{"id":301586,"date":"2025-11-22T14:10:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T14:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/301586\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T14:10:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T14:10:10","slug":"finals-week-3-preliminary-final-results-north-melbourne-kangaroos-defeat-melbourne-demons-brisbane-lions-defeat-carlton-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/301586\/","title":{"rendered":"Finals week 3, preliminary final results, North Melbourne Kangaroos defeat Melbourne Demons, Brisbane Lions defeat Carlton Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kangaroos<\/a> have survived a scare from the Demons<\/a> to book their place in next weekend’s AFLW<\/a> grand final.<\/p>\n

North Melbourne defied history at Ikon Park on Saturday afternoon, securing a 10-point preliminary final victory over Melbourne.<\/p>\n

The last time the Kangaroos had trailed at three-quarter time \u2014 against Melbourne in round eight, 2023 \u2014 they went on to lose.<\/p>\n

LIVE UPDATES: Australia vs England first Test, day two<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE: ‘Delusional’: Image shows Jake Paul is in real trouble<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE: Former England skipper casts doubt on ‘vulnerable’ Aussies<\/a><\/p>\n

While Irishwoman Blaithin Bogue led the scoreboard with three goals, it was captain Jasmine Garner’s dominant final quarter that proved the difference in the 6.10 (46) to 5.6 (36) triumph.<\/p>\n

Garner recorded a game-high four clearances, along with 12 disposals, four score involvements, and 242 metres gained in the final term.<\/p>\n

\"Jasmine<\/p>\n

Jasmine Garner celebrates a goal with teammates during the AFLW preliminary final between North Melbourne and Melbourne.\u00a0Michael Willson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Melbourne delivered a one-two punch inside the first two minutes, with veterans Paxy Paxman and Ryleigh Wotherspoon both hitting the scoreboard to open up an early lead.<\/p>\n

The early onslaught continued as skipper Kate Hore slotted her first major of the match, pushing Melbourne’s tally to three unanswered goals and giving the Demons a crucial early buffer.<\/p>\n

However, the Kangaroos soon settled their nerves by adding three consecutive goals of their own.<\/p>\n

Bogue was the catalyst, kicking two majors, with Eilish Sheerin adding a crucial third to bring North Melbourne right back into the contest.<\/p>\n

Melbourne wrestled back the momentum just before the break, with Tayla Harris converting a set shot.<\/p>\n

The late goal saw the Demons hold a narrow seven-point lead at quarter time.<\/p>\n

The game tightened right up in the second term, transforming into a gruelling arm-wrestle.<\/p>\n

Reflecting this, only one goal was scored by each side \u2014 a testament to the suffocating pressure being applied across the ground.<\/p>\n

North Melbourne broke the deadlock through a key goal from Ash Riddell, which saw them snatch the lead for the first time in the match.<\/p>\n

However, the advantage was short-lived as Hore slotted her second major of the day.<\/p>\n

Although the Kangaroos began to show glimpses of their more dominant, familiar style, the Demons showed immense resilience to hang tough and take a slender two-point lead into the main break.<\/p>\n

The Demons controlled territory in the third term with persistent forward 50 entries.<\/p>\n

\"Disappointed<\/p>\n

Disappointed Melbourne players comfort teammates following their defeat by North Melbourne in the preliminary final.\u00a0Robert Cianflone via Getty Images<\/p>\n

However, their inability to convert proved costly, with three behinds and a rushed behinds resulting in a disappointing return for the quarter.<\/p>\n

Leaving the door open for the Kangaroos, the Demons took a six-point lead into the final change.<\/p>\n

Bogue kicked the first goal of the second half, ending North Melbourne’s drought that stretched back to the four-minute mark of the second term.<\/p>\n

Garner then cemented the result with a clutch goal under extreme pressure.<\/p>\n

Fatigue appeared to hit the Demons late in the game, reflected by them registering just one disposal inside their forward 50 during the final term.<\/p>\n

The Roos are just one game away from an undefeated season, boasting a 26-game winning streak.<\/p>\n

Having secured its spot in the decider, North Melbourne is now set to face Brisbane in the AFLW grand final. <\/p>\n

This will mark the third consecutive season that these two powerhouses have met in the competition’s final match.<\/p>\n

Dominant Lions dismantle Blues to punch grand final ticket<\/p>\n

The Lions secured their place in the grand final with a commanding 35-point victory over the Blues in their preliminary final at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Lions forward Ruby Svarc finished the game with a match-leading four goals.<\/p>\n

\"Ruby<\/p>\n

Ruby Svarc of the Lions celebrates after kicking a goal during the 2025 AFLW second preliminary final clash against the Blues.\u00a0Russell Freeman\/AFL Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The 10.7 (67) to 5.2 (32) win reflected Brisbane’s domination across the ground. <\/p>\n

The Lions comfortably won the key statistical battles, leading inside 50s by 22, clearances by six and contested possessions by 14.<\/p>\n

Crucially, their control of the tempo was highlighted by massive advantages in uncontested possessions (by 70) and forward half intercepts (by 13).<\/p>\n

The ability to generate scoring chances proved the critical differentiator, as the massive disparity in forward-50 entries became the most noticeable difference between the two sides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Kangaroos have survived a scare from the Demons to book their place in next weekend’s AFLW grand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-301586","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}