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North schoolboy Josh Murphy had a kick from 45m out and 15m in from the boundary, in front of the old grandstand at Albury Sportsground, but pushed the kick across the face of goal.
The Tigers had led for only 15 minutes throughout the match, but sealed a pulsating 7.9 (51) to 6.13 (49) win in front of Albury's biggest crowd, approximately 2500, in many years.
"It probably wasn't going our way early, they were on top, to be fair, we were just hanging in there, so to come back in the end, you can't buy experience like that for our young guys, especially to get away with the win," Albury co-coach Shaun Daly said.
The margin equals Albury's closest win over the Hoppers, in 1998, while North has won the only one-point games, in 1977 and 1988.
North was trying desperately to break the longest losing streak to an individual club since the league started in 1893.
The Tigers had won the last 28 matches between the pair and many games since the Hoppers' last win in 2008 had been over by quarter-time with the Albury powerhouse of the past 15 years too strong.
But this young North outfit is at least a 15-goal better outfit than the one which claimed the wooden spoon only two years ago and has revived interest in the rivalry.
It was a finals' type game, with enormous pressure from both teams.
Tigers' veteran Brayden O'Hara nabbed the first goal through a free kick in the goal square after a minute and while North's Foster Gardiner replied just two minutes later, O'Hara handed the home team a five-point break at quarter-time when he marked on the 50m arc and played on to nail a shot from 45m.
The lead was short-lived as Murphy turned his opponent inside out and drilled a pass to the unmarked Cayden Winter in the goal square and three more majors in a seven-minute period pushed the margin to a game-high 14 points.
However, Murphy was reported for allegedly engaging in rough conduct against Tom O'Brien late in the term, receiving a yellow card and 15 minutes off the ground.
At 2-2 heading into the game, Albury needed to win and lifted its intensity even further with O'Brien saving a certain goal when he grabbed Jack Reynolds' arm just 10m out.
The Tigers' Jono Male kicked the only goal of the third stanza with a 30m snap, while Hopper Flynn Gardiner showed tremendous courage, running back with the flight as Kolby Heiner-Hennessy loomed.
North carried a one-goal lead into the final break, but Tigers' co-coach Anthony Miles levelled the scores when he converted from 48m.
However, the Hoppers regained the lead through sharpshooter Nathan Dennis at the four-minute mark.
There were a series of points, but Albury's Jeff Garlett produced a free kick-winning tackle and pinpointed a pass to Mat Walker, who kicked the goal from 30m and eight metres off centre.
It was Walker's first goal for the game after a 0.5 output against Lavington a fortnight ago.
"That Lavi game threw a spanner in the works a little bit, but I've been working on it, I'm surprised I haven't done a quad during the week, I've been practicing a fair bit," he admitted.
But North still had chances, with Murphy slumping to the ground after the final miss, although team-mates rushed to console him.
"We didn't execute for the full four quarters, but we're on a journey and we're looking to improve as we go and although it's disappointing and frustrating to lose, this was another step in the right direction," North coach Tim Broomhead revealed.
Albury's Jake Page tagged Broomhead and restricted his output, Hamish Gilmore kept Josh Minogue goalless, although he battled an ankle injury for much of the match, while O'Hara's three goals were crucial.
Julian Hayes had 32 touches for North and was composed in defence, captain George Godde racked up 27 disposals, Jackson Weidemann's class, the pace of Archer Gardiner and two goals from his twin brother Foster proved pivotal, while Murphy took a host of marks, but could manage only 1.6.
It was North's first loss, but could be even more crucial for Albury as it targets another top three finish.
