North Melbourne made historical past on Saturday night with its second AFLW premiership, turning into the primary membership to go back-to-back within the AFLW.
It’s also the primary membership in elite footy historical past to finish the proper season.
Kangaroos break new floor
Final 12 months, the one blemish was a week-two draw with Geelong. This time round, the closest any group got here to the Kangaroos was Melbourne’s preliminary-final problem, when the Demons fell quick by 10 factors.
The methods in place which have allowed the Kangaroos to win 27 consecutive matches are clear to see — they’re so good at executing below stress that opposition sides battle to get close to them.
That a lot was evident for Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich following the grand remaining at Princes Park.
“They (Kangaroos) had been actually, actually good with absorbing stress,” Starcevich mentioned.
“We threw the kitchen sink at them from a stress perspective, after which they ramped that up once more within the second quarter.
“It was like, ‘Whoa’. The extent simply saved going up and up.
“However their potential to get from one thing that appears like a extremely nasty, contested state of affairs after which get it rapidly out by hand … is elite. Like, severely elite.”
Lions launch early problem
It was the Lions who bought the leap on the sport.
Stress was excessive, they usually had been controlling contested conditions and landed the primary aim of the night.
However the Kangaroos’ defence held as much as the duty.
Regardless of successful the within 50s depend 10-7 throughout the opening time period, the Lions struggled to generate area or time in assault and easily couldn’t convert entries into real scoring alternatives.
In the meantime, the Kangaroos had been capable of sling the ball again down the opposite finish to kick two targets and take a lead into the primary break.
The Kangaroos’ potential to modify from defence to assault was essential of their victory. (AAP: James Ross)
Finally, it was an indicator of how the sport was to play out. Brisbane was successful loads of territory however was unable to usurp North Melbourne’s defensive constructions.
Whereas the Kangaroos’ again 5 had been essential to this — organising the road and manipulating the opposition’s ahead set-up — the work of their wingers and midfielders is what turned every little thing up a notch.
The unfold from the competition again to assist the defence was the place Brisbane bought misplaced defensively, and its personal constructions collapsed.
From there, the fast decision-making on the rebound reduce the Lions to ribbons.Â
The Kangaroos turned from a defensive mindset to assault mode instantly and Brisbane was merely caught trailing, heading again the opposite manner.
Kangaroos’ whack-a-mole strategy
Even when the Lions had been battling laborious within the contest —working to stop that flick to the surface the place the Kangaroos are well-versed in establishing in-game cruise management — holes had been nonetheless showing.
As described by Starcevich in Friday’s pre-grand remaining media convention, North Melbourne’s strategy is sort of a recreation of whack-a-mole. Hem in on one situation, and extra seem elsewhere.
Roos embrace injured star
Within the first quarter, the Lions received the contested possession depend by two, however the Kangaroos had been nonetheless dominating clearance (9-5) and uncontested possession (44-27).
All that arduous work in tight merely wasn’t stopping the Kangaroos from discovering that launch possibility. Sadly for Brisbane, that is the place the sport is received or misplaced towards North Melbourne.
Because the match advanced, the Kangaroos equalised and bought on prime within the contested possessions, making that exterior recreation simpler and simpler to come back by.
Greatest on Floor medallist Eilish Sheerin, AFLW finest and fairest winner Ash Riddell, and Kangaroos captain Jasmine Garner had been leaders on this respect.
Brisbane’s midfield merely couldn’t go along with them.
North Melbourne’s shifting management
When that contest is misplaced, the pure response for these within the arcs is to try to assist through numbers.Â
That is the place the Kangaroos completely thrive — the backline maintains its size behind the ball, able to intercept, and the ahead line makes use of its pace to outnumber and power disorganisation from the opposition.
This grew to become more and more evident all through the grand remaining.
As issues grew to become extra dire, extra Lions tried to repair the issue areas and that left them wanting in assault once they did go ahead.
Roos’ accuracy compounds issues
The Kangaroos finally received the sport by 40 factors, the second-greatest margin in an AFLW grand remaining.
They kicked the second-highest grand remaining rating, nevertheless it did so with searing accuracy in entrance of the massive sticks.
The Kangaroos did not register a minor rating till the ultimate quarter and their solely two blemishes on the scoreboard had been rushed behinds.
They’re a group that takes care of the soccer, utilizing it at a document 67.6 per cent disposal effectivity throughout the season and kicking at 51 per cent accuracy for targets.
It was merely the boot that was dug in on the finish of the chain and pure proof of the membership’s elite fundamentals at play.
Nothing might cease the Kangaroos from securing consecutive premierships. (Getty Photographs/AFL Pictures: Morgan Hancock)
They are saying higher the satan you understand. However Brisbane knew the satan that’s North Melbourne and it didn’t matter.
As a substitute, the Kangaroos did precisely what they’ve been doing to groups for the final two years — win the competition, management on the surface, arrange defence and sling into assault.
The Lions knew precisely what they had been developing towards and had been nonetheless helpless to cease it.
Being etched into the historical past books because the AFLW’s first back-to-back premier and finishing the primary excellent season is simply reward for North Melbourne’s boundary-pushing program.
