North Melbourne has become the first interstate side to knock off Fremantle at Optus Stadium, scrapping their way to a 28-point victory following a tightly contested second half.
The wet conditions hampered the cleanliness of both sides, yet North managed to wrestle the momentum in their favour thanks to a three-goal haul in the latter half from Jarrad Waite.
Even when unimpeded by the weather, both sides were left to rue missed opportunities early, with Fremantle's 3.4 in the opening term a minimal improvement to North Melbourne's 1.8.
Nevertheless, the efforts the gritty Kangaroo midfield were able to edge out that of the Dockers, despite Nat Fyfe finishing with a game-high 31 disposals and his side getting to within three points of the Roos in the final term.
North came out like a bull at a gate in an effort to defeat Fremantle at their new western fortress, generating six inside 50s within the first six minutes of play.
But all shots on goal - coming from six different goalkickers - all went awry, much to the relief of the Purple Army both on the field in the stands.
The Dockers made sure their shots on goal counted early on, with Michael Walters putting through the first of the day after nearly eight minutes of play.
Yet the home side too had their own kicking woes, but ultimately weren't as wasteful as their opposition, with four behinds for the term to go alongside Andrew Brayshaw's major.
North finally gained the upper hand, after a blistering passage of play through the centre of the ground gifted Mason Wood their first, yet it would be their only major score for the remainder of the quarter.
There was no love lost between the two sides, with plenty of feeling in the game even from the opening minutes, with both sides well aware their reputations were on the line.
Bailey Banfield on Shaun Higgins resulted in several scuffles across the ground and helped grow the game's spice, but it was Ben Jacobs' tag on Fyfe which brought the most heat.
Fyfe nonetheless made his presence felt on the ground with 13 first quarter possessions and four clearances, despite his finesse being stripped away thanks to Jacobs' influence.
The Brownlow medallist nevertheless had the last laugh on Jacobs, with a soft free kick and subsequent 50m penalty after the siren making a Fremantle major a certainty, taking the margin to eight points at the first change.
With the home side up at quarter-time, kicking in front of goal was integral in order to prove their new fortress was just that: impenetrable.
The Roos once again had the opportunity to improve their terrible figures, yet let their first two opportunities slide with successive minor scores.
As North Melbourne's behinds tally ballooned out to 10 just five minutes into the second term, the Dockers punished their inaccuracy after Brennan Cox put through the Dockers' third.
As the scrap carried on for the next few minutes, some Ben Brown magic in the forward pocket gave the Roos just their second major of the game, after the big forward dribbled the ball across the face of goal before Jy Simpkin helped it on its way over the line.
As Jacobs and Kayne Turner made it three in a row for North, the Dockers had difficulty halting the sweeping Roos' ball movement into the forward line.
The off the ball free kicks carried on well into second term for both sides, with a late Jed Anderson bump giving the seasoned David Mundy a shot on goal, all the while stoking the fires of the agitated Dockers.
While his long bomb was rushed over the line, the veteran made amends after outsmarting the Roos' defenders and kicking a much-needed goal to not only break North's scoring streak, but level the scores.
With the inside 50 count sitting at 19-31 just prior to half-time, the Dockers - despite their threatening presence around the stoppages - were yet to pay the price for their opposition's dominance.
A late ping in the pocket by Shaun Atley gave North a one-point lead at the main change, with both sides set for another tough slog in the second half of the game.
As heavy rain unexpectedly inundated the ground at the onset of the third, Fremantle acclimatised to the wet first, with Cam McCarthy duly converting with a clean right-foot snap.
Yet failed to register another major for the term, as North's key forwards in Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown came to the fore.
Waite's polished major mere moments after McCarthy's goal restored the Roos' lead, albeit by a point, as North continued onward in their mission to topple the Freo fortress.
The slippery conditions challenged the Roos and the Dockers early on - with the two early majors of the term being attributed to luck more so than anything else - with both sides struggling to hit targets up forward.
Although the tight tussle played on for several minutes with neither team able to get clean possession, the tackling pressure remained immense, with players barely giving their opposition so much as an inch.
The subsequently scrappy affair left the ball locked in North Melbourne's forward 50 for the next 10 minutes, until Waite finally broke the stalemate to restore his side's ascendancy.
Banfield was lucky not to cost his side another goal, after his persistent scuffling with Higgins throughout the quarter resulted in two free kicks and a 50m penalty.
As Brown extended the margin to 11 points prior the three-quarter time following a strong lead and mark - rectifying his side's errant kicking inside 50 - the Dockers became increasingly frustrated at their lack of pressure.
With less than two straight kicks separating the home side from the visitors, a quick start was crucial to put the Roos on the back foot early.
Yet Waite again played spoiler, with the veteran running into an open goal square in the first minute of the term to put an early dampener on Fremantle.
As the Dockers continued to persist, the 50m penalties finally had significant impact, with Jack Ziebell conceding the costly free to allow Michael Johnson to kick-start Freo's spirited resurgence.
With the momentum beginning to swing in favour of the Dockers, a heroic 100m rundown tackle from Ed Langdon paved the way for Walters to squeeze an important major through, slicing the margin down to just three points.
Yet with Aaron Sandilands taken from the field following a head knock with Sam Durdin, Freo were put at a huge disadvantage, particularly in the wet where Sandilands' guidance and dominance in the ruck were undoubtedly pivotal.
With Atley kicking a goal moments later to resounding boos - caused after Jacobs pulled Hamling off the ball to make his teammate's run at goal clean - the Roos were given some breathing room as the Fremantle offensive continued to threaten them.
As the rain teemed down however, Freo's hopes of maintaining their perfect record at Optus Stadium were washed away, after Wood took the lead to 16 points following a costly free kick against Langdon with nine minutes left to play.
With the ball waterlogged and the ground slippery underfoot, the margin was significant given the conditions, and was extended even further after Todd Goldstein capped off his 200th match with a snap in the square.
As the frustration boiled over among the Purple Army, a final 50m penalty in favour of Brown cemented the win for the Roos, placing them in fifth position on the ladder and just one game outside the top-four.
Fremantle will set their sights on the east next week when they take on Fremantle in a week's time at the MCG, while North Melbourne will be itching to take their season to 6-5 when they play Brisbane at Etihad Stadium next Sunday.
FREMANTLE 3.4 5.5 6.8 8.10 (58)
NORTH MELBOURNE 1.8 4.12 7.13 12.14 (86)
GOALS
Fremantle: Walters 2, Fyfe, McCarthy, Mundy, Cox, Brayshaw, Johnson
North Melbourne: Waite 3, Wood 2, Brown 2, Jacobs, Atley, Turner, Simpkin, Goldstein
BEST
Fremantle: Fyfe, Langdon, Walters, Ryan, Sandilands, Banfield
North Melbourne: Jacobs, Waite, Cunnington, Higgins, Anderson, Turner
INJURIES
Fremantle: Sandilands (concussion)
North Melbourne: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. NORTH COULD BE THE GREATEST SURPRISE OF THE SEASON
Incredulous. Inconceivable. Impossible.
Call it what you want, but North Melbourne has proven against the odds they could be in with a legitimate chance at the finals this year.
Downing Fremantle at their home turf - despite them having the ground for only 10 weeks - is a monumental task in itself, with North becoming the first interstate side to do so.
Determined throughout the scrappy affair, the Roos are certainly within the hunt for a top-eight position at the end of the year, and with a relatively steady draw to come, anything is possible.
The Roos are on the hop.
2. FREO FLOP AS FORTRESS FALLS
While North prospered, the Dockers were left to hang their heads after succumbing to their sixth loss of the season, and their second at Optus Stadium.
Failing to adapt well to the greasy conditions of the second half, the Dockers uncleanliness ended up being a major factor to their loss, as did their inability to convert when it mattered.
With the game in the balance in the third term, Freo only managed to squeeze through the one major early, before North persevered at hit back with three of their own.
Even with three points separating the two teams in the final term, the Dockers were still unable to pounce upon the opportunity to put themselves at 5-5.
The walls of their fortress will need to be reinforced in their next clash at home.
3. BLISTERING START FULL OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
It was all North Melbourne to begin the game, whose fiery start got them six inside 50s within the space of six minutes.
But with all six shots on goal going astray, the Roos put themselves in a world of bother after the Dockers got the first on the board.
Had the Roos hit the board, their job moving ahead would have been substantially easier, with the wet conditions in the second half making any lead significant - a big one at that would have ruled the Dockers out by half-time.
North will need to ensure they take full advantage when their opportunities presented to them.
Such a blunder against a quality side would be nothing short of disastrous.
4. JACOBS V FYFE. AND THE WINNER IS...
The premier midfielder of the competition pitted against the premier tagger of the competition was always going to be a spectacle.
Nat Fyfe versus Ben Jacobs was tipped to be an interesting clash all week, yet it's hard to put on a finger on who was the most influential throughout the game.
While the numbers show Fyfe finished with 31 disposals and a goal, it would be easy to say the Brownlow medallist was totally unfazed by the tag.
Yet Fyfe was nowhere near his best, with Jacobs' presence impeding his game-changing tendencies and finishing his day with 26 touches and a goal.
Unsure of who the winner was?
You decide.
5. SANDI WOULD HAVE BEEN HANDY
There's no doubt Fremantle were in with a sniff going into the final term, with the Dockers chiselling the margin away to a meagre three points midway through the final stanza.
Even though the Roos finished strong, one can't help but wonder if the inclusion of one Aaron Sandilands in the dying stages of the game could have helped turn the tide.
A head clash with Sam Durdin dazed the big man, forcing him from the field as he watched his side go down by 28 points from the sidelines.
With every touch crucial in the wet, had Sandilands helped the Dockers get first touch on the board, there may have been a slightly different final result.
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