A heart-stopping finish has seen the Northern Blues come away with a five-point win over Geelong.

On a day where the two sides went blow-for-blow, it was the Blues who found themselves ahead at the final siren on the way to a 12. 8. (80) to 11. 9. (75) win.

Northern was made to do it tough, as the Cats kept answering whatever the home side threw at them from the opening whistle.

Geelong got out to a fast start with the first goal of the game, before Tom Wilson and Kristian Jaksch hit back for the Blues.

As an indication of what was to come for the rest of the afternoon, a goal in the final minute of the first term saw Geelong nudge their noses in front at the first change.

The second quarter followed in a similar vein to the first, with Northern jumping to the lead before Geelong once again clawed their way into the lead.

Northern had to deal with a shortage of rotations, with Daniel Gorringe missing the majority of the second half through injury.

Thanks to clutch goals from Billie Smedts and Dennis Armfield, Northern opened up a handy gap in a low-scoring game, before another late goal meant there was one kick in it.

After a cagey opening three quarters, the game turned into a shootout in the last, with 10 goals shared evenly between either side.

Northern looked to be on its way with two goals inside the opening two minutes resulting in a game-high 17-point lead.

However, true to form, Geelong answered straight back to get within one point on two occasions in the final term.

Whe Jaksch kicked his fourth goal of the game, the Cats once again replied before levelling the scores with a behind.

It took a piece of individual brilliance from Jarrod Pickett to ultimately swing the result in favour of the Blues, who held on in a gruelling 36-minute final quarter with the ball locked inside Geelong’s front half.

Nick Graham was at his industrious best with 34 disposals and 11 clearances, as was the returning Tom Wilson who had 12 clearances and a goal amidst his 27 disposals.

It was a welcome return to winning form for the Blues, who will host the reigning premier Footscray at Ikon Park next Saturday at 11am.

NORTHERN BLUES 2.2 5.4 7.4 12. 8. (80)

GEELONG VFL 2.4 5.5 6.6 11. 9. (75)

GOALS

Northern Blues: Jaksch 4, Pickett 2, Armfield, Gallucci, Palmer, Smedts, Stevens, Wilson

BESTS

Northern Blues: Graham, Wilson, O’Shea, Jaksch, Sheehan, L. Russell