The Kangaroos were held goalless in the first half for just the second time in their history, but they stormed home with four unanswered goals in the second half to post a 4.7 (31) to 3.4 (22) win on Friday.
Garner was influential in the win, tallying 32 disposals, 12 clearances, 11 tackles, 600m gained and a 50m goal on the run.
North ruck Emma King was a rock with seven marks to go with 25 hitouts, while forward Bella Eddey kicked two vital goals.
Kangaroos defender Jasmine Ferguson played an excellent shutdown role on star Geelong forward Chloe Scheer, who managed just 0.1 from three disposals.
It came a week after Scheer booted five goals in a thumping win over Sydney.
Georgie Prespakis (27 disposals, one goal) battled hard for the Cats, but North Melbourne controlled the midfield battle after halftime to secure their third straight win to start the season.
The Cats, who are now 0-6 in head-to-head battles against North Melbourne, are 2-1 for the season.
Geelong's Julia Crockett-Grills could be in trouble for a dump tackle on Mia King.
King was assessed on the sidelines for concussion, but was cleared to return.
North Melbourne beat Geelong by two points in last year's elimination final, but they struggled to find their rhythm early in Friday's re-match.
It was the Mikayla Bowen show in the opening quarter as the Geelong speedster nailed two goals from holding-the-ball free kicks.
A running goal from Geelong star Prespakis proved to be the only major of the second quarter, with the Cats heading to the long break with a 17-point lead.
The Kangaroos won the inside 50m count 20-17 in the opening half, but they only had three behinds to show for it.
It marked just the second time North Melbourne had been held goalless in the first half - the other one being against Collingwood in round four, 2021, whey they only scored 0.8 (8) for the match.
The Kangaroos finally found their groove in the third term, scoring three goals to surge to a three-point lead.
Eddey broke North's drought with a scrappy close-range goal, and North had two on the board when Tahlia Randall converted a free kick.
North were in front when Garner nailed a 50m goal on the run, and Eddey's close-range goal early in the final quarter proved to be the final dagger.
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