Jack Ziebell has put North Melbourne back in the top-eight, with a final major in the last 20 seconds of the game seeing the Roos overcome the brave Western Bulldogs by two points at Etihad Stadium.
The Bulldogs played superbly throughout the entire game, yet were unable to mitigate influence of Ben Brown and Ziebell, who kicked five and three goals respectively.
Shaun Higgins was once again at his prolific best, finishing with 32 touches and piecing together a match-winning final quarter, while Ben Cunnington was hard at the contest all night, ending his Saturday night with 30 disposals, 22 of which were contested.
Despite being missing several key stars, the Dogs put up an extraordinary fight, leading at every change before being edged out in the dying stages of the game.
The Roos and Dogs were dynamic in their tack on the football, yet the latter had the edge around the ball and on the scoreboard in the opening term, leading two goals to one.
Fierce to rectify their disappointing showing against Port Adelaide last Thursday, the Dogs' ferocity and manic press was nothing short of impressive.
Although some solid teamwork from Brown and Ziebell up forward got North on the board first, it proved to be the only blemish in what was an otherwise dominant quarter from the home side.
While the 2.1 to 1.1 scoreline did little to reflect their sound opening to the game, the aggressive intent - despite some unforced errors - nonetheless saw them well on top in the first quarter.
As Billy Gowers and Mitch Wallis did the damage up forward, Josh Dunkley prevented North from inflicting any of their own, with his tag on Higgins keeping the silky Roo quiet early on.
But Hayden Crozier was the most outstanding, providing the drive off the Bulldogs' back end and racking up 13 touches by quarter's end, many of his disposals setting up the Dogs' forays forward.
Although it was expected to be just a short burst from the Dogs - similar to their 5.2 start against Collingwood - the home side kept up the tempo, booting four goals against the Roos' two in the second term.
The Bulldogs' pace from the stoppages took effect from the onset, with Zaine Cordy kicking the opening major off the back of some solid stoppage work from Marcus Bontempelli.
Celebrations for the home side were cut short following a resultant scuffle inside 50, yet their spirits were quickly rejuvenated after subsequent a free kick to Gowers gave the Dogs their fourth consecutive goal mere seconds later.
With composure desperately needed from the Kangaroo camp, Ziebell and Brown once again combined up forward to provide a steadying goal, yet it proved to be the only North Melbourne major for the next 15 minutes.
Caleb Daniel showed some class of his own up forward with a delicate chip which found Aaron Naughton - the 18-year-old faultless in his first league goal.
Without any influence on the ball, the Roos could only flounder as the Bulldogs' transitional play and leg speed heightened, and with ample time and space - as seen with the 55-29 uncontested mark count at half-time - the home side ran rampant.
The situation only worsened after Billy Hartung was put on ice after injuring his left hamstring, and with one runner down, the Bulldogs took full advantage.
As the Dogs' confidence grew, as did the margin with Bailey Williams threading through an incredible drop punt from the pocket to extend their lead to 24 points.
Brown jagged his second of the term to slice the margin back to 18 points at half-time, yet North had plenty of work to do claw their way back into the contest.
The Roos fittingly provided the response they needed to remain in top-eight relevancy, slotting five goals against the Bulldogs' two to trail by less than a straight kick at the end of the quarter.
North Melbourne got the ball rolling early and looked imposing from the get-go, with their added grunt around the contest sending a shiver down the Bulldogs' spine.
Building their momentum through Higgins and Ben Cunnington, the Roos' midfield dwarfed that of their opposition, racking up 10 clearances between them.
As Jed Anderson got proceedings underway in the opening few minutes, Brown squeezed through his third soon after to string together North's first consecutive goals for the match.
Needing a lift to prevent losing control, Tom Boyd rose to the occasion with a superb contested mark, before duly converting to snap North Melbourne's short-lived streak.
But Brown's presence continued to be a threat for the Bulldog defence, with a 50m penalty bringing about his fourth and leaving the margin at just seven points, before Naughton was again an unlikely hero up forward for the Dogs to restore the advantage.
Higgins continued to lurk dangerously and finally broke free of Dunkley's tag, tightening the game up with a major of his own before almost going back-to-back with a remarkable snap from the boundary.
The smooth mover eventually secured his second just minutes later, with a snap off the back of a pack slicing the margin to just a solitary point with a minute left to play.
One final minor score to Lachie Hunter as the siren rang extended the margin to a meagre two points at three-quarter time, leaving the Dogs with a monumental task going into the final term.
Despite the Dogs giving North a fierce contest in the final term, the Roos managed to edge out their opposition in the dying stages of the game, with Ziebell bookending the term with two crucial majors.
Ziebell got the Roos off to an explosive start with a blistering clearance and goal, gaining the lead for the first time since the opening quarter.
While the Dogs peppered their forward line with repeated entries, Majak Daw played spoiler, cutting off numerous attacks and ending the term with three intercept marks and playing a game-winning role down back in the final minute of the game.
Brown meanwhile proved to be too strong for the Dogs' defence, with the big man securing his fifth goal after yet another flawless grab up forward.
Yet a defensive blunder in North's back half allowed Williams to dribble the ball through for his second major, keeping the door ajar for the home side with the margin resting at just four points.
Shaun Atley liked the look of Williams' dribbler, mirroring the previous goal to restore his side's 10-point lead and put an early dampener on the Dogs' spirits.
But a fantastic piece of contested work from Naughton and an equally superb crumb from Ed Richards brought the Bulldogs back to within two points, and with five minutes left to play, it was truly anyone's game.
In what was a breakout quarter for the young Dog, Billy Gowers found himself on the end of some fluid ball movement along the wing, kicking the crucial major to put the Bulldogs' noses in front.
But North's stars in Higgins, Brown and Ziebell would combine in the twilight stages of the game, icing the game with one last-minute major.
Ziebell would close the game and put the Roos up with just 20 seconds left on the clock - his scintillating passage of play whipping the Etihad Stadium crowd into a frenzy as the North veteran kept his side afloat in the finals race.
The Western Bulldogs will have just six days to prepare for their clash against Geelong at Etihad Stadium, while North Melbourne will be hoping to firm their position in the top-eight with a victory over Essendon on their home turf next Sunday.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.1 6.3 8.7 11.9 (75)
NORTH MELBOURNE 1.1 3.3 8.5 12.5 (77)
GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Gowers 3, Naughton 2, Williams 2, Wallis, Boyd, Cordy, Richards
North Melbourne: Brown 5, Ziebell 3, Higgins 2, Anderson, Atley
BEST
Western Bulldogs: Crozier, Hunter, Dunkley, Gowers, McLean, Naughton
North Melbourne: Brown, Ziebell, Cunnington, Higgins, Goldstein, Daw
INJURIES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
North Melbourne: Jacobs (concussion, replaced in the selected side by Hartung), Hartung (hamstring)
TALKING POINTS
1. ZIEBELL KEEPS THE ROOS AFLOAT
With Hawthorn jumping into the top-eight following their emphatic win over the Gold Coast earlier today, a win for North Melbourne was nothing short of vital for them to remain within the hunt.
With the Roos two points down with two minutes left on the clock, the class of Jack Ziebell came to the fore, with a sleek major in the final 20 seconds putting the Roos in front.
Had it not been for Ziebell's major, the Roos would be sitting in 10th place, with Hawthorn and Greater Western Sydney above them on the ladder.
The 27-year-old was prolific all night, finishing with three goals - two of which were kicked in the final term - 12 touches and four tackles, with his move to the forward line this season proving to be a Brad Scott coaching masterstroke.
North's win keeps them relevant for another round, but with Essendon and Gold Coast on the agenda before pivotal clashes between Sydney, Collingwood and West Coast, every win from this point on will be gold.
2. KUDOS TO THE BULLDOGS, BUT A DISAPPOINTING FINISH
While it's easy to shine the spotlight on the Roos' victory, the Western Bulldogs should be commended on their respectable efforts tonight.
Challenging the Roos throughout the entire game despite being absent of skipper Easton Wood and Brownlow contender Jack Macrae, the Dogs looked otherwise sound from the early stages.
Coming out firing with a frenetic first term and carrying that momentum on for the remainder of proceedings - bar the last minute - the Dogs almost got away with their fifth win of the season.
Instead, the Bulldogs registered their fifth straight loss.
Although the performance from tonight stood marked against their previous month stood marked, it was ultimately disappointing that the Dogs couldn't hold on in the game's dying stages as fatigue took hold,
While the final seconds will raise some question marks over how the Roos were able to transition the ball so quickly, the Bulldogs should nonetheless be noted on their endeavour, but will - and should - have the heavy burden of the loss looming over them.
3. HIGGINS AND CUNNINGTON THE PERFECT YIN and YANG
North's midfield has often been overshadowed by that of Geelong, Collingwood and Richmond, yet the balance within the Roos' centre group is among the best.
Shaun Higgins brought all the polish tonight, racking up a game-high 32 disposals after breaking free of a Josh Dunkley tag in the second half.
Oozing class and gathering plenty of ball thanks to his impressive run, Higgins was among North's best and was instrumental to their victory to remain within finals relevancy.
Despite there being plenty of niggle between Higgins and Dunkley, the former nonetheless showed plenty of class, particularly in the second half, including a final passage of play which resulted in Ziebell's match-winning goal.
His foil in Cunnington was just as influential, finishing with 30 disposals, with 20 of those being contested.
Renowned for his hardness around the contest, tonight was no exception, with his performance being his 12th of 20 contested possession games.
Higgins and Cunnington: Yin and Yang.
4, A DAW-SOME EFFORT
While the likes of Robbie Tarrant and Scott Thompson deservedly receive numerous accolades and high praise of their defensive efforts, Majak Daw was close to the defensive hero on Saturday night.
Daw was superb down back in the final quarter, thwarting numerous Bulldog entries forward and finishing with three intercept marks.
But most notable was his play in the final minute, in which he successfully repelled the ball and helped kickstart the match-winning play forward, all while keeping the Dogs at bay and not conceding a crucial free kick.
An unsung hero from tonight, and one whose efforts were vital to keeping North in the finals race.
5. BROWN BRILLIANT ONCE AGAIN
Kicking five goals will always give you a talking point, and Ben Brown tonight makes that true once again this season.
Tonight marks Brown's fourth game with five goals or more, with the cult hero sitting on top of the Coleman Medal leaderboard with 40 goals.
Unable to be stopped up forward, the Dogs resorted to double or triple-teaming the big key forward, yet with little success as the big man finished with five majors, six marks and 11 disposals.
With his haul playing a major part in North's victory, there's no doubt Brown's efforts were superb, particularly given the absence of Jarrad Waite.
Another hero for North, but one with a little more prominence.
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