YOU WANT to know how the game should be played? Grab a copy of Essendon's win over North Melbourne on Sunday. Few – including even the most strident Roos supporters – could be disappointed.

In a shootout reminiscent of the grand clashes between the clubs at the turn of this century, the Bombers came out on top winning by 17 points at Etihad Stadium.

The 19.11 (125) to 16.12 (108) victory was Essendon's fifth win from its past six games and kept it in the hunt for a finals berth despite its 2-6 start to the season. The result had ramifications for the Roos, too, who missed a chance to jump back into the top-eight following Melbourne and Geelong's respective defeats.

BOMBERS HANG ON Full match coverage and stats

It has not been a round for the doubters of football's overall health and Essendon and North made sure that continued by producing the highest-scoring first half in a game since round 22, 2009 when Carlton and Adelaide combined for 150 points (Essendon and North's total at half-time was 148).

There was everything you'd want to see: miraculous goals, high marks, one-on-one contests at both ends of the ground and the ball zipping through the centre corridor. The coaches may lament the end-to-end nature of the contest but few fans would. 

"It was a pretty exciting game of footy. Win or lose on either team, I think people will go away pretty buoyant about some of the passages of play and some of the marks and goals they saw today," Essendon coach John Worsfold said after his team's win.

Bombers midfielder Zach Merrett benefited from the late withdrawal of North tagger Ben Jacobs to piece together one of his best games of 2018 with 32 disposals and a goal, while Dyson Heppell (34 disposals), David Myers (24) and Andrew McGrath (24) were also excellent. 

Michael Hurley patrolled the backline, Cale Hooker kept Coleman Medal leader Ben Brown under control and Orazio Fantasia and Shaun McKernan both booted four goals.

Shaun Higgins' outstanding season continued with a team-high 31 disposals for North, while Jamie Macmillan and Paul Ahern were also busy. Mason Wood provided some highlights in attack with three goals but missed a couple of crucial shots late.  

"Essendon are playing some great footy, they played to their strengths and we tried to mitigate those strengths. It worked for us at times, but at other times they were too good for us and able to get out on the outside. They have some real speed in their team," North coach Brad Scott said.

The highest-scoring opening quarter of the season produced plenty of highlights. North got out to an early 20-point advantage, thanks mainly to the midfield dominance of Higgins and Ben Cunnington, who combined for 26 disposals in the first term.

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But two brilliant goals to Fantasia – one a perfect crumb and pounce on the boundary line and the other a snap from the opposite pocket – kickstarted Essendon's attacking spirit.

North recaptured the lead by quarter-time, a slender six-point advantage, but the game had all the hallmarks of a classic after the sides shared 13 majors in the first term.

It continued to rain goals in the second term. McKernan backed up his mark of the week contender in the opening quarter with the first two goals of the second, before the Roos slammed on the next three as Brown got involved for the first time. 

Then it was all red and black. McKernan kicked another, Merrett cleverly skidded one through while being tackled, Devon Smith slotted a long-range shot and Jake Stringer took his chance to stamp himself on the game with back-to-back goals late in the term.

By the half-time break, Essendon was 20 points up and playing the type of scintillating football that Worsfold's side can produce. The Roos weren't far off; they had booted 10 goals themselves and recorded their third-best first half of the season.

But the Bombers' electric pace was proving too tough to stop, and they had also found a way to negate Cunnington's influence, keeping the ball-winner to one disposal in the second term.

The third quarter was measly by the day's standards, producing five goals, but the first two came to the Bombers who stretched their lead to 32 points. At that stage a North comeback appeared unlikely, however they got the game more on their terms and kicked the next three to cut the margin to 12 points at the final change.

They kept coming, until an Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti goal with four minutes remaining in the final term dashed North's hopes and kept alive those of Essendon, which remains in the hunt for a top-eight finish.

MEDICAL ROOM
Essendon: The Bombers appeared to get through the game unscathed.

North Melbourne: North forward Mason Wood spent the final moments of the game on the bench having ice applied to his hamstring.

NEXT UP
North hosts Gold Coast next Sunday at Etihad Stadium, while the Bombers are back at the MCG to take on Collingwood in what shapes as a big game.

ESSENDON 6.2   13.6  15.8 19.11 (125)                
NORTH MELBOURNE    7.2 10.4 13.8  16.12 (108)       

GOALS
Essendon: Fantasia 4, McKernan 4, Stringer 3, Myers 2, Bellchambers, Merrett, Smith, Baguley, McGrath, McDonald-Tipungwuti
North Melbourne: Wood 3, Cunnington 2, Brown 2, McDonald 2, Hrovat, Ziebell, Atley, Turner, Clarke, Ahern, Dumont

BEST 
Essendon:  Merrett, Heppell, Fantasia, McKernan, Langford, Saad, Myers, Hurley
North Melbourne: Higgins, Ziebell, Wood, McMillan, McDonald, Goldstein

INJURIES 
Essendon: Nil
North Melbourne: Ben Jacobs (concussion) replaced in selected side by Paul Ahern, Wood (leg)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Margetts, Schmitt, Harris

Official crowd: 45,580 at Etihad Stadium