After Jack Gunston kicked his second goal of the third term, Hawthorn led by two points and had most of the momentum. Less than 15 minutes later, North led by a staggering 35 points and was never seriously challenged after that.
For the quarter, the Roos went inside their forward 50 on only 13 occasions to kick 7.1, a goal conversion rate of almost 54 per cent. Their first five goals were almost perfect, coming from only six total entries.
It was reflective of an advantage going forward all evening. When the final siren sounded, both sides had entered 50 on 50 occasions, but North had an extra five scoring shots. It proved to be the difference.
| Team | Inside 50's | Scoring shots |
| North Melbourne | 50 | 28 |
| Hawthorn | 50 | 23 |
Any potential Hawthorn comeback in the final term was thwarted when North simply didn’t allow its opposition to control possession.
Much of the Hawks’ game style is based around starving opponents of the ball. Heading into the Round 16 clash, it had gained 2290 more metres than the next ranked side, sat second for time in possession and ranked second for disposals in forward half.
However with the game on the line in the last quarter, North had a +37 disposal edge. Perhaps more impressively, even while dominating possession, the Roos also had a +9 advantage in the tackle count. Not only were the Hawks struggling to gain the Sherrin; when they did get it they were set upon immediately.
| Fourth quarter | Disposals | Tackles |
| North Melbourne | 119 | 13 |
| Hawthorn | 82 | 4 |
Through the first 15 rounds of 2014, Hawthorn averaged 77 points a game from the midfield area of the ground. Clearly a focus for North on Friday night, the number significantly decreased for Alastair Clarkson’s team when faced with extreme pressure.
From an average of 77, Hawthorn scored just 29 points (4.5) from the midfield at Etihad Stadium. It was a double victory for North, with the inability of its opponent to proceed through the middle meaning there were more opportunities going the opposite way.
Up until Friday, North had been averaging 54 points a game through the middle. Against Hawthorn it increased to 74.
| Score launches from midfield | Round 1-15 | Round 16 |
| North Melbourne | 54 points (average) | 74 points (total) |
| Hawthorn | 77 points (average) | 29 points (total) |
Combined with the score launches and heading back towards the efficiency subplot, North made Hawthorn pay from stoppages and turnovers throughout the entire night.
Before Friday’s game, Hawthorn conceded just 76.4 points per 100 clearances lost, and 70 points per 100 turnovers. Those numbers were blown out of the water by North.
While the total turnovers and clearances weren’t disproportionate to normal, North took advantage at every possible opportunity to notch another quality win over a top side.
| Scores per 100, against | Per 100 clearances, R1-15 | Per 100 clearances, R16 | Per 100 turnovers, R1-15 | Per 100 turnovers, R16 |
| Hawthorn | 76.4 | 139.5 | 70 | 94.8 |
