As North Melbourne prepares to battle St Kilda on Sunday, kangaroos.com.au takes a walk down memory lane and relives one of the club's most memorable wins back in Round 21 of 2009.
Setting the scene
St Kilda
To understand the significance of the victory, it's important to consider the standing of both sides in 2009; St Kilda was top of the ladder, its only loss for the season the week previous when a Nick Riewoldt shot after the siren went the wrong side of the post against the Bombers. The Saints had taken all before them and you only had to look at their percentage, 158.1 to realise their dominance.
North Melbourne
13th on the table with just five wins and a draw from 19 games, the Kangaroos were out of the finals race and playing for pride.
Dean Laidley's resignation as senior coach just two months earlier meant Darren Crocker was handed the reins as a caretaker coach and despite his best efforts, had led North Melbourne to just one win in eight games.
The build-up
North welcomed its new coach Brad Scott during a press conference at Arden Street in the week leading up to the match, and his presence in the stands would surely have spurred on those representing the royal blue and white come game day.
Scott had the perfect chance to look at the club's depth as six changes were made to the line-up that lost to the Eagles a week earlier.
Into the side came Cruize Garlett, Ed Lower, Alan Obst, Josh Smith, Shannon Watt and Aaron Edwards and out went Daniel Harris, Sam Power, Daniel Pratt, Gavin Urquhart, Lindsay Thomas and Corey Jones.
Veteran Brady Rawlings was preparing for game 200, while Watt would take his final bow in game 155.
Game day
In total, 13 players with less than 50 games experience ran through the banner for North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in front of more than 30,000 fans. The Saints had just four in the same class.
Right from the outset the Kangaroos' intentions were clear. The pressure in the opening quarter was relentless, with no greater proof of that defensive prowess than a 16-4 tackle count in the opening ten minutes.
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St Kilda was on top of the ladder for a reason though and it only took a two-minute period at the end of the term for Koschitkze and Riewoldt to combine and narrow the gap to 14-points at the first change.
Matt Campbell's speed was a topic of discussion for the commentators in the second term. Commentator Liam Pickering's excitement was clear during a dashing goal, 'talk about giving Stevie Baker windburn!' he said.
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Riewoldt's presence was proving a thorn in the side for Crocker and his team, and he kept his side in the game.
As the Saints slowly chipped away at the lead in the third term, their inaccurate kicking in front of goal was proving their undoing. It became even tougher when their runner was penalised for interference. Andrew Swallow's free kick in the corresponding play helped North extend its lead.
But the Roos' ascendency from the opening quarter was quickly being whittled down. Farren Ray's long bomb narrowed the margin to seven-points, and when Justin Koschitzke marked just before the final break, he had the chance to reduce the margin to a solitary point. He missed from just 25 metres.
A low-scoring affair (just 14 goals to half-time) made any lead a handy one, and the Kangaroos held sway by a goal with a quarter to play.
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Suddenly North found itself behind for the first time in the match. 13 minutes and 48 seconds remained and you could be forgiven for thinking it was game over.
Like so many times in the club's history, that fate was not to be accepted. Seemingly out on their feet, the Kangaroos fought back. Obst's strong mark going back set the theme for the dying minutes of the game, and when Smith found Petrie at the back of the pack for an open goal it was game on again.
Leigh Adams, Levi Greenwood and Ed Lower were just a few of the players to put their bodies on the line in the contest as North somehow regained the lead, and when Petrie jumped out of his skin to pull down a mark for the ages, achieving the impossible became a reality.
Swallow was another who stood tall when it mattered with a contested mark as the Saints strode forward, but it was the efforts of Petrie that arguably got his side the four points.
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Heroics aside, the game was still right on the line when the Saints' captain marked on 50. A long kick looked to be sailing through the goals before youngster Nathan Grima somehow got a fist to the ball right on the line.
North's lead was five-points when the ball was cleared from defence, and the sound of the siren not long after was just-reward for an amazing show of desperation and spirit.
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The commentary at the end of the match says it all, "Is there a team in the competition that goes harder when just good old-fashioned pride is on the line?"
In a year with not too many highlights to speak of, this moment stands well above the rest.
St Kilda 3.0.18 4.4.28 6.9.45 8.11.59
North Melbourne 5.2.32 7.2.44 8.3.51 10.4.64
Goals: North Melbourne - Drew Petrie 4, Aaron Edwards 2, Leigh Adams, Matt Campbell, Todd Goldstein, Andrew Swallow
St Kilda - Nick Riewoldt 3, Justin Koschitzke 3, Andrew McQualter, Farren Ray
The aftermath
North Melbourne
North Melbourne's season came to a close with a thrilling four-point win over Port Adelaide; a victory that ultimately ended the Power's finals ambitions.
Swallow's outstanding season was recognised with his first Syd Barker Medal at the age of 22, and while finishing 13th wasn't anything to write home about, two wins to finish the season set the tone for Scott's introduction shortly after.
St Kilda
Clearly hurting from their hiccup against the Kangaroos, St Kilda responded by winning its next three games and played off in the Grand Final against Geelong.
With just one change to the team that lost to North, the Saints fell short by just two goals against a rampant Geelong.
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