AFLW Grand Final 2024: Lions and Kangaroos unchanged for crunch rematch in AFLW decider
North Melbourne and Brisbane have named unchanged sides for Saturday night’s AFLW Grand Final as the Kangaroos back Tess Craven to overcome soreness in time for the decider.
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North Melbourne and Brisbane have named unchanged sides for Saturday night’s AFLW Grand Final as the Kangaroos back Tess Craven to overcome soreness in time for the decider.
The courageous Roos winger was the only significant injury concern for either side after she backed into a marking contest and received an accidental knee to the back from Port Adelaide’s Shineah Goody early in the second quarter of the preliminary final.
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Craven trained only lightly on Wednesday but was expected to move freely at Friday’s captain’s run as the Kangaroos left their team untouched.
Uncapped 19-year-old midfielder Georgia Stubs (ankle) was the only Roo unavailable for selection, while Brisbane had its entire 30-player list to choose from in a telling reflection of the durability required to reach the pointy end of the crowded AFLW season.
The Lions only made one change to their side for the entire finals series, with Ellie Hampson replacing the omitted Shanae Davison ahead of their qualifying final win over Hawthorn.
They had named an unchanged side for the preliminary final after important midfielder Isabel Dawes had a one-match ban overturned on appeal.
North Melbourne made a single change ahead of each of its two finals, recalling Jenna Bruton (managed) for the qualifying final and captain Emma Kearney from her serious hamstring injury in the preliminary final.
Niamh Martin and Eliza Shannon, who were respectively omitted for the senior players, remained in the emergencies after being put through an intense running session at Ikon Park in the immediate aftermath of the win over Port Adelaide.
Kearney only played 38 per cent game time in the victory after sitting out the final quarter, but said this week she would play without restriction in the decider after getting through the contest unscathed.
AFLW’S BIGGEST STAR: HOW LIONS CAN BREAK NORTH HEARTS AGAIN
Champion AFLW midfielder Ebony Marinoff says Brisbane can exploit North Melbourne’s only “flaw” with its greatest strength.
The Roos and the Lions will face off in another grand final on Saturday, with the two sides repeating the 2023 season decider that Brisbane triumphed in a classic.
But despite being the reigning premiers, Brisbane enters the clash as the underdogs after North Melbourne’s perfect home-and-away season.
Marinoff said North Melbourne was a side with no real holes in its side, but its back line could get caught out by Brisbane’s pacy attack.
“I don’t like to say ‘slow’ because they’re a well-oiled machine, but it’s the defence, because Cathy Svarc, Charlotte Mullins, Courtney Hodder, it’s so hard to match up on,” she said on The W Show.
“You don’t like to see their flaw but that’s where they (Brisbane) exploited Hawthorn, they just came on charging, their high half forwards got speed on the game and it’s so hard to stop because they have speed all over, it’s not just your Cathy Sparks, it’s your Courtney Hodder, your Bel Dawes in there as well, the mix in there is quite scary.
“They’re so hard to stop when they get their speed on the ball. North Melbourne exploited them and making the ground really big in round 1, that’s what the Lions are going to have to do if they want to win the game, because they’re pretty much unstoppable against us (Adelaide), they brought the pressure, we weren’t able to actually absorb the pressure.
“They ran over us offensively and defensively and we just weren’t able to absorb the pressure which was really disappointing.”
Marinoff, who on Monday claimed the AFLW league best and fairest, was dominant in the preliminary final loss to the Lions with 30 touches, 10 tackles and five clearances.
But despite the Crows holding a seven-point advantage at the main break, Brisbane piled on five goals to one in the second half to charge home to an 18-point victory.
Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich said after the preliminary final win the second-half surge was because of a change of football style, with a desire to move the ball quickly.
“Once we got into full on surge mentality and got the ball forward any shape or whatever way we could we actually started to look dangerous,” he said.
The grand final will be played at IKON Park on Saturday night.
CUP PRESENTERS NAMED
Young North Melbourne fan Imogen Mulgrew will present North Melbourne with the premiership trophy if it is victorious in Saturday’s AFLW Grand Final.
Imogen stole the show when she tossed the coin on Good Friday before North Melbourne’s annual AFL clash with Carlton.
Imogen Mulgrew's coin toss was maybe the sweetest thing we've seen.
— AFL (@AFL) March 29, 2024
Imogen is currently undergoing her two and a half year treatment plan for leukemia.
This is why we play â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/teP39GJY3X
The Roos said Imogen had recently completed a two-and-a-half year treatment at the Royal Children’s Hospital after being diagnosed with leukaemia when she was eight.
She is now 11.
“Imogen’s resilience, spirit and easy-go-lucky demeanour struck a chord with our players, our football department, our staff and all footy fans far and wide this past year,” North Melbourne chief executive Jen Watt said.
“Not only has Imogen’s impact been profound, she represents everything our team stands for and we couldn’t think of a more perfect person for this role.”
Retiring Lions AFLW star Kate Lutkins will present the premiership cup should Brisbane prevail.
It is understood Lutkins told teammates on Monday that she planned to retire at the end of the season.
She officially announced her retirement on Tuesday after a glittering career that included three All-Australian blazers, a club best and fairest and best on ground in the victorious 2021 grand final.
But the decision to announce her retirement this week, despite not wanting to interfere with her teammates’ grand final preparation, was so that she could present the premiership cup should the Lions prevail on Saturday.
— Callum Dick
NORTH’S PEST THAT COULD BREAK AFLW GF WIDE OPEN
- Josh Barnes
Alice O’Loughlin’s coach may want her to stick to a simple drop punt more often but the Cyril Rioli-worshipping North Melbourne goalsneak just doesn’t see the joy in passing up a snap for goal.
And the small forward with pest-like tendencies will let the opposition know that she burned them, at the right time.
Named on the bench as her first All-Australian honour this week, O’Loughlin is capable of breaking Saturday night’s grand final against Brisbane wide open, most likely from a quick snap at goal.
She always kicked around corners as a youngster with her two brothers, and her innate goal sense has seen her jag 16 majors so far this season.
“When it comes off, I can tell and it feels good,” she said.
“I do love a snap. Growing up, that was all I would do, me and my brothers at the park just snapping around. My favourite player is Cyril Rioli, he is the king of that.
“I guess growing up, it is exciting, a bit of fun. Crock (Roos coach Darren Crocker) wants me to kick a couple drop punts, but I tell him, ‘What’s the fun in that?’.”
O’Loughlin still loves Hawthorn great Rioli, and has happily keyed up a quick YouTube session of the four time premiership forward before games to get in the mood.
“I started watching his highlights before every game a couple of years ago,” she said.
“That has been good. He is just so exciting. His skills, his pressure, everything is next to none.”
Rioli’s chasedown tackling helped change the role of small forwards forever but he wasn’t a typical pest in the mode of villains like Stephen Milne and Hayden Ballantyne.
O’Loughlin isn’t ready to truly lean in on that antagonistic streak, but she isn’t afraid to open her mouth on field.
“I will say no (I’m not a pest) but I don’t know if people will agree with me. Maybe. It depends who you ask,” she said.
“It depends what mood I am on and the state of the game. Sometimes I will pretend you are not there but other times if I have got a good one-liner I will give it to you.”
A two-goal haul in round 1’s smashing of the Lions set O’Loughlin off on her career year and the Roos on the way to an undefeated run to the grand final.
If she can bag multiple goals in what promises to be a tight contest on Saturday she could go on her way to emulating her idol Rioli’s 2015 Norm Smith Medal win.
“I probably will never of course get to that level, he is an absolute gun,” she said.
“We’ll see, we’ll see.”
ROOS COACH CROWNED AFLW’S BEST
— Ed Bourke
North Melbourne AFLW coach Darren Crocker has gained an early grand final week victory over his Brisbane rival after his peers crowned him Senior Coach of the Year on Wednesday.
Crocker won his maiden AFL Coaches Association top gong ahead of three-time winner and Brisbane mentor Craig Starcevich after steering the Roos into the Grand Final with a remarkable 13-game unbeaten run.
The former Kangaroos premiership player and AFL caretaker coach, who took the reins of the AFLW program in 2021, said his award had “everyone in our program’s fingerprints on it”.
Thank you to our whole program and thank you to the other coaches and AFL Coaches Association for the recognition,” Crocker said.
AFLCA chief executive Alistair Nicholson congratulated the Kangaroos coach on his season after helping his side bounce back from grand final heartbreak at the hands of the Lions 12 months ago.
“What a great season for Crock and a wonderful recognition of his coaching performances,” Nicholson said.
“Crock is always looking to improve himself and his team, and for the second year has got his team to the AFLW Grand Final.
“I applaud him and his coaching team for their season and being recognised by his peers with this award.”
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