THE symbolism is irresistible. In the opening minutes of the game, the competition's smallest player, Brent "Boomer" Harvey was knocked out.

His legs were rubbery. He staggered around, like a boxer taking an eight count, before he finally was able to jog off. He spent several minutes consulting the club doctor, stationed in the players' race. We knew that, so long as he was vertical, the little man would return.

The Kangaroos struggled in the subsequent minutes, and several times last evening, they, too, took standing counts — swaying, without their legs completely buckling under the Bulldog assault.

Once, players were supposed to have a week off after concussion; Harvey had no more than a dozen minutes. As soon as he was back on, it was clear that those exceptional motor skills weren't in the least affected. Later in the quarter, he produced the match's best goal, taking three bounces and then successfully selling a trademark dummy to slot it from 40 metres.

North coach Dean Laidley said Harvey had been "knocked senseless. He had the staggers.

"To regroup and come back on and do the things that he did at critical times, I thought was a testament to the way he's matured. It's a real privilege for me to coach him."

As with Harvey, North took the hits, and seemed wobbly. Yet it remained upright, hung around and finally prevailed.

The Roos were four goals down at half-time and, from that point, it was long odds that they would give "Boomer" what the Dogs had so ironically given Brad Johnson in round one — the fairytale milestone.

The same footy gods who intervened on behalf of the Bulldogs and Brad Johnson in round one — giving him the preposterous three goals in the last quarter to win the game in his 300th — willed Johnno's kick after the siren wide.

"It was great to pay homage to, I think, one of the all-time greats of this football club in Brent Harvey," said Laidley.

Still, the notion that North "did it for Boomer" is probably misguided, given that the game is so scientific and that, as old North champion, Malcolm Blight, has observed, you don't think of such things — or of anything really — when you're chasing the ball.

Moreover, we can't really see that Harvey inspired the victory when the Doggies actually had the last shot on goal, 40 metres out.

And the ball was in the most reliable and experienced of hands.

What can be said, however, is that North was probably the braver team, in the sense that it had fewer breaks — having Harvey seeing stars early, and then losing its next most dangerous runner, Daniel Wells, to a knee injury in the third quarter.

Even at three-quarter-time, when the margin was less than two kicks, most of us would have guessed that the Dogs would eke out their eighth victory.

The win was all the more meritorious considering Harvey himself was, understandably, a little less productive than normal, gaining 15 touches, not 30. Laidley protected his champion, post-concussion, by giving him more time as a small forward. He did, however, contribute two goals — including the one that put North in front for the first time, in the last quarter.

We often hear how various rule changes, in concert with the possession game and the general sanitation of the game, are turning footy "into basketball".

But those who hold that curmudgeonly view should consider this fact: how many sportsmen are asked to run 10 or 12 kilometres over a couple of hours, and risk a second hit to the head in a violent contact sport without helmets, after they've been knocked unconscious?

That was Brent Harvey's 250th game.

He won't remember much of it in future, except that another veteran who plays his above his weight division missed and gave him the Hollywood ending.