North Melbourne was enjoying a four-game winning streak when it met Collingwood on a Friday night at the MCG halfway through the 1995 season.
Almost 67,000 turned out to watch the battle between fourth (North) and seventh (Collingwood) and they were treated to a spiteful game at times.
Even before the opening bounce Dermott Brereton and Mick Martyn were involved in a melee and it appeared to have a galvanising effect on the Kangaroos as they kicked the only three goals of the first quarter.
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Up forward, future Roo Jason McCartney was having all sorts of struggles with a rampant John Longmire. Surprisingly, Longmire's seven goals didn't earn him a single Brownlow vote, best on ground was instead awarded to Matt Armstrong for 26 possessions and a goal. Wayne Carey also took an equal-season high 14 marks to go with 23 possessions and 3 goals.
A 17-point half-time lead quickly ballooned out courtesy of an 11-goal second half. Another future Roo in Saverio Rocca battled for Collingwood on his way to five goals but it wasn't enough to stop North running out comfortable 52-point winners.
The Kangaroos would finish the season in sixth place and made their way through to the preliminary final before being defeated by eventual premiers Carlton.
North Melbourne 3.4.22, 7.7.49, 13.10.88, 18.17.125
Collingwood 0.3.3, 4.8.32, 8.11.59, 10.13.73
Goals
North Melbourne: Longmire 7, Carey 3, Nichols 3, Archer 2, Armstrong 1, McKernan 1, Rock 1
Collingwood: Rocca 5, Brereton 2, Patterson 2, Williams 1
Brownlow Medal
3 Matt Armstrong (NM), 2 Anthony Stevens (NM), 1 Glenn Archer (NM)
