ESSENDON has held on to defeat a gallant North Melbourne by three points in a Thursday night thriller at Marvel Stadium.

The Bombers managed just two goals after the main break, but had done enough in a dominant first half to secure the 9.11 (65) to 9.8 (62) victory.

BOMBERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

A missed shot to North Melbourne debutant Finnbar Maley with less than two minutes to go helped the Bombers get over the line in a nailbiting finish in front of a raucous crowd of 35,439.

The mature-aged recruit took a contested mark with the game in the balance, but took longer than the designated 30 seconds to begin his run up and was called by the umpire to play on. 

The call rushed the 21-year-old, whose kick dropped short on the goalline and was taken over by Essendon defenders for behind.

The Bombers kept possession of the ball in the final moments to hold for the narrow win.

The Bombers came out of the blocks firing, kicking the first three goals of the match. Two of the three came from young forward Archie Perkins, who converted two set shots from practically the same spot on the 50m arc.

Essendon transitioned the ball quickly when going forward, opening up North's defence and making it easy for the Bombers to find free players inside 50.

North finally got a score of their own midway through the term when Cam Zurhaar converted from a free kick. 

The second term was a low scoring affair with only two goals kicked for the term. The Bombers wasted opportunities in front of goal, with Peter Wright missing two set shots, while at the other end, North skipper Jy Simpkin kicked his first with a scintillating goal on the run.

Coincidentally, both sides suffered hamstring injuries to key players in the second quarter within minutes of each other.

First it was North's Jackson Archer, who limped from the field midway through the term, before luckless Bomber Jordan Ridley left the ground shortly after with the same injury.

The Bomber suffered a hamstring setback over the pre-season and was limited to just nine games last year due to a quad injury.

Bombers forward Jade Gresham's night also finished early with a groin concern, leaving Essendon with just two fit players on the bench late in the final term.

After all the Bombers' good work, a third goal to Perkins before half-time extended their margin back out to 25 points at the main break.

North came out with renewed energy after half-time, kicking four unanswered goals to start the second half. 

The first came from a dashing run inside 50 from 2023 No.2 draft pick Colby McKercher, then the following two came from consecutive goals to North spearhead Nick Larkey. 

Larkey, who has had his goalkicking issues in recent weeks, kicked a long set shot from the boundary, followed by a short set shot from a free kick.

North's four goals reduced the margin to one point, before young Essendon forward Nate Caddy came through for his side with a soccered kick to give his second goal for the game and give his side a much-needed steadier.

But it was short lived, as North responded quickly when Zurhaar kicked the goal of the game, a dribbling ball from the boundary that went past two Essendon defenders.

Moments before the three-quarter time siren, Bomber Harrison Jones rolled over on his ankle as he attempted to spoil a Dylan Stephens mark near the boundary line.

He landed awkwardly and had to be stretchered off the ground.

The stage was set for a close final quarter, and it delivered. Livewire Essendon forward Isaac Kako, who had a relatively quiet night, kicked the first of the final term when he crumbed and snapped a goal to start proceedings.

The arm wrestle continued until finally North got one of their own when Zane Duursma again reduced the margin to within a goal late.

North had its moment when Maley lined up for his shot on goal, but his miss allowed the Bombers to hang on in a thriller.

ESSENDON                    6.1    7.5    8.7    9.11 (65)
NORTH MELBOURNE     2.3    3.4    8.6    9.8 (62)

GOALS
Essendon: Perkins 3, Caddy 2, Langford, Martin, Hobbs, Kako
North Melbourne: Larkey 2, Simpkin 2, Zurhaar 2, Maley, McKercher, Duursma

BEST
Essendon: Merrett, Caddy, Perkins, Durham, Redman
North Melbourne: Xerri, Powell, Zurhaar, Simpkin, Sheezel

INJURIES
Essendon: Ridley (hamstring), Jones (ankle), Gresham (groin)
North Melbourne: Archer (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Jye Menzie (replaced Jordan Ridley in the second quarter)
North Melbourne: Bailey Scott (replaced Jackson Archer in the second quarter)

Crowd: 35,439 at Marvel Stadium