It's another finals berth for the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos, who challenge the Demons at Ikon Park on Sunday afternoon in a qualifying final.

A home preliminary final is up for grabs for the winner, with the loser to face the winner of the knockout clash between Geelong and Essendon.

The Roos are set to come in on a high after dispatching the Dogs by 46 points in Round 10, while Melbourne will hope to return to winning ways after falling to Brisbane.

Set your matchday reminders

Sunday, November 12
Melbourne v North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos at Ikon Park, 3.05pm AEDT

So you don't miss it, or any other games this season, make sure to sync the fixture to your calendar.

The opposition 

The Demons' premiership defence continues after they finished second on the AFLW ladder, earning the right to host a home qualifying final.

They'll enter Ikon Park stinging from a 25-point defeat to the Lions in Queensland. However they'll be spurred by knowing they haven't lost to the Kangaroos since the clubs' first AFLW meeting in 2019.

Melbourne has the League's most experienced list when it comes to finals action, while forwards Kate Hore and Eden Zanker promise plenty of firepower, having finished on top of the AFLW goalkicking leaderboard.

The in-form Roo

Jasmine Garner

Dominant against Adelaide in Round 9, Garner lifted yet another notch on Sunday, setting VU Whitten Oval alight in the final game of the home and away season.

The champion onballer finished Pride Round with 31 disposals, eight clearances, eight tackles, seven score involvements and two goals, alongside Ash Riddell who collected 36 touches of her own.

Garner was given plenty of attention last time out against Melbourne, with Shelley Heath close-checking the No.25 throughout much of the contest, and the Kangas star will be prepared for another gripping battle when the sides meet again this weekend.

Last time we met

Melbourne 5.7 (37) def. North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos 2.2 (14) - Round 8, 2023

The Roos were outmuscled when the sides clashed earlier this year, with Melbourne taking home a 23-point win following a commanding final three quarters.

Niamh Martin - who kicked her first AFLW goal - and Tess Craven got North Melbourne off to a flying start with consecutive majors, but the Demons quickly tightened up and piled on the pressure.

Tyla Hanks proved to be a difference-maker for the home side in midfield, while Mia King was impressive for the Kangaroos in defeat, with 20 touches and 13 tackles.

Ticketing

Want to join the finals festivities? Grab your tickets for the game here!

Membership

The Kangaroos' journey rolls on as Darren Crocker's group continues its path towards silverware.

If you haven't already, become a 2023 AFLW North Melbourne member.

Joining up as a member will give you priority access to AFLW finals tickets!

Watch on TV or stream on your phone

Sunday's game will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and for Foxtel and Kayo Sports subscribers.

Team selection

North Melbourne will name its extended squad on Thursday at 6.20pm before revealing its final 21-player team on Friday at 5pm.

Stay connected on social media

For behind-the-scenes access and all the best highlights, photos, stats and stories, we’ve got you covered.
 
Follow the @NMFCWomens accounts on Instagram, Facebook and X to stay up to date with everything happening at the match.

Bring on the Dees!

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have finally broken through to record a win over a top side, thumping Melbourne by 41 points in a qualifying final at Ikon Park.

The 7.8 (50) to 1.3 (9) result has broken the Roos' run of six straight losses to Melbourne, and means the Dees will now play Geelong in a semi-final, while North Melbourne will play the winner of Adelaide-Sydney.

The last time North defeated Melbourne was Round 4, 2019, and their cumulative record against the Demons, Brisbane and Adelaide now stands at 3-16.

Most of the damage was done in the third term, the Roos scoring 3.2 to one behind – such was the dominance, Melbourne had only kicked two behinds to the final break.

Alyssa Bannan finally capitalised on a set shot to score Melbourne's first major with eight minutes remaining in the match.

North Melbourne owned the first 15 minutes of the match, but was rarely allowed to get a clean shot at goal, snapping hurriedly under immense pressure to record 1.4 for the term.

Tahlia Randall (three goals) was one of the Roos' three forwards to hit the scoreboard in the first half, pulling one goal out of the ruck and converting her second from a set shot.

North Melbourne was fierce all over the ground in the first half, holding Melbourne to just one point for the entire period.

The Demons started Tayla Harris in the ruck in the third term, pushing Lauren Pearce forward, and it looked to have an immediate impact until Pearce's set shot drifted wide.

But things seemed to open up for the Roos in the latter half of that quarter; for the first time, one team found some open space to run and carry and catch the opposing backline on the hop.

DEMONS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

Jas Garner (25 disposals, 12 tackles, three clearances) didn't quite rack up her usual numbers, shadowed by Shelley Heath, but was nonetheless the best player on the ground, with her contested work coming to the fore in a particularly bruising first half.

Unheralded Roo Mia King (17 and five clearances) was ferocious, while usual suspects Ash Riddell (23 and six) and Emma Kearney (22 and 11 intercepts) caused plenty of havoc.

Tyla Hanks (23) threatened to swing the game in Melbourne's favour on a number of occasions with daring and agile runs through the middle, while Liv Purcell (24) battled hard in the stoppages. Defender Sinead Goldrick was also very composed throughout.

Resolute Roos defence leads the way
Melbourne only had four fewer inside 50s than North Melbourne in the first half, but the strong Roos backline – led superbly by Sarah Wright and Jas Ferguson – kept the Demons to just one point from 12 entries. North Melbourne laid a season-high 100 tackles for the game and consistently cut off the Demons' switch-kicks across the ground, reading the play well when Melbourne attempted to change lanes.

Dangerous Melbourne forwards quelled
Eden Zanker was equal-leading goalkicker this year, but to three-quarter time had just one disposal to her name. The Dees threw the versatile tall into the midfield to start the last quarter in an attempt to get her into the game, recording eight late disposals. Bannan was rarely sighted until kicking Melbourne's first goal with eight minutes to go, while Tayla Harris played mostly ruck after a quiet first half.

Up next
North Melbourne has a week off and will host the winner of Adelaide-Sydney, while Melbourne will face Geelong at Ikon Park next weekend.

MELBOURNE                   0.1     0.1     0.2     1.3     (9)
NORTH MELBOURNE     1.4     2.4     5.6     7.8     (50) 

GOALS
Melbourne: Bannan
North Melbourne: Randall 3, Eddey 2, O'Loughlin, E. King 

BEST
Melbourne: Hanks, Purcell, Hore, Goldrick, Gay
North Melbourne: Garner, Riddell, Kearney, Randall, Wright, Pullar 

INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
North Melbourne: Shierlaw (head knock) 

Crowd: 5,431 at Ikon Park