The Lions, who had not led all evening, reeled in a 44-point deficit they faced early in the third term to hit the front with just over two minutes remaining after a free kick was paid against Scott Thompson in the Lions' attacking arc.
But less than a minute later, Levi Greenwood marked on the boundary deep in the forward pocket and kicked the goal that gave the Kangaroos a one-point lead.
The ball rebounded, but the Roos were able to repel another Lions' surge and put two weeks of disappointment behind them, winning 12.18 (90) to 13.11 (89).
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott said it would have been terribly hard to lose the match after leading for 118 minutes and after the side's best first quarter in almost three years.
"It was incredibly frustrating because we really set the game up really well in the first half," he said.
"It was a bit of déjà vu from the Adelaide game, really, where we set the game up; but we deserved to win the game, I felt, and to lose it would've been heartbreaking."
He also praised Greenwood for having the composure to kick the tricky sealer.
"We had a player in Levi who stood up really well under pressure and kicked it, so it was a fantastic effort," he said.
Brent Harvey was brilliant for his side with 30 touches while Andrew Swallow was tough all evening with seven tackles and six clearances. Lachie Hansen was also instrumental with 2.3 and four contested marks.
The Roos were 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 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 for them, those two minutes did not include the final siren.
If the Roos' legs were tired after their trip to Perth last week, they didn't show it. They stuck with the more experienced Lions and managed to steal back a win that looked all but gone.
Voss said afterwards he took responsibility for his players' first-half performance, lack of composure and inability to "fight through" a challenging period.
"It's up to me to be able to teach them and ensure that when they get in those positions, they can think through it," he said.
"At this point in time, we're not executing that. I have to be able to sit here and say that's not good enough from my end. I've got to be better than that."
Voss also said McGrath's injury looked to be on the severe side and could put him out for more than six weeks.
He also said defender Matt Maguire would have a scan after complaining about pain on the outside of his foot.
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
