It’s back to Hobart for the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos this week, as they take on fierce rivals Collingwood on Sunday afternoon at North Hobart Oval.

Here are four of the burning questions ahead of the Kangaroos’ Round 7 clash.

Who wins this chapter of one of AFLW’s most heated rivalries?

Since the Kangaroos’ 2019 introduction to AFLW, clashes between these two teams have been some of the competition's most fiery and competitive.

It was North who eliminated Collingwood in the eventually abandoned 2020 finals series, holding on for a two-point victory in that year’s semi-finals. The Magpies had their revenge the next time around, crushing the Kangaroos' 2021 finals dreams by six points in April's qualifying final. 

After entering the final break with a 14-point lead that day, the Roos will be looking to right some wrongs this weekend. With the Kangaroos sitting fourth and Collingwood sixth, this clash could prove crucial in deciding the make-up of this year's finals.

Can the Kangaroos tidy up their goalkicking?

As their 5-1 record suggests, the Kangaroos are flying this season, but one persistent question remains whether they can find the killer instinct to put teams away.

In last week’s victory over Richmond, the Kangaroos registered 43 inside 50s for just 12 scoring shots, only shaking off the injury-hit Tigers late in the third term.

The team's last visit to Hobart followed a similar script, as the Roos dominated the second and third quarters, only to keep the Dockers in the game by kicking eight consecutive behinds. 

While their midfield continues to impress, if the Kangaroos are to go deep into the finals this season they will likely need to unlock their scoring potential.

Can the Roos put the clamps on Chloe Molloy?

The Magpie star was at her marauding best as the Pies returned to top form with a big win over West Coast in Round 6.

A proven match-winner, Molloy earned All Australian honours last season while playing mostly as a forward, but she showed her versatility against the Eagles by shifting into midfield alongside teammates Britt Bonnici and Jaimee Lambert. While her teammates had more of the ball, it was Molloy's 18 disposals and two goals that set up the 24-point victory.

The 23-year-old is strong in the air and capable of leaving opponents clutching at air on the ground, and she'll take plenty of stopping if the Roos are to extend their four-game winning streak.

Who steps up in the Kangaroos’ midfield?

It’s a question that has opposition coaches scratching their heads most weeks. Who is the danger woman in the North Melbourne midfield?

For the past fortnight it’s been two-time reigning best and fairest winner Jas Garner, who finished with 26 disposals and a goal last week against Richmond, and 29 disposals against Fremantle.

Before Garner hit red-hot form, midfield lynchpin Ash Riddell was winning most pundits' votes. She leads the competition for disposals per game (28.2) and is currently second in the race to win the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award.

Elsewhere, the troubles multiply for opposing mids. Mia King was best on ground in Round 4 and won a NAB Rising Star nomination in Round 1, and Jenna Bruton is back to her best after moving back to inside midfield off of the wing.

It may be possible to stop one, or some, of the Kangaroos’ midfield weapons, but stopping them all is a major challenge.

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have one foot in the AFLW finals after powering past top-six rivals Collingwood in Hobart on Sunday.

Red-hot midfielder Jas Garner kicked three goals and Tahlia Randall kicked two as the Kangaroos preserved their perfect record in Tasmania, easing to a 23-point victory, 6.2 (38) to 2.3 (15).

The win ensures the Roos will be at least two games clear of the seventh-placed team on the AFLW ladder with three games to play, with the top six set to contest finals. 

Ex-Magpie Garner backed up her best-afield performances against Fremantle and Richmond with 26 disposals, six marks and three goals.

She was ably supported by the prolific Ash Riddell (29 disposals) in the midfield, while captain Emma Kearney (24 disposals) was imperious across half-back. 

Another ex-Magpie in Emma King (20 disposals, 12 hitouts) was also outstanding across the ground as the Roos strolled to their fifth consecutive win.

Collingwood was left to rue the influence of its former charges. Star Chloe Molloy had a rare off-day, going statless to half-time, and although the ever-reliable Jaimee Lambert (18 disposals, nine tackles, one goal) produced a gallant performance, the loss leaves the Pies' finals chances hanging in the balance. 

Garner was the game's most important figure from the outset, winning the ball from the source and pushing forward from the contest to kick two of her three goals before half-time and helping North Melbourne gain the early ascendency.

Tahlia Randall also had two before the main break as the Kangaroos pushed their lead out to 25 points before Amelia Velardo stemmed the bleeding with a Magpie goal on the buzzer.

But the respite proved brief, with North Melbourne maintaining its control over the contest and extending its lead further just before three-quarter time when Mia King finally took advantage of the side's territorial dominance throughout the term.

It set up a comfortable final quarter, with Garner having one final say – courtesy of her strong mark and accurate set-shot late in the game – as the Kangaroos cruised to another convincing win.

The immovable wall

The Magpies toiled before kicking their first goal seconds before half-time, and their biggest source of frustration will have been Emma Kearney. The Roos skipper repelled attack after attack across half-back, making eight intercepts to half-time and a game-high 12 for the match. Kearney admitted during the week she suffered self-doubt when asked to reinvent herself as a defender. She has no grounds for further concern. 

Dancing King

Mia King left Magpies trailing in her wake as she kicked the goal of the day late in the third quarter. A dart to the left beat the first defender, a shimmy to the right wrong-footed the second, and she capped the play with a cool finish from a tight angle. It sent the Roos four goals clear at the last change and effectively put the result beyond doubt.

Did you hear that?

Chloe Molloy didn't mince her words pre-game, telling Channel 7 of her dislike of North Melbourne: "Back in my second year at the Pies, there were a couple of trades that went on. They had their reasons for moving on, but I was pretty loyal to the club … I'm a loyal person and it just hurt a bit, so that's probably a root of it." Perhaps it lit the spark for Jasmine Garner's best-on-ground performance, given she was one of those players who moved to the Kangaroos.

The ladder now

The Kangaroos keep their minor premiership hopes alive, moving level with Adelaide and Fremantle at 6-1 for the season. The winner of Brisbane and Melbourne, who battle on Monday night, will join the logjam for top position. Collingwood, now 4-3 for the year, is clinging to its spot in the top six. The winner of Gold Coast and the Western Bulldogs, who meet on Tuesday night, will draw level with the Pies in the race for finals football.

What's next?

Another finals-like test looms for the Kangaroos against high-flying Melbourne. The Demons on their home turf at Casey Fields will represent perhaps the biggest challenge the Roos have faced since they suffered their only loss of the season against Adelaide in Norwood. The game is in prime time at 7.10pm AEDT on Saturday, February 26. 

North Melbourne Tasmania  2.1   4.2   5.2   6.2 (38)
Collingwood                           0.1   1.2   1.2   2.3 (15)

GOALS
North Melbourne Tasmania: Garner 3, Randall 2, M King
Collingwood: Lambert, Velardo

BEST
North Melbourne Tasmania: Garner, Kearney, Riddell, E.King, Brown, Eddey, Ashmore
Collingwood: Lambert, Schleicher, Bonnici, Newman, Rowe

INJURIES
North Melbourne Tasmania: Ashmore (finger)
Collingwood: Fowler (ankle)