A GRITTY North Melbourne has continued an 11-year winning streak over Melbourne, sensationally upsetting the Demons by four points in Hobart. 

The second-last Roos adapted better to a blustery Blundstone Arena, holding on for an 11.10 (76) to 10.12 (72) victory.

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"We’ve got a big advantage playing down here. We know how to play it and we know how to score at both ends and how to defend at both ends so the players have got real confidence regardless," North Melbourne coach Brad Scott said post-match.

"It was a fantastic win, you know, we just had to fight really hard.

"They’re a good side and we had to really scrap hard to win and we had some adversity there at different stages of the ground and we needed guys to step up."

Five talking points: North Melbourne v Melbourne

It's a significant blow to the Demons' finals chances in a tight top eight.

"We’re disappointed as a footy club, no doubt about that," Demons coach Simon Goodwin said.

"It’s a tough place to play footy. We experienced that last year and experienced that again today."

Their woes were compounded by the loss of key forward Jesse Hogan midway through the third quarter with a broken collarbone.

Hogan collided heavily with North Melbourne's Luke McDonald and took no further part in the game.

Ben Brown was the best forward on the ground and the Tasmanian booted four goals to be the difference between the two teams.

WATCH: Brown's bag does home state proud

North Melbourne led by nine points heading into the final term but were expected to be run down by a Demons side with a huge breeze at their back.

But they scrapped, holding the Demons to just two goals.

Shaun Higgins topped the disposal count for North Melbourne with 28.

The Kangaroos also had injury issues, with Jarrad Waite leaving the field in the third quarter due to a calf complaint.

They have won 17-straight games against Melbourne, dating back to 2006.

MEDICAL ROOM
North Melbourne: Jarrad Waite couldn't overcome a lower-leg injury during the third term and spent most of the second half in a tracksuit on the bench, indicating he may be out for some time. Coach Brad Scott wasn't able to elaborate on how long the veteran forward may be missing, but it seems likely the Roos will have to dig deeper into their list to replace him in the short-to-medium term.

Melbourne: Jesse Hogan's broken collarbone was the major concern for the Demons and while Simon Goodwin refused to rule him out for the season, the key forward's return in 2017 must surely be questionable at this point.

NEXT UP
The Kangaroos will be looking to claw their way further from the foot of the table when they take on Collingwood under lights at Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. The Demons face a crunch contest on the road against GWS at UNSW Canberra Oval early on Saturday afternoon.

NORTH MELBOURNE    4.4    6.4    9.8    11.10 (76)
MELBOURNE                 2.0    8.5    8.8     10.12 (72)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Brown 4, Simpkin 2, Waite, Swallow, McDonald, Thompson, Higgins
Melbourne: Garlett 3, Melksham 2, T McDonald 2, Oliver, Hogan, Hunt

BEST 
North Melbourne: Brown, Higgins, McDonald, Swallow, Ziebell
Melbourne: Oliver, Gawn, Lewis, Garlett, Tyson 

INJURIES 
North Melbourne: Waite (calf)
Melbourne: Hogan (collarbone) 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Fisher, Harris, Pannell

Official crowd: 13,939 at Blundstone Arena