The wayward Eagles kicked 1.13 in the first two and a half quarters of Sunday's match before finally hitting their groove to surge to an 18-point lead early in the final term.
North Melbourne had been error-riddled and looked one-dimensional until that point, but exploded with the final four goals of the match - including two to Cameron Zurhaar - to secure the 9.8 (62) to 6.16 (52) win.
Zurhaar's pack mark and goal with two minutes remaining - which gave North Melbourne the lead - proved the pivotal moment of the match.
But it was also heroics from ruckman Tristan Xerri (37 hitouts, 10 clearances and 22 disposals), three goals to Paul Curtis, a good second half from Harry Sheezel, the toughness of Luke Parker, the composure of Caleb Daniel, and the class of Jy Simpkin that helped North get over the line.
Young gun Colby McKercher was also influential with a team-high 35 disposals to go with 607m gained.
North Melbourne won the clearance count 15-4 in the vital last quarter.
"Our leaders really stood up in the last quarter," Clarkson said.
"I thought (Xerri) was the most influential player on the ground in the second half.
"It looked like we were staring down the barrel of defeat. To win from that position is a real credit to the players.
"I'm pleased our guys hung in there and didn't turn their toes up and gave themselves a chance."
The result means North Melbourne (3-8-1) are now two and a half wins ahead of last-placed West Coast (1-12).
Richmond (3-10) are two wins clear of the Eagles.
Not only did North Melbourne snare the win, but they will also collect a cool $1 million for "hosting'' the match in Bunbury, a coastal town two hours' drive south of Perth.
It's part of a three-year deal in which North Melbourne will play two home games a season in WA, including next Saturday's clash with Fremantle at Optus Stadium.
The only downer for North Melbourne out of Sunday's match was a game-ending injury to defender Charlie Comben, who was subbed out in the third quarter after copping a painful knee to the back in a marking contest.
"He'll get a scan," Clarkson said.
"He had a fair amount of discomfort. He's had shoulder problems before, but this is more his upper back.
"Not sure if it's bruised or other damage."
Former Eagle Jack Darling was held scoreless from 10 disposals.
Eagles co-captain Liam Duggan tallied a team-high 23 disposals, Elijah Hewett racked up 22 disposals and six clearances, while forward Jack Williams kicked two goals.
The Eagles had 0.8 to their name and had just entered their forward-50 arc for a staggering 34th time when Williams finally broke the goal drought with a close-range set shot late in the second quarter.
The goal reduced the margin to seven points at halftime, with North holding the lead despite being pummelled 39-17 in the inside-50 count.
West Coast had a woeful 1.13 to their name before producing a 4.1 spurt to finish the third quarter.
But just as the game looked won for the Eagles, North hit back hard in a thrilling finish.
"It's simple - we were smashed around the ball," West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said of his team's last-quarter collapse.
"For three quarters I thought we were a dominant football team.
"We played the way we wanted to play and we were able to get the game looking the way we wanted it to look.
"When you're dominating territory, you need to be able to punish teams on the scoreboard, and we weren't able to do that today."
