An injury-hit North Melbourne has fallen to Geelong by 31 points at Etihad Stadium.

In a clash that lived up to blockbuster status – in the first half at least - the Cats emerged from a heavyweight battle with a 15.15 (105) to 12.2 (74) victory.

It lifted Geelong back into third spot, now only a game behind the Roos, who could fall off their perch on top of the ladder for the first time since round four, if the Sydney Swans win their crosstown clash with Greater Western Sydney on Sunday.

Patrick Dangerfield's brilliance (career-best 48 disposals, 10 centre clearances, 11 inside 50s and two goals) eclipsed even his round one heroics against Hawthorn, with the boom recruit simply unstoppable.

He combined with a virtuoso Joel Selwood (38 disposals) and ruckman Zac Smith (17 disposals, 17 hit-outs) to lead the Cats to victory, with Geelong dominating the crucial on-ball battle after half-time.

Against one of the AFL's best centre clearance sides, Geelong capitalised on the absence of North skipper Andrew Swallow (concussion) and a sore Ben Cunnington (quad) to control the centre square (20-8), nullifying returning Roos ruckman Todd Goldstein's influence.

In his 421st game, Brent Harvey threatened to be the thorn in Geelong's side with the evergreen veteran igniting the Kangas with four goals – three in the second term – as Brad Scott's men took a hard-fought 10-point lead into half-time.

But Geelong ran riot after the main break, booting seven goals in a thrilling third-term and outscoring the Kangas 10 goals to four for the second half and inflicting only North Melbourne's second loss for the season.

Daniel Wells started brightly for the Roos and fought against the tide all match, finishing with 31 touches, while Sam Gibson (34) and Jack Ziebell (22, two goals) never gave up the fight.

"I suppose it's an intangible (what toll the injuries had). It clearly had an effect, but to what level it's hard to quantify," Brad Scott said.

"But I thought we hung in pretty well given that the Swallow, Cunnington, Dal Santo (injuries) happened all at once in the first 15 minutes of the game, so it means your midfield's been decimated to a certain degree.

"But we hung in there and we found a way to score in the second quarter and get back in front, but we just couldn't sustain that against some really strong Geelong performances."

While the Roos were dominated in the third quarter, a Mason Wood goal after the siren breathed some life into the contest briefly, but from 15 points down at the final change Brad Scott's men couldn't mount a comeback.

It was Dangerfield though who booted the match-sealer at the 17-minute mark of the final term, slotting his second major from 45m to extend the lead to 29 points and extinguish the Roos' challenge.

MEDICAL ROOM
Geelong: After four knee reconstructions, Daniel Menzel sent a scare through the Cats camp when his left leg twisted awkwardly as he ran over the boundary line. He hobbled to the bench but everyone was relieved to see him return to the action soon after.

North Melbourne: Brad Scott was reluctant to detail the Roos' injuries post-match, but Robin Nahas has a compound fracture of his finger. Andrew Swallow will be in doubt for Friday night against Hawthorn after hitting his head on the ground in a Lincoln McCarthy tackle, while Ben Cunnington (quad), Nick Dal Santo (adductor) and Shaun Atley (ankle) will also be under a cloud.

NEXT UP
The Roos take on bogey side Hawthorn, who they've beaten only twice from the past nine clashes, in a huge clash, while the Cats also return to Etihad Stadium for another bumper contest with another top-four rival, the Western Bulldogs.

GEELONG 4.4 5.9 12.11 15.15 (105)
NORTH MELBOURNE 4.0 8.1 11.2 12.2 (74)

GOALS
Geelong: Menzel 4, Kersten 3, Bartel 2, Dangerfield 2, Lang, Caddy, Duncan, Motlop
North Melbourne: Harvey 4, Ziebell 2, Petrie 2, Wood 2, McDonald, Thomas,

BEST
Geelong: Dangerfield, Enright, Selwood, Menzel, Taylor, Bartel
North Melbourne: Wells, Ziebell, Tarrant, Harvey, Gibson

INJURIES
Geelong: Menzel (ankle)
North Melbourne: Swallow (concussion), Cunnington (corked thigh), Atley (right ankle)

Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Stevic, Stephens
Official crowd: 44,025 at Etihad Stadium