Kangaroos Hold Adelaide at Bay
North Melbourne and Adelaide treated fans to an exhilarating game at the Norwood Oval in Adelaide as the two high quality sides went back and forth until the final whistle.
The Kangaroos of North Melbourne have been the best team in the AFLW all season. They have yet to drop a game as such, were favoured in this matchup.
The Crows are no slouches, however. At third on the ladder they posed a significant threat to the Kangaroos who were just two matches away from an unbeaten season and the Minor Premiership.
In a matchup that could preview a playoff game down the line, both sides delivered.
The favoured Kangaroos got off to a quick start as just one minute in Kate Shierlaw collected the ball after some sloppy clearance attempts by the Crows and put through a goal to open scoring and give the Kangaroos a 6-0 lead.
Adelaide would respond just a couple minutes later as Caitlin Gould marked inside the 50 and made no mistake in putting the ball through.
The Crows would then score a behind to take a brief lead before Jasmine Garner scored a goal for the Kangaroos to put them up 12-7. North Melbourne would then find a behind and the Crows would put through two behinds as the quarter ended at 13-9.
In the second quarter the two sides would exchange behinds early before Danielle Ponter of Adelaide gave her side the lead again after marking right in front of the goal line and kicking it through.
North Melbourne then found a second gear. A behind and two unanswered goals would see them head into the locker room at halftime with a 27-17 lead.
The high quality play from the Kangaroos continued in the third frame as the gave up just three behinds whilst putting through two goals and a behind of their own to take a commanding 40-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
At this point it seemed as though they were set to run away with the match, as they’ve done so many times this season. Adelaide had other ideas however and came roaring back.
Just one minute into the final quarter, Danielle Ponter would find her second goal of the match after being tackled high and making no mistake with the kick from 30 out.
Ponter was not done there though. Not even a minute after her previous goal, Ponter again forced the referee to use their whistle after being shoved in the back just 10 metres out from the goal line. She calmly put the ball through for six to make the score 40-32.
North Melbourne settled back into the game after this and buckled down defensively. They managed just one behind in the quarter but did well to thwart the Adelaide offense and hold on for a 41-33 victory.
North Melbourne Just One Match Away From Perfection and the Minor Premiership
With the victory over Adelaide, North Melbourne is now ever so close to not only winning the Minor Premiership but doing so in unbeaten fashion.
Gold Coast is now the only side that stands in their way as the Kangaroos play host to the Suns in the final round. The Suns sit second from last on the ladder and have just six points to their name.
The Kangaroos must either win or draw against the Suns to ensure them the Minor Premiership.
The North Melbourne Kangaroos did just enough against Adelaide to stay undefeated on the season. The Crows did not go lightly as they mounted a swift comeback early in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough as the Kangaroos inched closer to a perfect season and the Minor Premiership.
