West Coast's desperate fightback fell one point short of North Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Kangaroos led by 20 points early in the fourth quarter but were under significant pressure late as the Eagles charged home with the final three goals.
Eagles spearhead Jake Waterman had the chance to put his side ahead in the dying stages but hit the post as the Roos held on to record a 10.14 (74) to 10.13 (73) win.
Waterman booted 3.3 and played a massive role in the fightback, with opposition key forward Nick Larkey consoling the All Australian after the siren.
Larkey was outstanding for the winners, booting four goals and standing up in critical contests late as North bounced back from its 124-point flogging against Fremantle and split its sold WA 'home' games 1-1 for a second season.
The win keeps the Kangaroos in the wildcard race at 6-7 ahead of a clash with Richmond next Sunday, with Alastair Clarkson's team playing with plenty of grit and fight after a challenging week.
Both teams looked capable of taking control of the game through the first two-and-a-half quarters, with West Coast building a 17-point lead in the second term after a five-goal run, and North Melbourne responding with a six-goal burst of its own.
As has become common with these teams, however, the match was ultimately decided late, with young Eagles forward Jobe Shanahan kicking two late goals to drive the fightback and taking a series of stunning contested marks.
Harry Sheezel was terrific for the Roos, providing plenty of drive and polish with his 32 disposals, nine inside 50s and nine clearances, while former Eagle Jack Darling played a pivotal role early with four first-half goals.
Ruckman Tristan Xerri was a combative force in an entertaining match-up with Bailey Williams, giving North a physical presence around stoppages as they out-tackled West Coast 72-47 and won the contested ball battle 119-116.
The Eagles were best served by key duo Waterman and Shanahan, while young star Harley Reid (21 and five clearances) was influential early. Tim Kelly (27 and nine clearances) continued a terrific season, with mid-season recruit Marcus Herbert showing great signs.
West Coast lost wingman Hamish Davis to concussion in the opening term, adding to the challenge after Tom McCarthy (hamstring), Willem Duursma (calf) and Reuben Ginbey (quad) were forced out of the side for this match.
Alastair Clarkson challenged his team to bring the effort and endeavour that was missing against Fremantle, with Darling stepping up early against his former team to kick the opening goal after some hard-running efforts.
His teammates followed, with the Roos working hard defensively to pin the ball in their front half but failing to capitalise as Charlie Spargo, Larkey and Cooper Trembath all missed opportunities before Larkey finally converted.
The West Coast response was driven by Reid, who was typically physical and shot through stoppages at speed to cause panic in the North Melbourne defence, eventually resulting in a goal from a high contact free kick.
The young star had 11 disposals and five clearances for the quarter, with the Eagles taking a five-point lead into the first break after Spargo gave away an undisciplined free kick to Brady Hough.
West Coast built on its momentum in the second, with back-to-back goals for Waterman giving them a 17-point lead and five unanswered goals early in the term.
They looked ready to take over the game, but momentum shifted after Waterman had a potential third goal overturned, with North also utilising Luke Parker as a spare defender to control the red-hot Eagles' spearhead.
As Waterman cooled, his former teammate Darling heated up, kicking three consecutive goals to wrench back the lead at half-time as he got on top of smaller opponents, including Brandon Starcevich.
The Roos got out to a 20-point break in the third, with Larkey booting a pair of goals and Sheezel snapping accurately from the pocket after standing unmanned at a forward 50 stoppage.
Tom Cole gave West Coast a boost when he laid a sensational chasedown tackle and converted from his free kick, while young forward Shanahan capped a strong quarter with a contested mark and terrific set shot goal to cut the margin to 14 points at the last break.
A 20-point margin early in the fourth looked likely to be enough for the Roos, but Shanahan and the Eagles made them fight right to the end in a 'home' game win on enemy territory.
West Coast has the bye in round 15 before travelling to take on Carlton at Marvel Stadium.
NORTH MELBOURNE 2.5 5.8 9.11 10.14 (74)
WEST COAST 3.4 5.7 7.9 10.13 (73)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Darling 4, Larkey 4, Sheezel, Trembath
West Coast: Shanahan 3, Waterman 3, Baker, Cole, Hough, Reid
BEST
North Melbourne: Sheezel, Larkey, Darling, Xerri, Blamires, Stephens, Simpkin
West Coast: Shanahan, Waterman, Kelly, Reid, Williams, Duggan
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
West Coast: Davis (concussion)
Crowd: 42,409 at Optus Stadium
