Kangaroos stare down brave Lions to prove even the loftiest AFLW dreams can come true
A foregone conclusion, it was said.North Melbourne had already done the impossible. They’d won last year’s flag after an undefeated season, and then followed it up with an astonishing second season of the same in 2025. On paper, a gaping chasm seemed to separate them from the rest of the competition. They were untouchable, unbeatable, and going back-to-back was the only possible outcome.A foregone conclusion, it was said, yet nothing foregone looks like this: close calls and genuine scares, performances as flawed as they are successful. Each game, every moment, another question demanding they scrape and claw their way to an answer.This grand final was no different. For the third time in as many years, their opponent was the juggernaut that is the Brisbane Lions – a team blooded by a monstrous seven grand final appearances in the 10-season span of this competition. The Brisbane strategy was sound, too.Melbourne had provided something of a blueprint in last week’s near win, and Brisbane followed it to the letter, getting an early jump on the Kangaroos and not allowing them to settle into their game.They played the ball hard, laying the body on the line with abandon. Their bumps were bruising, their tackles punitive, and there was a ferocious desperation to their every move.View image in fullscreenRuby Svarc of the Lions and Tess Craven of the Kangaroos compete for the ball during the grand final. Photograph: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty ImagesThe dreams Brisbane harboured were of glory. They came to slay the dragon, and they were ready for a fight.Nothing about the result felt predetermined. In fact, it was all North Melbourne could do to weather the onslaught, and if Brisbane had been able to convert on more forward entries in the early going, perhaps the scoreboard would have reflected something far different. But playing such an aggressive, high-pressure game comes at a cost. Anything short of flawless execution grants your opponent an opening, and this North outfit needs a door only slightly ajar. For every Brisbane stumble, they were there to capitalise, opportunistic and accurate and devastating. And when Shannon Campbell gave away an undisciplined 100m penalty in the second term, walking North inside 50 to gift them a goal, it seemed to settle like a rock in the pits of Brisbane’s stomachs.Because the truth about champion teams, the inevitability that all contenders must grasp, is that they never run short of players to step up. Have a plan to cover one, a way to neutralise another, but someone else will appear and seize the game by the reins. It is not a question of if, but rather who and when.And make no mistake, North Melbourne are a champion team.View image in fullscreenNorth Melbourne’s Eilish Sheerin was named best on ground. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty ImagesThey ought to be household names at this point. Kearney. Randall. Riddell. Garner. It’s hard to believe that they all belong to the same side at the same moment in time, and hearing the names in succession when they connect on a play is eye-watering stuff. Ash Riddell alone has broken disposal records so many times now it barely registers for the stunning achievement it is. And then, there’s the newcomers. Eilish Sheerin in her first grand final, rising to the occasion like a seasoned veteran in her best-on-ground turn. Eliza Shannon, last year’s unlucky exclusion, somehow stood out in a defensive structure that is famously uniform and impermeable.In the end, North ran away with it at a sold-out Ikon Park, beating the Lions by 40 points to complete a perfect season and become the first AFLW team to win back-to-back premierships.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Australia SportGet a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports deskPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionTheir killer instinct does not have an off switch, and they struck blow after devastating blow, long after the game had already been won. The 9.2 (56) to 2.4 (16) scoreline seems almost a mockery of the fierce early struggle that played out, undermining both Brisbane’s valiant attempt and North’s steely eyed demeanour in equal measure.View image in fullscreenAsh Riddell lifts the premiership cup to the North Melbourne fans. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty ImagesIt’s the end of the trilogy, a best of three settled at long last, and yet it’s difficult to imagine either of these teams relenting next year. If there is another repeat, perhaps the game will be staged at a venue far more befitting of such a ferocious clash of titans. It would be a shame to look back at this period of unflinching dominance and wonder why the league could not echo North Melbourne’s ambition with their own logistic decisions; why they could not dare to stand on the shoulders of giants, take a swing at a larger ground, and simply go about the business of filling it.For now, that ambition belongs only to this historic, jubilant North Melbourne side, and to all who dare oppose them. “Not done yet,” their banner proudly proclaimed, and in the wake of this victory, it rings out as promise and threat both. They’re not yet done showing us what’s possible, but they also remind us that when all is said and done, this team might well be the best to ever do it.There is no shame in falling short when trying to scale such lofty, staggering heights. What matters, then, is the attempt. It matters that more teams aspire to it, just as North did. The most successful program in AFLW history started out with a dream, followed by years of investment, recruitment, and excruciating work.To slay the dragon, you need only the audacity to start.
Comments (0)