Premiership favourites North Melbourne remain unbeaten in 2024 after advancing to their third straight AFLW preliminary final with a seven-point victory over Adelaide in the qualifying final.
The Kangaroos found themselves firmly under the pump in the second quarter at Ikon Park on Friday night, before willing their way back into control to prevail 5.8 (38) to 5.1 (31).
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: North Melbourne penalised for controversial rushed behind free kick.
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Gun on-ball trio Ash Riddell (34 disposals, 10 clearances), Jasmine Garner (29, 10) and Mia King (24, nine) masterminded North’s charge, aided by small forward Bella Eddey’s two second quarter goals.
“What a cracking game,” Eddey said.
“Adelaide are a great outfit — we know that — and they really challenged us in that second quarter.
“We worked so hard for this.
“I’m really proud of the way we fought back. Super.”
Ebony Marinoff racked up 30 touches and 13 tackles for Adelaide, while Chelsea Randall and Caitlin Gould slotted two goals apiece.
The match was barely a minute old when the Kangaroos were up and away, with Tahlia Randall marking strongly and goaling.
Gould set up Adelaide’s initial reply, with a tough tackle on Jasmine Ferguson leading to Danielle Ponter’s successful snap, before converting herself from the goal square.
North pinched the lead back right on quarter-time after Crows defender Zoe Prowse was penalised for a deliberate rushed behind.
The call was controversial, given Prowse appeared to be under direct pressure and within the nine-metre line of the goal square.
“Oh, that’s a massive call!” Nigel Carmody said on Channel 7.
Speaking after the game, Crows coach Matthew Clarke wouldn’t be drawn on his opinion of the incident, but said they would take it up with the AFL to get clarity on the rule.
“We’ll just wait and see, we’ll probably ask the question,” he said with a wry smile.
The second term was all Adelaide, as North could barely muster a clean possession all quarter as the visitors dominated inside-50s 11-1.
But somehow, the Kangaroos kept Adelaide scoreless until the last 30 seconds of the half, when Randall’s inspirational chase down tackle on Erika O’Shea set up Gould’s second major.
The Roos would answer the challenge superbly in the third, making the Crows pay for their second-quarter inefficiency.
Randall’s bullocking, tackle-shrugging beauty was Adelaide’s sole shining light in the quarter as the hosts flipped the script spectacularly, controlling the outside through a kick-mark method, racking up 15-2 inside-50s, 13-6 clearances and leading by 10 points at the last break.
North fashioned just four behinds in the fourth but it provided them enough breathing space, with Randall’s major in the closing minutes a consolation reward.
Adelaide will next weekend host the winner of this Saturday’s first elimination final between Fremantle and Essendon.