NORTH Melbourne has snatched a memorable seven-point win over Collingwood after trailing by 21 points 13 minutes into the final term.

North won 16.16 (112) to Collingwood's 15.15 (105) in front of a crowd of 51,990.

The Roos looked to have squandered the game with spells of poor shooting for goal in the second term and again in the final quarter.

Corey Jones was the early culprit with 1.5 to half time and Lindsay Thomas was the prime offender in the last term with two goals punctuated by a couple of inexplicable misses.

But Thomas and fellow small forwards Matt Campbell and Shannon Grant brought home the bacon with superb last quarters.

North Melbourne did all the early attacking and opened up with a goal to David Hale. The Roos were getting good value from Brent Harvey, Hamish McIntosh and Adam Simpson.

Drew Petrie followed Anthony Rocca whenever he went off and Collingwood used the same tactic and Rhyce Shaw went to the bench at the same time as his direct opponent Harvey was given a breather.

Daniel Wells and Brodie Holland both began as interchange players and Holland tracked Wells as soon as he centred the game. Wells gave him the run-around and had Holland puffing hard.

North’s early control of general play wasn’t translated onto the scoreboard but when Adam Simpson wobbled a low goal at the 18-minute mark the Roos had an eight-point lead.

In the meantime strong half back Daniel Pratt’s name went into the umpire’s notebook after he cannoned into Josh Fraser.

Nathan Thompson added another goal but the Kangaroos let themselves down late in the quarter when Collingwood started to dictate terms and Alan Didak sunk a long goal 46 seconds before the quarter-time siren.

The Pies doubled up when Scott Pendlebury opened the goal account early in the second term, but then Lindsay Thomas and Corey Jones found the target and it seemed that the Roos were kicking clear.

But then the game took a sharp turn.

North’s advantage was quickly wiped out as Rocca’s goal triggered a quick-fire run that changed the balance of the game. Paul Medhurst had too many tricks for young Roo defender Ed Lower and in the space of four minutes kicked two goals and narrowly missed a third.

Prime movers Harvey, Wells and Simpson were reined in by the Magpies, and Harvey’s opponent Shaw was winning a lot of the ball. He put the icing on the cake with a long goal from outside the 50-metre zone deep in time-on.

The Kangaroos desperately needed a goal but Jones missed two shots in the shadow of half time and went to the break with a  sorry personal scoreline of 1.5.

Nathan Thompson fuelled the Roos with a good mark and goal at the start of the third term and when the menacing Didak went off with a shoulder injury it seemed that the cards were falling North’s way.

However the equally dangerous Medhurst fired a long goal to keep the Magpies ticking.

His equivalent Shannon Grant was also starting to assert himself and his goal brought North to within 11 points.

The Roos now applied more pressure starting from the defence led by Michael Firrito and Pratt who now had the job on Medhurst. Lindsay Thomas sped away for another goal and then Shannon Grant snapped truly as the clock ticked into time-on.

Anthony Rocca’s snap just missed and the scores were level then Collingwood came again for a goal to Josh Fraser, and the Magpies went to the last change with a  five-point lead.

Leon Davis scored an instant goal for the Magpies and Lower, now in attack responded at the opposite end.

But it was Medhurst who was haunting Collingwood and from one step he lobbed a 40me goal and Fraser scored another to make the gap 17 points. Only seven minutes were gone. Even so, the task was looking huge and wasn’t helped when Grant’s mark within range was disallowed after an infringement by Thompson.

Then Lindsay Thomas missed from 25 metres, the Roos’ eighth miss from 12 set shots for the night. He missed another from a ground level chance 15m out and had to watch helplessly as Collingwood whipped the ball to the opposite end and Fraser kicked another.

Thomas redeemed himself with a goal from 20m and the difference was narrowed to nine points when Campbell nipped in for another. Thomas then hit the post after marking on an angle. He then dribbled a goal to cut the gap to three points.

Grant then marked and after being crunched by Harry O’Brien was given a 50m penalty and made no mistake. North went straight out of the centre and Lower threaded a goal through a forest of players to give the Roos an eight-point lead after 25 minutes.

The game still wasn’t sealed as Daniel Pratt cribbed over the mark and Medhurst goaled. Collingwood went forward but the usually reliable Didak incredibly missed from 20 metres with the shot that could have won the game. North then played it safe before spiriting it forward for Campbell to snap truly.

NORTH MELBOURNE  3.4  5.9   9.12  16.16 (112)
COLLINGWOOD      2.4  8.6  10.11  15.15 (105)

Goals: North Melbourne: S Grant 3 L Thomas 3 M Campbell 3 E Lower 2 N Thompson 2 A Simpson C Jones D Hale. Collingwood: P Medhurst 5 J Fraser 4 L Davis 2 A Didak S Pendlebury R Shaw A Rocca.

Best: North Melbourne: B Harvey S Grant L Harding L Thomas D Wells M Firrito. Collingwood: A Didak J Fraser T Lockyer P Medhurst R Shaw S Pendlebury.

Reports: North Melbourne – Daniel Pratt reported by umpire Hayden Kennedy for charging Josh Fraser in the first quarter.

Umpires: C Donlon H Kennedy D Sully.

Official crowd: 51,990 at the MCG.