North Melbourne vice-captain Jack Ziebell has been stretchered off with concussion in his side’s AFL pre-season win over Richmond at Etihad Stadium.

Play was held up for several minutes late in the second term at after Ziebell hit his head in an accidental collision with Tigers defender Alex Rance.

Ziebel was moving his arms as he left the ground and ended the game sitting on the interchange bench as the Kangaroos won by 14 points.

North led by 38 points midway through the second quarter and held off a late Richmond charge, winning 3.13.15 (120) to 2.12.16 (100).

Ziebell is one of North’s frontline midfielders, but he is coming off a season where he was hampered by shoulder and knee injuries.

Fellow onballer Daniel Wells and ruckman Todd Goldstein starred for the ‘Roos, while Western Bulldogs recruit Shaun Higgins and Lindsay Thomas kicked three goals apiece.

Richmond did not apply enough defensive pressure early in the match and North were cruising when they led by nearly five goals early in the last term.

But the Tigers finished with plenty of run and reduced the margin to 11 points before North steadied.

One big positive for Richmond was captain Trent Cotchin, who returned from a hamstring problem to play his first game of the pre-season.

The midfield ace was high among their best players with 20 disposals before he was subbed off at three-quarter time.

Teammate Dustin Martin kicked a nine-point supergoal in the second term from inside the centre square, with the ball travelling at least 70m .

The Richmond-North game was the first game of an Etihad Stadium double header, with the Western Bulldogs playing Collingwood in the evening.