Aside from eight goals from captain Jonathan Brown, it was not the sort of display one would expect from a side on the cusp of a top four berth, but the Brisbane Lions did more than enough in claiming a 41-point victory over North Melbourne at the Gabba on Saturday night.

Coming off a below par performance in Perth where wet weather had a detrimental impact on skill levels in their 15-point win over the Dockers, the Lions again failed to bring their best to the table for much of the contest, but boosted by a seven-goal third quarter were able to get the better of the Kangaroos, 17.14 (116) to 11.9 (75).

Brown slotted his 400th career goal at the start of the fourth quarter and brought his season's tally to 63, leapfrogging Brendan Fevola (61 goals) in the race for the Coleman Medal.

Brown made the most of a major size advantage he held over Josh Gibson early before Drew Petrie was shifted onto the forward late in the piece - with limited amounts of success.

Aside from an erroneous shot that failed to register a score and a behind in the final term, the skipper's radar was tuned to perfection and it was no surprise that he booted four goals in the key third stanza.

In perfect conditions, bar some lights that malfunctioned early on, the hosts were expected to easily take the points and stay within reach of the top four in a contest that pitted fifth against 12th.

However the Lions started sluggishly, with the Kangaroos able to establish a 12-point lead at the 17th minute mark of the opening term.

Two impressive second-quarter goals from 18-year-old Jack Redden saw the Lions skip clear to a 16-point lead by halftime but it was not until a match-turning third quarter that North Melbourne's spirit was extinguished.

Brown's heroics - more often than not typified by courageously crashing packs - increased his side's lead to 39 points at three-quarter time.

While the behemoth added another two after the final break, majors to Matt Campbell, Brent Harvey and Corey Jones - who was the Kangaroos' best forward with four goals - helped the visitors save some face.

Justin Sherman's blistering pace provided a spark for the hosts in the midfield when they were struggling in the first half, while Simon Black and Luke Power worked the stoppages with aplomb - collecting a combined total of 56 disposals.

Josh Drummond,