The Lions snatched the lead with less than three minutes remaining after trailing by 44 points in the third term, but a goal from deep in the forward pocket by Levi Greenwood saw the Roos home, 12.18 (90) to 13.11 (89).
The Kangaroos led for 118 minutes of the match after putting together their best first quarter in almost three years.
They got out to a 34-point lead by quarter time, and had restricted the flow to the Lions’ key forwards Brendan Fevola and Jonathan Brown, leaving them largely ineffective.
By half time, the Roos led by 36 points and the Lions were a man down after losing Ash McGrath to a hamstring injury.
But the visitors were a different side after the main break, working and tackling much harder, and they were served well by strong performances from Travis Johnstone, Simon Black and Luke Power.
Fevola kicked three goals and Brown two in the third term and the Lions had all the momentum heading into the final quarter with just a 13-point deficit to reel in.
With an animated Michael Voss coaching from the bench, the Lions pushed hard and managed to get their nose in front for two minutes of the final stanza. But unfortunately, those two minutes did not include the final siren.
North Melbourne 7.5 10.10 11.15 12.18 (90)
Brisbane Lions 2.1 5.4 10.8 13.11 (89)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Swallow 2, Thomas 2, Hansen 2, Harvey, Lower, McIntosh, Wright, Cunnington, Greenwood
Brisbane Lions: Fevola 5, Brown 3, Buchanan 2, Brennan, Rich, Clark
BEST
North Melbourne: Swallow, Harvey, Hansen, Lower, Ziebell, Bastinac
Brisbane Lions: Johnstone, Brown, Power, Fevola, Rischitelli, Rockliff, Sherman
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Brisbane Lions: McGrath (hamstring), Power
Reports: N/A
Umpires: Nicholls, Hay, Wenn
Official crowd: 19,100 at Etihad Stadium
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
