62)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Thomas 4, Petrie 4, Daw, Macmillan, Thompson, Wells, Adams, Hansen, Gibson, Ziebell, Mullett, Wright
Brisbane Lions: Paparone 3, Bewick 2, McKeever, Rockliff, Green, Zorko

BEST
North Melbourne: Thompson, Ziebell, Wells, Thomas, Atley, Gibson
Brisbane Lions: Rockliff, Adcock, Leuenberger, Hanley, Docherty

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Daw (concussion)
Brisbane Lions: McGrath (shin), Hanley (knee)

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Majak Daw (concussion) substituted out for Liam Anthony at quarter time
Brisbane Lions: Ash McGrath (shin) substituted out for Marco Paparone at quarter time

Reports: Jack Redden (Brisbane Lions) reported for high contact against Ben Cunnington (North Melbourne) in the third quarter

Umpires: Burgess, Schmitt, Pannell

Official crowd: TBA at Etihad Stadium