0 
0 North Melbourne has won a second straight game under Alastair Clarkson after surviving a controversial finish in a thriller against Fremantle in Perth.
The Kangaroos looked well and truly home before Fremantle kicked three goals in a matter of four minutes to ensure some heart-stopping final seconds.
With the seconds dwindling down, Fremantle had one last entry inside forward 50 when Luke Ryan was given a free kick for deliberate out of bounds.
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Ryan sent a long kick deep into Fremantle’s forward 50 before Daniel Howe swooped on a ball in dispute inside the goal square and kicked it towards the boundary line.
The ball dribbled towards the boundary, reaching the line barely a second after the siren rang as Fremantle players protested for a deliberate out of bounds decision to be paid.
After a short conference, the umpires deemed that the siren had sounded prior to the ball leaving the field of play, therefore voiding the deliberate out of bounds call and preserving the one-point win for North Melbourne.
The decision was made despite the umpires deciding that they would pay Fremantle a deliberate out of bounds free kick shortly after Howe kicked the ball towards the boundary.
Replays on Fox Footy showed one of the four field umpires yelling “pay it” (the deliberate out of bounds free kick, shortly after the ball left Howe’s boot).
“It was called deliberate so it’s all on time, it’s not about the decision and the umpire’s interpretation,” Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton said on Fox Footy.
Added Cameron Mooney: “The decision should be deliberate, it’s just (a question of) whether the umpire got the chance to make the decision. It’s going to be debated.”
It was another remarkable result for the Clarkson era, with the Kangaroos incredibly already matching last season’s wins total.
Last year’s No.3 pick Harry Sheezel continued the stunning start to his AFL career, finishing with 30 disposals and 563 metres gained, while star midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke added 30 disposals and a goal.
The Kangaroos will hope to make it three straight when they face Clarkson’s old side Hawthorn in Tasmania in round three.
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