PREDICTING how far North Melbourne will fall had become a blood sport and the Kangaroos' stunning response at Etihad Stadium on Sunday – while tempered by the end – was equally brutal.
The Kangaroos, playing two men down, held off a fast-finishing Hawthorn by 28 points, 14.14 (98) to 11.4 (70), to claim the prized scalp they needed.
The upset came after they led by 57 points at half-time on an extraordinary afternoon of drama and carnage, including Hawk Tom Mitchell potentially putting his Brownlow Medal chances in danger.
Mitchell made high contact with his right elbow to North ruckman Todd Goldstein in the second term, an incident that will undoubtedly have Match Review Officer Michael Christian's attention.
It followed young Roo Cameron Zurhaar's second quarter report for rough conduct on David Mirra after barrelling him into the fence rather tackling him.
But North was left desperately hanging on after three quick-fire Hawthorn goals to start the second half preceded two Roos going down with sickening concussions within seconds of each other.
Shaun Higgins firstly ran into Ryan Burton with ball in hand – with the Hawk, like Zurhaar, opting to bump instead of tackle – then Ed Vickers-Willis hit the deck in the same passage.
Burton's hit which resulted in a head clash is sure to keep Christian busy on Monday afternoon.
Vickers-Willis managed to eventually run from the field, but a stretcher was required to remove Higgins, whose wife gave birth to the couple's first child in the early hours of Sunday.
Neither player returned and Higgins was taken to hospital, leaving North Melbourne short on soldiers as an inspired Hawthorn launched some belated rearguard action with a six-goal-to-one third term.
The Hawks' stunning resurgence, after a dismal first two quarters, threatened at one stage to be the game's biggest-ever second-half comeback.
The record was almost half a century ago, when Collingwood stunned St Kilda from 52 points down at the main break.
More to come
NORTH MELBOURNE 7.5 11.9 12.11 14.14 (98)
HAWTHORN 2.0 3.0 9.2 11.4 (70)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Brown 4, Waite 3, Ziebell 2, Zurhaar 2, Atley, Hartung, Dumont
Hawthorn: Breust 5, Gunston 2, Shiels 2, Impey, Smith
BEST
North Melbourne: Tarrant, Cunnington, Jacobs, Ziebell, Brown, Dumont, Macmillan
Hawthorn: Breust, Smith, Sicily, Henderson
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Higgins (concussion), Vickers-Willis (concussion)
Hawthorn: Shiels (lower back)
Reports: Cameron Zurhaar (North Melbourne) for rough conduct on David Mirra (Hawthorn) in the second quarter
Umpires: Dalgleish, Stevic, Gianfagna
Official crowd: 27,981 at Etihad Stadium
