Goals: Sydney: L Franklin 4, A Goodes 3, G Rohan 2, K Tippett 2, D Hannebery, H Cunningham, L Jetta. North Melbourne: L Thomas 2, R Nahas 2, S Higgins 2, B Harvey, D Petrie, S Wright, T Dumont.
BEST: Sydney: Parker, Laidler, Jetta, McVeigh, Franklin, Goodes. North Melbourne: Goldstein, Hansen, Swallow, Cunnington, Higgins, Wright.
Injuries: Sydney: H Grundy (knee).
Umpires: Shaun Ryan, Ben Ryan, Jacob Mollison.
Official Crowd: 32,127 at Etihad Stadium.

North Melbourne was brave last week against West Coast to pinch a win kicking into the teeth of a howling gale. The Roos were pretty brave on Saturday night against Sydney, too.

But you simply aren't given the sort of largesse the Roos received last Sunday when you're playing a side whose consistency of performance has become a byword, and which has all but stitched up midway through the season a 12th finals appearance in the past 13 years.

That made the Kangaroos' second quarter against the Swans at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night a deal-breaker. North won the second half against the Swans. They ended up with more scoring shots, and could have crept within a goal with still five minutes left on the clock but for a miss by Jarrad Waite.

But it was Sydney who played the most dominant football in this match. It may have occupied only a quarter-and-a-bit, but the Swans' second term counted where it mattered most, on the scoreboard.

From the time Lance Franklin steered his first home midway through the first term until the beginning of the second half, the Swans seized control of the game, extending their lead to 36 points shortly before half-time. It was a run of seven of eight goals scored. And that, ultimately, was the difference.

That North was still somehow within five goals come the long break owed plenty good fortune, Lindsay Thomas twice cashing in on a couple of uncharacteristic Swans' mistakes for goals.

More reflective was the inside 50 count, which for the second quarter, read 22-5 in Sydney's favour.  This was the Swans at their attacking, creative best, Tippett and Franklin with five goals between them at the long break.

North wasn't helping itself much, either. A fumble by Thomas saw Tippett race into an open goal on the counter-attack.

Franklin's third came from another turnover, an ill-judged North Melbourne chip inboard spoiled brilliantly by Sydney defender Nick Smith.

And Luke Parker was allowed to keep the ball alive around the boundary when it should have been hastened out, his centre landing in the safe arms of Adam Goodes, sadly again the subject of mindless, no, make that idiotic  booing.

Goodes' influence only seemed to grow with the increasing volume of the jeers, two more third-quarter goals making him and Franklin the leading goalscorers by the final change.

Credit goes to the Roos for bouncing back hard in the second half. The comeback started immediately, in fact, Shaun Higgins continuing his big debut year  with the first two goals of the third term, the second after a pretty inspirational spoil from Jack Ziebell.

Skipper Andrew Swallow cracked in all night, Ben Cunnington likewise, Lachie Hansen did his spare man in defence thing brilliantly, and yet again, no Roo exerted a presence as big as ruckman Todd Goldstein, completely dominant in the hit-outs and very handy around the ground, too.

But no side can afford not to take its chances against the Swans, and even when the tide of play turned, the Roos couldn't.

Robin Nahas was a culprit, despite some inspired forward defence, ditto Brent Harvey later in the game, Waite in the clinches then even Higgins right at the death.

Sydney's best stood up as per usual when they had to, not for the first time this season, none as tall as Luke Parker, no goals this time but 33 disposals, six tackles, five clearances and a couple of score assists just as good.

In defence, meanwhile, Jeremy Laider was superb with both his intercept marking and rebounds from the defensive 50.

And in a tight game, conversion counts for everything, and Franklin and Goodes ended up with seven goals straight between them.

North Melbourne will learn some lessons out of this loss, but at 5-6 there's a fair bit of ground to be made up now.