‘Much better’: Redemption on the cards as Roos put AFLW heartbreak aside

It’s not easy being a North Melbourne fan.

AFLW GRAND FINAL | NORTH MELBOURNE v BRISBANE LIONS Saturday 7:45PM AEDT LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

It’s a club that has been starved of success in recent memory.

Heavy losses and star players packing their bags have meant the Kangas have been dwelling in the doldrums of the AFL ladder for quite some time.

The past five seasons have seen the Roos finish in the bottom two every year, combining for just 15 wins from 107 matches, a win rate of just 14 per cent.

But while the men’s side have been battling, the women’s team have been flourishing.

The Kangaroos are set to compete in their second consecutive AFLW grand final at Ikon Park on Saturday night, as Darren Crocker’s side aim to become the first ever North Melbourne AFLW premiership team.

And the boys are getting around it. The likes of Harry Sheezel, Will Phillips and George Wardlaw are big supporters of the AFLW side, often attending games throughout the season. Men’s coach Alastair Clarkson and co-captain Luke McDonald are also strong advocates for the women’s program.

Alongside the likes of Hawthorn and Brisbane, the cross-collaboration between North Melbourne’s men’s and women’s programs is as good as any club in the competition.

There’s often overlap in the gym, on the training track or in the common areas and hallways. Women’s captain Emma Kearney also helps out from a coaching perspective with the men’s program, only strengthening the connections between programs.

The men’s program are hoping to feed off the energy the women’s team are playing with and supoprters and fans are also feeling a bit of an extra buzz as the AFLW program embarks on the biggest game on the women’s footy calendar.

On Saturday night, the entire North Melbourne Football Club will be hoping the girls can make history.

Star midfielder Ash Riddell believes her side are better placed this year to win the ultimate prize than when they were last year.

“I think this year we’ve got a much better role clarity and consolidation of our game plan and with that comes adaptability, if things go wrong at certain times and we need to adjust things,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

“We’re much more sound in where we are going and our roles and what is expected of us,” she said.

The Roos have all the tools needed to secure the flag. Coach Darren Crocker was voted best in the business by his peers, Riddell has had a superb year where she polled second in the AFLW Best and Fairest and then there’s Jasmine Garner.

Garner is arguably the game’s best player but has constantly been snubbed by umpires throughout her career, despite being highly regarded amongst the playing group and coaches. At the W Awards on Monday night, the entire room erupted when Garner finally polled votes in week five.

Their forward half is dangerous. Tall forward Kate Shierlaw is in career-best form, Tahlia Randall is a handful for opposition key defenders and Irish woman Vikki Wall is a menace inside 50.

Alice O’Loughlin received her maiden All-Australian blazer and Bella Eddey is a quiet achiever, often doing work that goes unnoticed.

Through the middle of the ground, Taylah Gatt has developed into a crucial player on the wing, while Ruby Tripodi and Mia King get better with every game they play. Emma King and Kim Rennie are a strong double act in the ruck.

The acquisition of Libby Birch in defence has proven masterful, adding to what was already a strong backline group led by Sarah Wright, Jasmine Ferguson and Emma Kearney.

If the Roos go into the decider with the same 21 as they did in the preliminary final, there will be just three changes from the side that went down to the Lions by 17 points.

The Roos lured star defender Birch to the club during the trade period and she has immediately reinforced Crocker’s backline. Birch is aiming to become the first player to win a premiership at three different clubs, after her triumphs with the Western Bulldogs in 2018 and with Melbourne in 2022 season seven.

Their second change is gun forward Vikki Wall. Wall returned to Ireland last year to pursue her Olympics dream with the Ireland Rugby Sevens set-up but has returned to Arden Street and made an immediate impact.

Ruby Tripodi is the other change from last year, after taking her game to another level in 2024. Tripodi has added another layer of depth to the Roos’ star-studded on-ball brigade, complementing the likes of Garner, Riddell, King and Jenna Bruton.

Eliza Shannon, Lulu Pullar and Niamh Martin are the unlucky trio who have lost their place since last year.

Since last season’s heartbreak, the Roos have looked almost bullet proof.

An undefeated home and away season was followed by strong wins over Adelaide and Port Adelaide in their two finals.

But Wall says it isn’t something the club has focussed on internally.

“I don’t think that’s something we focus on, I don’t think we’ve gone into games looking at winning by certain margins… it’s looking at how we are actually performing. It’s external talking about the undefeated thing, I don’t think that’s something that plays into our game and our psyche,” she said on Wednesday.

Last year it was a whirlwind finish to the season. The Roos weren’t expected to make the decider and were running on adrenaline. But this year, they’re prepared.

They have been waiting for this moment since this time last year. A chance for redemption after last year’s heartbreak and a chance to write their names into the history books.

Bring on Saturday night.