The game was close all the way but the Bulldogs were able to pull away late and take the 16.14 (110) to 14.11 (95) win.
Shane Harvey kicked six goals up forward for the winners, and was helped out by Leigh Gilbert who kicked three and Will Connell and Ben Naylon who each slotted two.
For the Bloods, Peter Shepherd again starred up forward kicking six goals to bring his total for the season to 40. Nick Mafilovski also had a great day up forward booting three goals of his own.
From the outset both teams wanted to take the form from last week’s wins against Thomastown and South Morang respectively into this match and that’s exactly what they did.
Needing to win to stay in touch with the top four, Lalor came out of the blocks faster kicking two great goals within the opening five minutes.
But North Heidelberg didn’t allow its host much more breathing space, hitting back with two quick goals to even up the scores.
At the first break, Lalor held a five-point lead with the scores standing at 4.2 (26) to 3.3 (21).
Once the game started again for the second term, the focus for both teams was to get quick goals.
Fans were treated to a goal kicking spectacle as both team teams kicked seven majors for the term.
Shepherd and Harvey engaged in a shootout with the two star forwards kicking five and four goals in the second quarter respectively.
When the teams came out after the long break it was a very different game with scoring held to a minimum by both sides.
The Bulldogs were able to gain the lead at the final break kicking two goals to one in the third, and headed into the last quarter with a three-point buffer.
In the final quarter it was real end-to-end football but North Heidelberg was able to gain more opportunities kicking four goals to two to take the 15-point win.
The game will be remembered for its quick pace and the performance of both sides’ forward lines.
Many great marks were taken on leads and in contested situations and down both ends the forwards took their chances with many goals coming from between 40 and 50m out.
Despite its encouraging display, Lalor heads into the Queen’s Birthday weekend in a precarious position, sitting fifth on the ladder three wins behind fourth-placed Fitzroy Stars.
When the action resumes, Lalor travels to Epping to take on the first-placed Blues who had a 40-point win against Thomastown on Saturday to keep their unbeaten run going.
North Heidelberg is off to Victoria Park to take on Fitzroy Stars who ended a two-game losing streak when it defeated South Morang by 56 points on Saturday.
Final score: Lalor 14.11 (95) def by North Heidelberg 16.14 (110)
