The Kangaroos have bounced back by overrunning Hawthorn by 20 points in an intense contest at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
The Kangaroos snapped a four-game losing run to the Hawks with the 16.12 (108) to 13.10 (88) victory, improving their record to 9-6 and keeping their hopes of a top-four finish alive.
The loss broke Hawthorn's five-game winning streak in Alastair Clarkson's first game as coach after returning from illness, the Hawks dropping to 11-4 and likely to lose top spot to either Port Adelaide or the Sydney Swans after the weekend.
North's victory was its first over Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium since round six, 2006, and the Kangaroos have now beaten all four of the top sides this season.
The game exploded into life in the third quarter, with the lead changing hands four times before an incident between North Drew Petrie and Hawthorn's Brian Lake set the Roos alight.
Minutes after Petrie had kicked a goal after Lake conceded a 50-metre penalty for slapping the ball out of the hands of the North forward, the pair scuffled after Lake tackled Petrie, the Hawthorn defender having his hands firmly on Petrie's throat as Petrie retaliated to Lake's face.
The Roos ran rampant, kicking six goals in just 13 minutes as Hawthorn unraveled with a series of undisciplined free kicks. When Ryan Bastinac nailed a running goal with seven minutes remaining, North's lead had blown out to 35 points.
Hawthorn kicked the final two goals of the third term after regrouping, but North hung tough after Ryan Schoenmakers' goal brought the Hawks within 19 points with nine minutes remaining.
Earlier, North Melbourne took a six-point lead into half time after a free-flowing first term gave way to a tighter contest in the second quarter.
The Kangaroos had 46 more possessions than the Hawks in the first half, but could never shake off the reigning premiers after storming to a 19-point lead late in the opening term.
Jordan Lewis and Shaun Burgoyne kicked goals for the Hawks within a minute of one another deep in time-on of the first term, and when Jarryd Roughead burst onto a loose ball and goaled late in the second term, Hawthorn trailed by just a point.
Ben Brown capped off a coast-to-coast Kangaroos raid with a goal inside the last two minutes of the half, ensuring Hawthorn would go into half time trailing on the scoreboard for the first time this season.
The Hawks suffered a scare before the game, losing speedster Bradley Hill in the warm-up with knee soreness, and were down a rotation on the bench early when Brad Sewell was subbed out of the game with a right hamstring injury with nine minutes remaining before quarter-time.
Ex-Kangaroo Ben Ross came into the Hawks' side after Hill's withdrawal and started as the substitute, while North Melbourne went in unchanged.
NORTH MELBOURNE 5.3 7.6 14.7 16.12 (108)
HAWTHORN 4.2 6.6 10.9 13.10 (88)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Petrie 5, Black 3, Greenwood 2, Brown 2, Swallow, Thomas, Bastinac, Gibson
Hawthorn: Gunston 6, Roughead 2, Lewis, Burgoyne, Duryea, Breust
SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Liam Anthony replaced by Leigh Adams in the third quarter
Hawthorn: Brad Sewell (right hamstring) replaced by Ben Ross in the first quarter
