NMFC.com.au takes a look back at the Saturday night at Etihad Stadium when the Kangaroos essentially sealed their first finals appearance since 2008.
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The game started off ominously for North with Collingwood jumping out of the blocks to kick the first four goals. With an average losing margin of more than 80 points in the last four meetings, it would have felt like history repeating for many in the crowd.
However the North coaches didn’t panic, and it wasn't long until the game was back on level terms. Lachlan Hansen made his presence felt around the half-forward line, crashing packs and eventually being rewarded with the Kangaroos' first goal of the night. It set a trend, with the triple towers, Hansen, Robbie Tarrant and Drew Petrie having the better of their respective Collingwood opponents.
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Todd Goldstein also started to have an influence against Darren Jolly in the ruck, stopping the Pies' big man from dropping deep into the hole finding plenty of the ball himself.
North went into the first change with a one-point lead and that momentum surged on into the second quarter, where it kicked five goals to one and extended the lead to 22-points at the main break.
Hansen again asserted his influence on the game, manhandling Heath Shaw in the goal-square for an easy mark and goal, while Robbie Tarrant read the play beautifully to intercept an attempted Collingwood switch before running into an open goal.
Down the other end of the field, Scott Thompson was keeping Travis Cloke quiet, cutting off supply to the key-forward while also kick-starting North’s attack from the defensive 50.
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Heading out for the second half, Brad Scott’s team showed a new-found maturity, a feature of the win the previous week against Essendon. That night the Kangaroos ended the game with just one on the bench, yet managed to run away from the Bombers in the second half.
While there were no heroics from Brent Harvey against the Pies, he still ended the game with 33 disposals and 11 marks. Thompson kept Cloke goalless, collecting 22 possessions and the three Brownlow votes, while Petrie, Sam Gibson and Lindsay Thomas were all influential.
Collingwood managed just eight scoring shots in the second half, with just two in the fourth quarter. It was one of the best defensive efforts by North Melbourne for the season.
The win was North's sixth in a row and ninth in its last 10 games, completing an impressive turnaround after its 114-point loss to Hawthorn in Round 10.
North Melbourne 4.3.27, 9.6.60, 12.9.81, 13.13.91
Collingwood 4.2.26, 5.8.38, 7.12.54, 8.13.61
GOALS
North Melbourne: Petrie 3, Tarrant 3, Thomas 3, Hansen 2, Garlett 1, Ziebell 1
Collingwood: Beams 2, Blair 1, Didak 1, Fasolo 1, Pendlebury 1, Sinclair 1, Tarrant 1
