The Blues went into the match looking to slow the Northern Bombers down and it worked for three terms.

However, the plan came undone as the reigning premiers’ leaders lifted in the final term to see them home 8.12 (60) to 8.11 (59) – sentencing Sam Lonergan’s men to a fifth loss in a row.

North had won the two sides’ previous two encounters this year by a combined 109 points but bout number three was played at a high intensity from start to finish.

Ethan Jackson and Mitch Thorp combined to boot the opening two majors with the Blues utilising a favourable strong breeze to gain the early ascendancy.

Bart McCulloch, who was forced to shoulder North’s ruck load with Alex Lee replaced in the side late by Lachlan Young, ended a patch of contested play between the arcs with a successful 20-metre set shot to get the reigning premiers rolling.

It was the last scoring shot of the quarter with Launceston heading into the first change six-points clear.

The Blues were no doubt moving the ball in a more direct fashion than usual with Lonergan switching things up. Dylan Riley – marked by Mark Walsh – started forward, Jobi Harper guarded dangerous North goalkicker Tom Bennett and the returning Rulla Kelly-Mansell lurked off half back.

Mariner Ethan Jackson was exiting and the Blues onballers were up to the task and ruled the midfield roost.

McCulloch managed to break away from Hamish Leedham once more to slot his second before another slow patch that yielded five consecutive behinds.

Riley broke the deadlock with a crumbing goal, only for Fletcher Bennett to reply and cancel it out with a soccer kick off the ground 30 seconds later.

The half-time siren sounded to end two short quarters with the old foes locked on 3.5 (23) apiece. North coach Taylor Whitford started to become prolific as Zach Burt and Jay Foon held true in defence, but the host’s struggled to enter attack with any confidence.

Riley capitalised on a freekick 25m out directly in front to give Launceston the lead and then extended it with his third running back into an open attacking 50.

After two behinds, Jake Hinds finally kicked truly to give the Blues a 18-point advantage in the 14th minute mark of the penultimate stanza.

Josh Ponting was gifted a 50m penalty and did not disappoint to get one back for North against the run of general play, before Riley took a fantastic mark and sent through his third for the term and fourth overall.

Launceston earned a 17-point buffer with a term to play as North proved wasteful kicking into the wind with 1.5 to fourth-ranked Blues’ 4.3 for the quarter.

It took North Launceston just 90 seconds to start its offensive with Dakota Bannister kicking the goal of the night – a long-range beauty from an acute angle.

Not for the the first time, Blues co-captain Chris Savage turned the ball over by foot – kicking it straight to Whitford 40m out, who then went back and reduced the deficit to one-straight goal.

Young gun Sherrin Egger was switched forward from defence and made it three goals in eight minutes to draw North level as skipper Brad Cox-Goodyer, Whitford, Ponting and Bannister began to lift immensely.

Bannister banged another one through as Launceston looked panicked under pressure for the first time.

Jackson finished off a rebounding piece of play to get the Blues back within a point at the 20 minute mark, before Riley again levelled things up with his second behind.

It was a thrilling final three minutes with both outfits desperately trying to avoid defeat, but it was a erroneous set shot from Egger that proved the difference and granted the ladder leaders four points.

The Blues were visibly disappointed to fall so short, while North was understandably relieved.

“It was a really good game of footy. We knew that they were going to come out hard and they owned the first half,” Whitford said post match.

“But for us to switch it over at half-time, grind that quarter out, get a bit of momentum in the last and come home with the win is a really gutsy effort which will put us in good stead training and playing wise over the next month.

“We just had to take the game on, being three goals down we weren’t going to win it by not doing that and we tried to get the ball out and run and carry it as much as we could to get it into our forwards one on one.”