North Melbourne boss wary of late AFLW grand final timeslot

North Melbourne’s chief executive says there’s a reason the AFL has to carefully consider whether to pursue more night-time grand finals.

North Melbourne boss Jen Watt has praised the “terrific” atmosphere in the first night AFLW grand final but says the league must keep the decider accessible to young children.

A firework show delighted the crowd as the victorious Kangaroos accepted their first AFLW premiership cup at Ikon Park on Saturday night, but they didn’t mount the stage until after 10pm following a late start time of 7.45pm.

Watt’s understanding was that the late start for a Saturday game was at the request of the broadcaster Channel 7 but suggested the AFL should consider an earlier start to keep kids involved in the game if night grand finals continue.

“I did like it … but I think when you win, it’s very easy to like something,” Watt told SEN on Monday.

“What I love about W is that it takes chances, pioneers all sorts of things in the game and does things differently … because it’s not shrouded in 175 years of history, so there is the capacity to do that.

North Melbourne boss Jen Watt says the atmosphere of the AFLW’s first night grand final was ‘terrific’ as the Kangaroos romped to a 30-point victory on Saturday night. Picture: Dylan Burns / Getty Images

“I think the atmosphere, the entertainment and for TV is terrific … but I guess the counter to that is, you also want young kids to be able to get amongst it. I think it was terrific, but I am mindful of the young kids element and not being able to stay up that late.”

The Kangaroos chief executive was a strong supporter of the top-ranked AFLW side continuing to host the grand final and resistant to calls to make the AFL-owned Marvel Stadium the home of the women’s decider.

The last two grand finals at Ikon Park have both sold out, with a limited current capacity of 12,500 at the venue.

AFL boss Andrew Dillon said last week the league planned to grow that capacity to at least 15,000 for next year’s finals series.

“I like that in W that the home team gets the grand final – I think that’s a nice difference for W, and interstate clubs (Brisbane and Adelaide) have been pretty dominant,” Watt said.

“I think that Ikon Park, once those old stands have been (redeveloped) and the capacity grows a bit, is actually a terrific venue for W, but you do ponder the question … if there was a couple of Melbourne teams in, there would be a lot of people missing out with that capacity.

“But (at Marvel Stadium) you’ve got cricket, concerts, all sorts of things … so the AFL has to weigh that up.”

The Wright decision: Coach heaps praise on flag hero

Kangaroos defender Sarah Wright came close to hanging up the boots at the end of 2023, but played one of the best games of her career in Saturday night’s grand final triumph. Picture: Morgan Hancock / Getty Images

A physically and emotionally drained Sarah Wright came within inches of drawing the curtain on her AFLW career after North Melbourne’s grand final defeat last year.

Fortunately for the Kangaroos, the environment at Arden Street made it “impossible for her to retire”.

Premiership coach Darren Crocker became emotional after the game as he explained the importance of the 30-year-old to the defensive system which held the Lions to their second-lowest ever score on the big stage.

Wright had a season-high 20 disposals to go with seven marks and nine intercept possessions as she stood firmly in best on ground medal contention at halftime.

“I actually said to her before the game how glad I was that she didn’t retire, because she’s been so important to us throughout this whole year,” Crocker said.

“The defence has been super right across the board, but we have felt that she’s had an outstanding year.

“That’s why she was in the All-Australian (squad) and I don’t know what she had in the last quarter, but I think up to three-quarter time she had nine intercept possessions.”

Wright had been driven to the brink of retirement by the demands of balancing her work at a Laverton factory with training at Arden Street and the subsequent toll on her body.

Sarah Wright enjoys the premiership win with fans after remarking she could have easily been watching on from the stands too on Saturday night. Picture: Dylan Burns / Getty Images

But she ultimately decided she wanted to have another crack at winning a premiership, and chose last month to sign on for two more years to the end of 2026.

“She’s just had a great year, and we’re so thankful that she decided to go on. It’s all credit to the players and the program,” Crocker said.

“We created an environment where we just made it hard for her to retire. She actually didn’t want to retire in the end, she felt like she might need to, but we managed her, she put in the work and she just wanted to be a part of it.”

Kangaroos chief executive Jen Watt said Wright had reflected on her fork-in-the-road moment after the final siren.

“I saw her after the game and she said, ‘imagine if I was watching this from the grandstands’. I could never imagine that, Sarah,” Watt told SEN.

The Kangaroos might not lose any of their premiership side, with captain Emma Kearney committed for at least one more season in 2025 and her partner Kate Shierlaw likely to sign on again after making the All-Australian squad for the first time this season.

“No, I think they’re all hooked in now – they want more of that,” Watt said when asked about any retirements.

Originally published as North Melbourne boss wary of late AFLW grand final timeslot