North Melbourne beat Hawthorn by 39 points in an AFLW qualifying final on Friday night to secure its 25th win on the trot in its pursuit of back-to-back premierships.
The Hawks, on the other hand, claimed unwanted history, registering the lowest score ever recorded in an AFLW final.
In front of 4392 spectators at Ikon Park, the Kangaroos defeated the Hawks 5.12 (42) to 0.3 (3).
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From left: North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker with players Blaithin Bogue and Bella Eddey after the qualifying final win over Hawthorn. Getty
Hawthorn can find solace in the fact it kept North Melbourne to its lowest score of the year.
Jasmine Garner (27 disposals), Ash Riddell (26) and Erika O’Shea (24) found plenty of ball for North Melbourne, while Kim Rennie, Tahlia Randall, Alice O’Loughlin, Bella Eddey and Blaithin Bogue all scored a goal each.
Randall laid a tackle on Emily Everist in which the Hawk thumped into the turf head first, although a suspension is not expected.
Crucially, the Kangaroos emerged from the game with no injuries.
North coach Darren Crocker highlighted his side’s work inside 50m as an area for improvement.
“Their [the Hawks’] ability to not just defend inside the defensive 50m, but also put pressure on the ball carrier — sometimes the ball carrier was under pressure and they couldn’t get the ball in the areas they wanted to,” Crocker said.
“We could have been a little bit better with where we put the ball at times.”
Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster lamented his side’s lack of polish inside 50m.
“I thought the way we fought it out was actually pretty good,” Webster said.
“I thought we tried some different things, and I thought the look of the game was not too bad.
“It’s still some execution stuff that hurt us.”