The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos will have the opportunity to win a maiden AFLW premiership on Sunday when they face the Brisbane Lions at Ikon Park.

The Roos knocked off the minor premiers Adelaide by a solitary point in last week's preliminary final to reach their first ever Grand Final, while the Lions held off the Cats to triumph by four points in another thriller.

In front of a sold-out Ikon Park, the final instalment of the 2023 AFLW season is going to be huge.

Set your matchday reminders

Sunday, December 3
North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos v Brisbane at Ikon Park, 2.30pm AEDT

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

The opposition

A preliminary final victory over Geelong in Queensland last weekend saw the Lions book their fifth Grand Final appearance in eight seasons.

Shannon Campbell's late go-ahead goal proved the sealer as Brisbane took back the lead in the fourth quarter from a persistent Cats outfit.

A concern for Brisbane is the health of All-Australian forward Dakota Davidson. The centrepiece of Brisbane's forward line will need to prove her fitness in the coming days after suffering a knee injury last weekend.

The in-form Roo

Jenna Bruton

Just when the Crows started to assert some authority on Sunday's preliminary final, in stepped Jenna Bruton.

The experienced hard-nosed onballer finished with a game-high 28 disposals and seven tackles, but it was her third quarter that stood out.

Refusing to lose any contest, Bruton racked up 13 touches and four inside 50s, and set up Tahlia Randall's second major of the day.

Last time we met

North Melbourne's first opportunity of the 2023 season to land a blow on one of the League's 'top three' teams (Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne), went begging in Round 4, when the Lions ended the Roos' undefeated start to the year in nailbiting fashion.

Playing in Tasmania, where the Roos were undefeated, Darren Crocker's group was well in control throughout the first half and took a three-goal buffer into the main break, but the Lions responded strongly in the third term.

Consecutive goals to Bre Koenen and Taylor Smith put the visitors in the mix, and a Campbell major with five minutes remaining in the fourth proved to be the dagger as North Melbourne struggled to generate scores.

Jas Garner and Ash Riddell combined for 61 disposals, with Garner also adding a goal, while Emma King booted two goals from her 13 touches.

Ticketing

Tickets for the 2023 NAB AFLW Grand Final on Sunday, December 3 at Ikon Park are sold out. Should further tickets become available, they will be released at 12pm AEDT Friday, December 1 via Ticketmaster.

All patrons, including juniors, must have pre-purchased ticket to enter the venue. There will be no gate sales or tickets available for purchase at the venue.

While access for Juniors (Under 18) is free, they must hold a ticket. Any junior without a pre-purchased ticket will not be permitted access to the match.

Gates open from 12.50pm AEDT, with pre-match entertainment from 1.30pm, and ball up at 2.30pm AEDT. Patrons are advised to arrive early, to avoid queues. 

In advance of arriving at Ikon Park, all patrons are advised to have their digital ticket ready for scanning for the smoothest entry to the venue.

Patrons are also advised to check their ticket ahead of their arrival, to identify their nominated gate for entry. Patrons must enter via the gate marked on their ticket.

For any match day ticketing issues, there will be Box Offices located at Gate 5 and Gate 6 with staff available for support and troubleshooting.

Fan venue

Cheer on the girls with other Kangaroos fans this weekend and watch the Grand Final live at the Sarah Sands Hotel.

Sarah Sands Hotel
29 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
2.30pm

North Melbourne will be premiers...
JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE!

Membership

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 Grand Final 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 Lions!

It all comes down to this.

North Melbourne, having finally reached the season decider, is searching for its first AFLW premiership, and the Lions are fighting for a second flag from five Grand Final appearances.  

Should the Kangaroos win on Sunday, they will become the first expansion side to reach the pinnacle, having joined the competition in 2019 in the first round of growth. Brisbane, meanwhile, has reached finals and Grand Finals more than any other side, and will be keen to begin evening out its record in the decider. 

Head-to-head record 

North Melbourne and Brisbane have faced off four times, having met for the first time in 2021 and played every season since. In that period, the Lions have claimed victory on each occasion, although the margin was just two points when they played in round four this year. 

The Roos have two former Lions on their side this year, with power forward Tahlia Randall playing in the northern state across 2017 and 2018 – including both Grand Finals – while more recently Lulu Pullar made the move to the blue and white this year. 

Last time they met  

It seemed like the Kangaroos were on the precipice of beating Brisbane for the first time when the two sides clashed in Tasmania in round four, but a final-quarter goal from inaugural Lion Shannon Campbell was a heartbreaker, resulting in a two-point win for the visitors. 

After North Melbourne dominated the opening half, Brisbane captain Bre Koenen moved into the middle in short spurts to disrupt Jasmine Garner's control at the contest, allowing the Lions' midfielders to get into the game and roll from there. 

Notably, All-Australian key forward Dakota Davidson was suspended for the game, meaning Campbell, typically a defender, was swung into attack.  

It was important Roo Jenna Bruton's first game of the year after a calf injury derailed her pre-season, while vice-captain Nicole Bresnehan was felled with an ankle injury that saw her miss the next five games.

Dream match-up 

Emma Kearney v Courtney Hodder 

This is not a match-up to expect for the whole match, but the drive out of defence Emma Kearney gives the Roos is something Brisbane will no doubt be keen to limit. Courtney Hodder has been playing a higher half-forward role this year, and her brand of pressure is well known. She's quick, smart and strong, so the perfect option to unsettle any sense of control Kearney might find. 

Players to watch 

Jenna Bruton (North Melbourne) 

Despite a later start to the season than she would have liked, Jenna Bruton has been playing a really important role for North Melbourne in the attacking half in recent weeks. 

The way she sets up at forward stoppages, often able to lose her direct opponent and find space on the defensive side of the contest, makes her really dangerous, and her contributions often allow the Kangaroos to maintain forward territory.  

Lulu Pullar (North Melbourne) 

Coming up against her old side for the second time this season, Lulu Pullar went toe-to-toe with Sophie Conway when they met back in round four. Now a heart and soul Roo who is vocal on the field, getting her teammates up and about, she has the ability to play havoc with Brisbane's outside running game. 

Jade Ellenger (Brisbane) 

Arguably the Lions' biggest improver this year, Jade Ellenger will notch up career game No.50 in Sunday's Grand Final. One of Brisbane's highly touted wing trio, Ellenger gains a lot of ground with her disposal, and has developed a real confidence to run and carry down the ground this year. A bit more of a defensive winger than the others at the Lions, so offers fantastic rebound out of the back half when needed. 

Where it will be won or lost 

What really has the potential to shape this game is actually each side's least experienced players. When they met in round four, Eliza Shannon was playing just her fourth game for the Roos, and the 10th of her career, while winger Taylah Gatt was playing career game No.17. For Brisbane, key defender Jennifer Dunne was playing just her second game, Poppy Boltz her third, and Charlie Mullins her fourth. 

Although both teams boast some of the biggest stars in the game, it is the development of this inexperienced group that can make or break either side's fortunes. 

In particular, Dunne and Boltz's ability to battle it out with North Melbourne's tall forwards will be crucial for the Lions, and while both were serviceable in that round four game, they have developed significantly since. 

Another player's evolution throughout the season may also come into play, with North Melbourne's Amy Smith largely taking on run-with roles in recent weeks. Should she be handed a role again for Sunday's decider, it is likely she'll be sent to either Belle Dawes or Ally Anderson through the Lions' midfield. While Anderson is the club's most prolific ball winner, Dawes is arguably just as damaging with fewer disposals.  

North Melbourne, still boasting the tightest defence across the League this year, is well structured behind the play. They don't get sucked up to the ball, instead maintaining a well-drilled layered set-up. Meanwhile the Lions want to gain territory and trap the ball forward, regularly getting the ball onto the boot into space in an effort to gain ground. This will, if ill-directed, work right into the hands of Kangaroo duo Jasmine Ferguson and Sarah Wright, so composure going forward is crucial if Brisbane is to break through. 

Because of this defensive structure, the Roos are conceding the lowest average shot efficiency – the percentage of inside 50s resulting in a shot on goal – the AFLW has ever seen at just 31.3 per cent. This has also led to conceding a goal from just 11.2 per cent of inside 50s.  

This clashes with Brisbane's forward pressure and territory game. Averaging the competition's record of 17.5 tackles inside 50 per game, with that defensive pressure applied to trap the ball within scoring distance, the Lions work relentlessly to unsettle opposition defensive units. 

The availability of Dakota Davidson will also play a big part in how Brisbane lines up. As the club's leading goalkicker and focal point inside 50 this year, should she not prove her fitness for the game, coach Craig Starcevich will no doubt have to shuffle the magnets as he has been forced to do throughout the season. 

Campbell being moved forward is an option, but a risky one given North Melbourne's attack of Tahlia Randall, Kate Shierlaw and Emma King, but someone like midfielder Ellie Hampson has also been used out of the goalsquare throughout the season so presents as another option.  

For North Melbourne, the crucial piece of the puzzle is its connection between midfield and forward. Although boasting a potent attack, it has been let down at times with how it has moved the ball inside 50. Should the Roos nail that chemistry on Sunday, however, they become exceptionally difficult to defend. 

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos' first AFLW Grand Final has ended in heartache after Brisbane won by 17 points at Ikon Park.

The Lions withstood a ferocious Kangaroo effort to win their second AFLW premiership, overrunning the Roos in the final quarter to win 7.2 (44) to 4.3 (27).

KANGAROOS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats

Big forward Dakota Davidson was the match-winner, kicking two huge fourth-quarter goals despite having been appeared unlikely to start the game all week due to a knee injury.

Club champion Jas Garner was immense for the Kangaroos, putting herself in harm's way and kicking both their first-half goals.

She placed second in voting for the Best on Ground medal behind winner Bre Koenen after finishing with 24 possessions, 17 of them contested.

Such was the Lions' intensity, they set an AFLW record for tackles, laying 110, and held North Melbourne scoreless in the final term.

The Kangaroos had suffered a significant blow in the opening minutes when last week's best-afield, the lively Jenna Bruton, was felled by a right foot injury, unable to put any weight on the leg.

The first quarter itself was tense and scrappy, Courtney Hodder and Mia King themselves laying eight and seven tackles, respectively. Chances deep in attack were few and far between.

After a week of being in the headlines (presumably much to the humble Garner's own distaste) after missing out once again in the AFLW best and fairest count, it took a beautiful Garner set shot from 48m to kick the opening goal, coming 16 minutes into the game.

Brisbane skipper Breanna Koenen – generally playing as the spare in defence, with North opting to use their free player around the footy – was simply outstanding throughout, showing immense bravery on many occasions to take a goal-saving mark under pressure.

Sometimes in Grand Finals it's as simple as taking your chances, and that's what Charlie Mullins did from the 50m mark, wheeling and kicking to the top of the square, with the ball skipping through an out-of-alignment North defence for the Lions' first.

Koenen was swung onto Garner, starting in the middle, and while she didn't completely shut down the superstar, her influence was somewhat quelled.

"Zombie" from Irish band The Cranberries hit the PA as Orla O'Dwyer kicked a clever bouncing snap early in the third, giving Brisbane the lead for the first time in the game.

It signalled the steely resolve of the Brisbane side, lifting its pressure around the contest and beginning to turn the tide in the clearances.

The heavy North-dominated crowd could sense the turning tide, rising in volume in an attempt to urge their side forward.

It worked.

Kate Shierlaw – who had barely been sighted to this point – took a strong contested mark, beating out two Brisbane opponents, and converted truly from a tight angle to snatch back the lead.

Ash Riddell streamed out of the centre, three North players laid a tackle (with an excitable Riddell celebrating before the umpire had even called holding the ball), with Alice O'Loughlin kicking truly.

But there was a final twist in the tale yet, with the polarising Davidson – who Lions fans love while she gets under the skin of opposition supporters – shook off her knee injury and stood tall to kick not just the first, but the second of the final term as well.

Integral Brisbane winger Sophie Conway underwent a head injury assessment at three-quarter time and into the fourth term, but returned, while the tough-as-nails Shannon Campbell received a series of heavy knocks throughout the game.

Alongside Garner, Mia King stood tall in the contest for the Roos, recording a game-high 12 clearances and 19 touches.

For the Lions Belle Dawes ran her heart out, with a game-high 18 contested possessions, 20 touches and 13 tackles, while Ally Anderson bobbed up at important moments to finish with 20 disposals and six clearances.

Devastating Roos blow

She was the match-winner in the one-point preliminary final win over Adelaide, but Jenna Bruton's Grand Final lasted just three minutes, suffering what coach Darren Crocker later confirmed to be an Achilles tendon injury. The diminutive Roo had jumped high for a successful, slap-down intercept before landing and moving to take off on her right foot, crumbling to the deck instead of running. She had a moon boot and crutches by the three-quarter time break, hobbling out for the final address for the year from Crocker.

North Melbourne      1.0   2.2  4.3   4.3 (27)
Brisbane                    0.0   2.1  3.2   7.2 (44)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Garner 2, O'Loughlin, Shierlaw
Brisbane: Hampson 2, Davidson 2, Koenen, Mullins, O'Dwyer

BEST
North Melbourne: Garner, M. King, Riddell, Rennie, Kearney
Brisbane: Koenen, Dawes, Anderson, Grider, Hodder

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Bruton (Achilles)
Brisbane: Conway (head knock)

Crowd: 12,616 at Ikon Park