North Melbourne 9.2 (56) def Brisbane Lions 2.4 (16)
If grand finals are won in moments, then North Melbourne forward Kate Shierlaw will forever remember the unexpected gift that landed in her hands just three and a half minutes into the second term.
It was then that Shierlaw was awarded a 100-metre penalty that allowed her the easiest of goals, giving the undefeated Kangaroos an 11-point lead and the spark they needed to become the first-ever AFLW outfit to win back-to-back premierships.
They ran out 40-point winners – 9.2 (56) to 2.4 (16) – before a sellout crowd of 12,741 people, capping off a historic unbeaten season, becoming the first AFLW side to win back-to-back flags, and extending their winning streak to 27 games.
But until a second-quarter brain fade, the Lions had served up relentless pressure.
They put instant centre-bounce heat on the Kangaroos prime ball winners Jasmine Garner and Ash Riddell in a bid to stop North Melbourne’s drive.
Isabel Dawes stood Riddell, while Ally Anderson and Catherine Svarc took turns guarding Garner.
The tactic worked early with the Lions able to push into their forward 50 early and cause a Kangaroos error when defender Jasmine Ferguson was pinged for holding the ball. The tackler, Charlotte Mullins, confidently slotted the goal from 30 metres out to nail the game’s first major in the opening two minutes.
But the Kangaroos were able to quickly regroup.
Emma Kearney started providing drive off half-back and laid a number of bone-crunching tackles.
With the Lions focussing on Garner and Riddell, Eilish Sheerin broke free to rack up 10 first-term disposals and a goal.
The Kangaroos’ second came from a fine passage of play. Tess Craven hammered a long ball forward, allowing Emma King to pluck a big grab at half-forward. She then hit-up Bella Eddey who converted a 20-metre shot at goal.
The game was up for grabs at the first break, with North a goal in front. But at the start of the second term, the Lions handed North Melbourne an easy and unnecessary goal.
This was the turning point.
Shierlaw marked at half-back as the Kangaroos were moving the ball out of defence, but she was shoved in the back by veteran Lion Shannon Campbell as she attempted to get to her feet and was awarded a 50-metre penalty.
If that was not bad enough, Campbell then failed to clear a path for Shierlaw and copped another 50.
This led Shierlaw straight to the goal square for the easiest of kicks and North’s third major.
It was a deflating moment for the Lions and they conceded a fourth straight goal minutes later after a Garner pass found Jenna Bruton in front of the big sticks.
“You can’t help that feel that that massive penalty has flattened the Lions. It has,” AFLW expert commentator Kate McCarthy said on Seven.
“[It] basically give away a goal. Since that moment, they haven’t quite had the energy that we’ve seen early in the first term.
“In the desperate moments, North had the greater composure.”
Heavy tackles were laid from both sides, but North were able to flick the ball back to a free teammate and clear the ball to gain extra territory.
League medallist Riddell became the busiest player on the ground, burrowing under packs, finding space and playing wide of Dawes.
By the end of the game she had set a record for grand final possessions, racking up 39 disposals.
It was this constant surge that saw the ball pushed deep into the forward line just before half-time for North’s fifth straight goal.
This time the ball was flicked out to Sheerin, who snapped her second for the night on her trusty left boot.
At half-time, the Lions led the inside-50 count 24 to 13. But that was clearly misleading because the Kangaroos defence, led by Kearney and Libby Birch, dominated.
The Kangaroos turned the third term into an arm wrestle.
Tahlia Randall put an early second-half nail in the Lions’ coffin by marking and goaling to give North a 28-point lead just minutes into the third quarter.
But the Lions at least showed they had a pulse.
They managed their first goal since the opening two minutes of the game when Ruby Svarc was able to pounce on a loose ball out back and use her speed to break free and nail a major.
It brought Brisbane back to within 22 points. But they needed more than one goal.
Squaring the quarter a goal apiece meant North headed into the final term with a commanding 22-point lead.
They then showed why they were the competition’s best side, kicking three goals to none in the last term.
Sheerin and Garner played great support games to Riddell with 28 possessions each, while opportunist Jenna Bruton finished the game’s leading goalkicker with three.
For Brisbane, Dawes had 31 possessions.
Speaking after the final siren to Fox Footy, Kearney strongly hinted at playing on again next season.
“I’ve got a little bit to weigh up, but I’m pretty confident I’ll sign on the dotted line at some stage.”