Having prepared itself for a trip to Perth when the 2022 AFLW season fixture was announced, the Kangaroos find themselves back at Arden Street to take on the Eagles in the final home and away clash of the season.
Here are four of the big questions ahead of Saturday’s clash with West Coast.
Can North Melbourne get back on track?
As the AFLW competition headed into Round 8, there was a logjam at the top of the table.
The top-four sides, Adelaide, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Fremantle, were separated only by percentage on 24 points each. Collingwood and Brisbane were hot on their heels though, sitting just one game behind.
Losses to fellow finals contenders Brisbane and Melbourne have seen the Kangaroos drift away from the top three, and as they head into the final round of the season a top-two finish is now mathematically impossible.
The main focus, however, will be putting those losses in the rear view mirror and gaining some momentum ahead of finals with a victory.
Who stakes their claim ahead of finals?
As with any side competing at the top end of the table, there are a number of spots up for grabs as the Kangaroos enter their final home and away clash of the year.
Jess Duffin tore up the VFLW last week with 27 disposals, while Tess Craven continued to stake her claim in the reserves with a solid performance of her own.
Alice O’Loughlin and Amy Smith have both impressed when called upon this season and were emergencies last week, and you’d wager Emma King is a lock to return to the side should she overcome the ankle injury that kept her out of Round 9’s clash with the Lions.
Daisy Bateman and Grace Campbell earned recalls to the side for Round 9, with Bateman earning her opportunity after a strong 20-disposal performance at VFLW level.
Due to the number of highly versatile players Darren Crocker has at his disposal, there’s any number of potential options he could select as he looks to get his side set for finals.
Will the Roos guarantee a home final?
The mathematics involved in predicting the ladder ahead of the final round of the home and away season often involves some mental gymnastics. The results of other games out of your control can directly influence where your side finishes on the ladder.
The answer as to where the Kangaroos will finish can be broken down relatively simply. Win by enough and a home final is secured. Lose, draw, or win by too small a margin, the door could be opened for Fremantle to leapfrog North Melbourne into fourth and secure a home final of their own.
If the Kangaroos win by a monster margin, and Brisbane lose by enough, there is the potential for the Kangaroos to jump into third, however a fourth or fifth-placed finish seems most likely.
How does the forward line get firing?
For much of this AFLW season, North Melbourne has looked like a strong and threatening side that has consistently found issues in its final approach into the forward 50.
In the Round 6 victory over Richmond, the Kangaroos won the inside 50 count 43-18, but only recorded four more scoring shots than the Tigers. In the Round 1 clash with Geelong they had six more inside 50s, but two less scoring shots than their opposition.
While the side was beautifully consistent with its entries in the win over the Dockers, the Kangaroos’ need for a high number of entries to impact the scoreboard has been somewhat exposed in the losses to Brisbane and Melbourne.
Victories over the Giants and Dockers have shown the Kangaroos can be a consistent and beautifully efficient outfit in the forward half of the ground, but the recent trend of needing a high number of forward entries to impact the scoreboard was somewhat exposed against Brisbane and Melbourne.
North has proved it’s capable of dominating the territory battle, the big question is can it find a way to continue to do that but also impact the scoreboard this week against the Eagles?
