NORTH Melbourne has extended its club-record winning streak against Melbourne to 16 games with a 14-point win in a spiteful clash at the MCG on Sunday that will have the Match Review Panel working overtime on Monday.

North led by 22 points at three-quarter time following a four-goal-to-one term, but the Demons kicked the opening three goals of the final quarter to cut their deficit to just two points at the 13-minute mark.

Full match details and stats

But the Roos steadied, kicking three of the final four goals to secure a hard-fought 15.14 (104) to 13.12 (90) victory.

Ben Brown was the star for the Roos with five goals and six marks (five inside 50 and two contested), with the Tasmanian giving North the aerial target the Demons lacked in the absence of Jesse Hogan.

There was no love lost between the teams all afternoon. Players from both sides appeared to throw jumper punches at will, especially in the first half, sparking a regular series of melees around the ground.

Five talking points: Melbourne v North Melbourne

North midfielder Ben Cunnington is also set to be scrutinised for punching Bernie Vince in the stomach during the second quarter, a blow that forced the Demon to leave the field.

It was an eventful day for Cunnington, who was injured midway through the first quarter when his right leg got caught underneath him in a Jack Viney tackle.

The 2014 best and fairest winner came straight from the ground, but returned to the ground early in the second and, despite being restricted in his running, finished with 26 disposals, eight clearances and one goal to be one of the Roos' most influential players.

North's winning run against Melbourne is the longest active streak against a rival team in the competition, with the Roos last losing to the Demons in round 20, 2006.

Todd Goldstein dominated in the ruck against former teammate Cameron Pedersen – the Roo had 61 hit-outs to the Dee's 18 – but Melbourne's midfielders were able to minimise the damage, winning the clearance count 39-34.

Scott Thompson (eight marks and five rebound 50s) cut off Melbourne attacks time and time again across half-back, and was well supported by fellow tall Robbie Tarrant as North short-circuited the Demons' undermanned forward line in the air.

Forward Kayne Turner gave the Roos a spark with his run and defensive pressure, while Ed Vickers-Willis kept emerging Dees forward Christian Petracca relatively quiet.

North coach Brad Scott said the victory was a testament to his players' character.

"The boys set the win up pretty well in the first quarter, probably if we kicked straighter it could have been a bigger margin. We knew at quarter-time that Melbourne would respond and they duly obliged. They were harder at the contest in the second quarter in particular and got the game back on their terms," Scott said.

"It ebbed and flowed a little bit but I thought it was a great contest. Certainly in the last quarter Melbourne had some momentum, but it showed a fair bit of character to stand up against that momentum and push it back the other way.

"It's been well documented that we've had a couple of close losses, and we always say we learn from our mistakes. I thought today was a really good sign that the guys have responded to that."

Michael Hibberd (a game-high 34 possessions) was outstanding for Melbourne across half-back, while Dom Tyson (26 possessions) was a tireless worker through the midfield and Tom McDonald helped stiffen the Demons' defence after being switched from attack in the second quarter.

Bernie Vince fought a fierce battle with Shaun Higgins, while Pedersen edged Goldstein around the ground and Mitch Hannan kicked three goals.

Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said his team still had work to do before it became a consistent performer.

"To have 13 scoring shots against (us) in the first quarter that's a big (lead) to try and pull back. To the boys' credit they did respond, but North were too good on the day," Goodwin said.

"We had two teams that were set for a pretty fierce contest and they were just better at it early than what we were.

"I thought at times we had a lot of momentum in the game, but we weren't able to sustain that momentum for long enough. And I thought defensively we struggled a bit today, which put us under a lot of pressure and that's probably something that we've got to continue to work on and improve on."

North dominated the opening term on the back of a ferocious attack on the ball and man.

Seemingly stung by their comprehensive defeat a week earlier by Sydney, the Roos gave the Demons little time and space – they won the tackle count 37-19 – and moved the ball quickly into their forward 50, where Brown was providing a strong deep target.

On the back of 20 inside 50s to Melbourne's 10, North piled on six goals for the quarter – including the game's first three – to the Demons' two, to take a 26-point lead into the first break.

As dominant as the Roos were in the opening quarter, Melbourne held sway just as comprehensively in the second as its midfield started to take control at the stoppages.

The Demons cut their deficit to nine points when they kicked the opening three goals of the term – two through Mitch Hannan – but the Roos hit back with the next two, through Mason Wood and Shaun Higgins to lead by 21 points at the 19-minute mark.

But Melbourne's control of general play – it pumped the ball inside its forward 50 19 times for the term to the Roos' nine – eventually told, with three late goals reducing North's lead to just two points at half time.

MEDICAL ROOM
Melbourne: Defender Neville Jetta required treatment for a sore back after landing awkwardly in a marking contest during the second quarter, but played out the game.

North Melbourne: Ben Cunnington injured his right ankle after being dragged down in a tackle by Jack Viney midway through the first quarter. Cunnington returned to the field early in the second term with his ankle and knee strapped and was a valuable contributor. North coach Brad Scott said Cunnington would be sent for scans as "a matter of course", but expected the midfielder would be cleared of any significant damage. "[North's doctors] weren't sure until they assessed him whether he was going to be able to come back on, but not only did he come back on, but I thought he was really dominant in the contest," Scott said. "That was a great response and we're obviously really pleased that he's okay. The biggest test is function and he functioned all right." Lachlan Hansen came from the ground early in the match after copping a head knock in a contest, but returned to the game minutes later.

NEXT UP
The Demons will host Gold Coast next Saturday at TIO Traeger Park, having lost all of their previous three games at the Alice Springs venue. North plays Carlton next Sunday at Etihad Stadium, where it beat the Blues by 67 points in round nine last season.

MELBOURNE                          2.5   8.7   9.9     13.12 (90)
NORTH MELBOURNE             6.7   8.9 12.13 15.14 (104) 

GOALS
Melbourne: Hannan 3, Pedersen 2, Jones, Viney, Frost, Jetta, Oliver, Salem, Lewis, Kent
North Melbourne: Brown 5, Wood 3, Garner 2, Cunnington, Ziebell, Williams, Higgins, McDonald

BEST 
Melbourne: Hibberd, Tyson, T. McDonald, Jones, Hannan
North Melbourne: Brown, Cunnington, Turner, Goldstein, Thompson, Tarrant

INJURIES 
Melbourne:
North Melbourne: Cunnington (right ankle/knee),

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Nicholls, Hosking, Hay

Official crowd: 33,218 at the MCG