AFLW preliminary final: North Melbourne defeats Adelaide to secure home Grand Final
North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker has praised the toughness of captain Emma Kearney after she overcame illness to will her side into the AFLW Grand Final.
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North Melbourne is poised to enter its maiden Grand Final with a clean bill of health after a coach Darren Crocker played down any concerns for captain Emma Kearney and speedster Niamh Martin.
Crocker, who said he simply felt “relief” on the final siren after the Kangaroos held off the minor premier for a memorable one-point win, revealed Kearney battled through the game despite illness to still manage 19 disposals and seven intercepts in her crucial role across halfback.
Irish winger Niamh Martin, playing in front of her parents for the first time, was hit in the head twice but did not enter the concussion protocols and returned to the field after both collisions.
Crocker said he expected Martin to be fit to take on Brisbane in Sunday’s Grand Final.
“(Martin’s) parents have come all the way from Ireland to see her play for the first time, and early in the game I think she copped one in the mouth,” he said.
“She’s all good, no concussion protocol, I think she’s just got a sore jaw and a fat lip.
“Kearns is a little bit under the weather … I just can’t speak highly enough of Emma Kearney and how she can find a way … she definitely wasn’t feeling 100 per cent today.
“For her to be able to find a way to get out there and help her team win … we’re so proud of the way she goes about her footy.”
The Roos coach praised his team’s “super” final quarter effort in which they failed to kick a goal but managed to restrict the Crows to only one scoring shot amid a flood of opportunities in their forward half.
“Whether there was a bit of resolve from last year, whether there’s been a bit of resolve from some of the close losses we’ve had this year … I thought in the last quarter, the players were just super,” Crocker said.
“They dug really, really deep. We probably didn’t play our best footy at times and Adelaide were probably over there saying the same, it was a bit of a struggle for both teams getting the game the way they would have liked … but that win was full of character.”
He said there had been little room for any joy on the siren after a gruelling second half to watch from the sidelines.
“As a coach, it’s a little bit of relief more than elation. As a player, I think it’s elation, but as a coach, it’s more a relief that a lot of your planning, a lot of the hard work that all the coaches and the whole program do has come to fruition and we’ve earnt the right to be in the Grand Final now,” he said.
NORTH BOOKS HOME DECIDER AFTER PRELIM THRILLER
The reign of the “Big Three” over the AFLW is officially no more.
A stunning goal square mark and late goal to Anne Hatchard was not enough for Adelaide to deny North Melbourne its maiden Grand Final berth with a stirring one-point win at Ikon Park.
The Kangaroos will be the first team outside of Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne to contest the decider since 2019 after holding off the desperate minor premiers with an extraordinary defensive performance.
Hatchard soared above the pack near the goal line to take an overhead mark, play on and goal with just under three minutes remaining after a Najwa Allen set shot fell just short of its mark.
The major slashed the margin to a single point, but two huge tackles laid in the forward 50 by towering Kangaroos ruck Emma King ensured Adelaide could not move the ball up the ground in the dying moments.
King pinned Crows vice-captain Sarah Allan holding the ball in the forward pocket with less than a minute remaining in front of the jubilant Kangaroos faithful, who will get to return to Ikon Park next Sunday at 2.30pm for a Grand Final against Brisbane.
North has reason to be confident after making the most of its opportunities against the Crows in a second consecutive win at Ikon Park, jumping away to a two-goal headstart after the visitors botched early opportunities.
The Roos will enter the Grand Final with a seemingly clean bill of health after encountering no issues during the game other than repeat knocks to the face sustained by Niamh Martin, who was twice assessed on the bench but played out the game.
JENNA’S BRUTAL HALF
North Melbourne half-forward Jenna Bruton came out from under the shadow of Jasmine Garner and Ash Riddell with a scintillating 18-disposal second half, including 12 kicks in the third term as she stubbornly thrust her team forward.
Bruton made almost every ground ball in the Roos’ forward half her own, and while she blew a set shot which would have almost sealed victory in the final term, it was a complete performance desperately needed by North after Garner was restricted by Anne Hatchard, who sacrificed her own game on the inside after a dominant 36-disposal, two-goal performance the week before against the Swans.
PONTER A CUT ABOVE
North Melbourne’s defence led by captain Emma Kearney came ready for a scrap and were almost impenetrable despite the Crows giving their forwards more supply than the Roos.
The force which drove the Crows within a point by the final siren was Danielle Ponter – the star forward put the Crows on the scoreboard in the first quarter after they had failed to capitalise on earlier opportunities, and then added her team’s second and third through cool set shots after halftime to put the Crows in front.
Behind Kearney, Sarah Wright and Jasmine Ferguson were tremendous on the last line for the Roos and able to neutralise most of Adelaide’s deep entries, but Ponter was able to outmark Ferguson at the top of the square in a crucial moment for the Crows.
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