The biggest game of the year is upon us with the Roos and Lions set to go head-to-head in what promises to be a thrilling contest in this year’s 2025 AFLW Grand Final.

For the Roos, history awaits. A win for Darren Crocker’s side would cement their status as the best AFLW team we’ve ever seen. The Roos have already won 26 consecutive matches, breaking the AFL/VFL/AFLW record. Now, they’ve got the chance to become the first team in history to win back-to-back premierships.

Craig Starcevich’s Lions have been arguably the most consistently successful side in the League’s history. Not only can they be the side to break the Roos’ record run, but they can also win their second premiership in three seasons, having defeated the Kangas back in the 2023 decider.

Foxfooty.com.au takes a look at where the game will be won and lost on Saturday night.

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SEIZING THE BIG MOMENTS

Grand finals can be won and lost and legacies cemented in big moments and whichever side seizes those moments best on Saturday night will likely prevail.

In North Melbourne’s preliminary final against Melbourne last week, their premiership defence was seriously under threat at the final change. Trailing by a goal at three-quarter-time, the Roos needed their star power to stand tall. And they did just that.

Captain Jasmine Garner put together a final quarter for the ages, tearing the game apart in a blistering fourth term. The gun Roo amassed 12 disposals, four clearances and four score involvements alone in the last stanza, kicking a crucial goal from a stoppage late to seal the deal for the Roos. AFLW Best and Fairest Ash Riddell was also instrumental in the fourth with nine touches, while the likes of Alice O’Loughlin and Blaithin Bogue also stood tall in important moments.

“She’s unbelievable, she’s been a stalwart of the competition… she’s an icon,” retiring Geelong champion Meg McDonald said of Garner on Fox Footy.

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Garner hailed her side’s ability to stand up in the clinches.

“Melbourne threw it all at us and it was a great game of footy. That was finals footy. We dug deep in that last quarter, it’s a pretty special win,” Garner said.

“It wasn’t easy, we really embraced the challenge. Crock loves turning challenges into opportunities and that’s exactly what we did.”

The Lions cruised past the Blues in their preliminary final, but they’ve certainly got their fair share of big game performers as well.

Captain Bre Koenen won the Best on Ground Medal in the 2023 decider and is built for the big stage, while midfielder Belle Dawes thrives on stepping up in key moments. Then there’s midfield jet Ally Anderson, forward duo Courtney Hodder and Dakota Davidson and winger Sophie Conway.

It doesn’t have to be your day, but it can be your moment.

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CAN LIONS STOP STAR-STUDDED ROOS FORWARD LINE?

North Melbourne’s forward line is genuinely the envy of the rest of the competition. Unlike some teams where you can double-team or focus on one or two players, every single North Melbourne forward can break the game open on their day.

Let’s start with their tall timber. Tahlia Randall has had an All-Australian calibre season and is a force to be reckoned with in the air, but she is also more than adept when the ball hits the deck. Veteran Kate Shierlaw plays with a presence alongside her, while Emma King’s height is a nightmare for opposition defenders. The three of them form a fearsome three-headed monster.

Then there’s the smalls. Alice O’Loughlin was an All-Australian last year and has incredible footy IQ and nous around goal and often plays well against the Lions as a tricky opponent. Don’t forget about the Irish duo of Blaithin Bogue and Vikki Wall, either. Wall is a human wrecking ball, who loves the bash and crash of the Aussie game. She’s fast, agile and her defensive pressure is A plus. Bogue is arguably the story of the AFLW season. After failing to play a game last year, Bogue had an enormous breakout year, becoming an All-Australian for the first time. It’s been an incredible year for the Irish import who’s somehow made this forward line even better.

It also reinforces North Melbourne’s commitment to resourcing and developing its players. There is no club quite like the Roos when it comes to giving their all to its AFLW program to ensure the players perform to the best of their ability.

But it isn’t just the forwards that hit the scoreboard. North Melbourne’s midfield regularly contribute, headlined by Garner, who has booted a whopping 20 goals this season, ranked eighth competition wide. A pretty handy return for a player who plays mainly as a midfielder.

Brisbane’s All-Australian squad members Jen Dunne and Jade Ellenger will certainly have their hands full, as will veteran Shannon Campbell and gun back Nat Grider.

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CURBING THE INFLUENCE OF LIONS LIVEWIRE

If anyone can put this Lions side on her back to claim the ultimate prize, then it’s Courtney Hodder. In truth, there aren’t too many players in the League who can run with her in full flight.

Hodder’s skillset is incredible. She’s got breathtaking pace, plenty of courage and is an incredibly smart footballer. This year she’s taken her game to another level, spending more time through the midfield, adding to her constant creativity in the front half.

In 2025, Hodder has averaged a career-high 16.1 disposals and five score involvements in addition to 6.5 tackles and 1.1 goals per game. She doesn’t shirk a contest defensively and her speed and ability to break the lines have given the Lions a new dimension to their midfield group this year. In this year’s AFLW Best and Fairest count, Hodder polled eight votes, ranked equal second at the club.

Hodder is a dynamic player whose agility and acceleration mean she is a nightmarish match-up. She’s box office and could legitimately break this game open. How North Melbourne can stop her remains a point of intrigue and something that will no doubt be on Darren Crocker’s mind throughout the week.

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BATTLE OF THE MIDFIELD HEATS UP

If you haven’t watched a lot of AFLW before, then you should absolutely tune in on Saturday night as the best of the best strut their stuff. The clash of the titans in the midfield will be worth the price of admission alone.

Let’s take a look at the Roos first. Jasmine Garner is arguably the greatest player to ever do it. An eight-time All-Australian with three AFLPA MVP’s and three AFLCA Champion Player of the Year awards to her name, there isn’t much Garner hasn’t achieved. She also stands up on the big stage, having claimed last year’s Best on Ground Medal in the decider and polling 20 votes in the past two grand finals.

Alongside teammate Ash Riddell, the duo are one of the most feared one-two punches in the League. Riddell claimed this year’s AFLW Best and Fairest award, after an unbelievable campaign that saw her shatter records. The star on-baller has averaged 35.3 disposals a game, 4.7 clearances, 4.1 tackles and 5.1 inside 50s a game.

But don’t sleep on the other Roos midfielders either. Mia King has been sidelined with a knee injury for several weeks but thrives in the contest, where her tackling and clean hands make her a key player. Then there’s ex-Tiger Eilish Sheerin and exciting midfielder/forward Bella Eddey, who have added plenty to Crocker’s on-ball mix this season.

Ruby Tripodi is also underrated throughout the competition but her supporting role is crucial, while North Melbourne’s wingers in Tess Craven and Taylah Gatt are also guns in their own right.

Underestimate Craig Starcevich’s Lions are your peril, though. Ally Anderson is a proven contributor, having previously won an AFLW Best and Fairest herself, while Belle Dawes is already an All-Australian, but you just get the feeling she’s got another gear to go to.

Hodder’s importance has been discussed at length, but Koenen’s ability to roll through the guts as well is a weapon in Starcevich’s arsenal. Then there’s the Lions’ wingers who are so important to their success. Irishwoman Orla O’Dwyer is one of the premier outside players in the competition, while Sophie Conway has rediscovered her spark after a sluggish start to the year by her lofty standards. Midfield beast Cathy Svarc might not put up the same disposal numbers as some of the others in the side, but her presence and intensity around the ball will be crucial if the Lions are to get up.

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UNDERESTIMATE THE LIONS AT YOUR PERIL

The Roos have undoubtedly been the best side over the past few seasons — and are raging $1.16 favourites over the $5 Lions — but don’t underestimate Brisbane’s familiarity with big games.

The Lions thrive on being written off, and team that excels in adversity. When they prevailed in the 2023 decider, it was off the back of the exits of Emily Bates and Greta Bodey to Hawthorn. People had written off Starcevich’s troops, who didn’t fold despite losing key players, they just knuckled down and used it as even more motivation to work harder.

Bre Koenen, Shannon Campbell and Ally Anderson will all make history on Saturday night when they play their seventh grand final, that’s an incredible achievement when you consider this competition has only been running for a decade.

For the Lions to win on Saturday night, they’re going to need to bring the heat and bring it early. The Dees gave the preliminary final against the Roos a red-hot shake and that was off the back of a fierce first term, where they booted four majors. The Lions certainly brought the heat against the Blues.

“They had to bash them around the ball and they did it. They did it all night,” former Carlton AFLW coach Daniel Harford said on Fox Footy.

Forward Dakota Davidson said: “We pride ourselves on pressure, we just kept peppering and peppering.”

So, for the Lions to get up, you’d think they have to bring extreme pressure to the contest and be ready to go from the first bounce. Taking away North Melbourne’s uncontested mark game that gives them so much control will also be important, as will ensuring the Roos’ defence is accountable, rather than being able to drift off and intercept.

When asked post-match by Fox Footy’s Hannah Davies if Davidson had a message for the Roos, the star forward opted not to reply.

“She didn’t say it, but she was saying ‘we’ll let our footy do the talking’,” Harford said.

It was perhaps a glimpse into what Brisbane’s mentality will be heading into the decider. They mean business. And the Dees showed the Roos are beatable if you bring the heat for long enough.

“Yes the Lions can (win), if they play like they did tonight, they absolutely can,” Harford said.

“This should now be an absolute all-timer.”