Andrew Wu at Telstra Dome
North Melbourne moved into the top four on Sunday when it continued its red-hot charge to the finals with a convincing 51-point victory over Carlton at Telstra Dome.
After absorbing a frenetic first quarter in which the Blues played with vibrancy and urgency, the Kangaroos set up their 22.9 (141) to 14.6 (90) win by slamming eight goals to Carlton's three in the second quarter.
A double 50-metre penalty, one conceded by Brendan Fevola, who kicked six goals in another Jekyll and Hyde performance, which resulted in a goal in the dying stages of the half and the apparent booking of Simon Wiggins shortly after further swung the pendulum in North's favour.
Another nine goals to three in the second half, including one right on the siren to Lindsay Thomas, ensured there would be no coming back for the Blues, whose finals hopes are all but dashed with two rounds remaining.
On a weekend which saw Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs and Sydney all defeated, the claim that North is Geelong's greatest danger this season becomes more and more compelling.
While it is still a stretch to say the Kangaroos can topple the Cats, one can say with more confidence that North, with six wins on the trot, is clearly the in-form team outside of the ladder leader.
Despite Fevola's potency, the Kangaroos won thanks to an irresistible blend of toughness and class on the field and smarts from the coaches' box.
The class was again provided by Brent Harvey, who enhanced his Brownlow hopes with 30 touches and three goals in a best-on-ground effort, and surprisingly Leigh Harding, who up until this season had frustrated North fans with his unreliable kicking.
Harding, who at times had Chris Judd has his direct opponent, provided plenty of dash and verve out of defence. He even had the confidence to push forward and kick three goals.
But to isolate Harvey and Harding would not be doing justice to the likes of Shannon Grant, who turned the clock back with 18 disposals and three goals playing wing/half-forward, Michael Firrito and David Hale.
Hale, who outclassed and possibly ended the career of Jason Saddington, kicked two goals in three minutes during North's match-winning six-goal burst in the first 15 minutes of the second quarter.
It was during this period of the game where the Blues, with key playmakers Judd, Nick Stevens, and Marc Murphy down, had the wind sapped from their sails.
With North pushing numbers behind the ball, the Blues were unable to play with the same level of freedom as they did in the first term, forced often to kick long to contests where North's greater height and stronger bodies generally emerged on top.
That Fevola, who was often double and triple teamed, kicked more than half his team goals again highlighted the Blues' lack of alternative avenues to goal.
The same could not be said of North, which in the absence of Nathan Thompson and with Corey Jones again struggling, still managed to kick more than 20 goals for the second week running.
CARLTON: 6.2, 9.3, 10.5, 14.6 (90)
NORTH MELBOURNE: 5.2, 13.5, 17.8, 22.9 (141)
GOALS: Carlton: Fevola 6, Cloke 2, Fisher 2, Judd, Kreuzer, Russell, Scotland
North Melbourne: Grant 3, Hale 3, Harding 3, Harvey 3, Hansen 2, Jones 2, Thomas 2, Brown, McMahon, Petrie, B. Rawlings
BEST: Carlton: Judd, Fevola, Carrazzo, Walker, Cloke
North Melbourne: