North Melbourne registered its fourth win of the season, a typically scrappy, fighting, come-from-behind effort, by 13 points over Fremantle at Eithad Stadium on Saturday.

After being jumped early by the Dockers, the Kangaroos slowly but surely hauled the visitors in to win 14.14 (98) to 12.13 (85).

The contest was going nowhere until Fremantle defender Steven Dodd conceded just the second 'deliberate' behind to be penalised this season in the closing minutes of the third quarter to spark a three-goal burst from North that proved decisive.

David Hale made the most of his opportunities to finish with five goals for North including the match-winner in the final minute of play, while Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich, who spent most of the afternoon in the midfield, finished with three including two in the final term when the game was up for grabs.

The first meeting of these teams in Melbourne since 2003 and only their second-ever clash at this venue attracted a paltry 15,436, well short of what North was hoping for to generate gate takings and buzz.

The restrained atmosphere early on became more subdued with each Fremantle forward entry - it had 20 inside-50s for the opening term to North's eight - and managed to convert six of them into goals.

The contest was transformed in the second term when Dean Laidley switched Daniel Wells from a rebounding half-back role to half-forward where he was matched with Dockers boom youngster Stephen Hill.

In a five-minute burst, Wells brought the dormant crowd to life when he pinpointed Hale and Drew Petrie for a brace of goals before sidestepping two hapless Dockers defenders and slotting a sensational major of his own.

Wells was the catalyst for a North resurgence that enabled them to trim the deficit from 26 points at quarter-time to just five at the main break.

After the teams traded early third-quarter goals, the contest meandered aimlessly for 20 minutes of thoroughly forgettable football before Dodd committed the match-turning clanger.

Chasing the ball towards the Kangaroos goal with no opponents within cooee, Dodd pushed the ball through for a behind that was rightly deemed deliberate.

Aaron Edwards duly goaled from a tight angle and North was away.

Youngsters Sam Wright and Todd Goldstein added quick-fire goals to make it three for North in the last three crucial minutes of the term.

The stalemate had been broken, and after appearing incapable of scoring for most of the quarter, the Kangaroos went to the huddle with an unlikely 13-point break to protect in the final term.

North snared the all-important opening goal of the last quarter when Hale marked strongly in the opening minute to stretch the lead to 19.

After goals from Pavlich and Luke McPharlin, there was just a kick in it from the 13-minute mark and the game was anyone's until the closing seconds when Hale marked and slotted truly from deep in the pocket for what proved to be the sealer.

NORTH MELBOURNE: 2.3, 8.8, 12.11, 14.14 (98)
FREMANTLE: 6.5, 9.7, 10.10, 12.13 (85)

GOALS: North Melbourne: Hale 5, Warren 2, Wells, Petrie, Harding, Rawlings, Wright, Edwards, Goldstein
Fremantle: McPharlin 4, Pavlich 3, Hasleby 2, Hayden, Peake, Headland
BEST: North Melbourne: Rawlings, Hale, Urquhart, Gibson, Swallow, Simpson, Petrie
Fremantle: Pavlich, Hasleby, Ibbotson, McPharlin, Hinkley
INJURIES: North Melbourne: Ziebell (shoulder)
Fremantle: Hayden (calf)
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: McBurney, Stewart, M.Nicholls
CROWD: 15,436 at Etihad Stadium