North Melbourne has swung three changes to its VFLW side for Saturday's match against Darebin at Avalon Airport Oval. 

The Roos, who held off the Pies to win by five points last week, are on track for a finals spot, sitting in sixth place among the finals-eligible teams with a two-point advantage on Casey in seventh.

Onballer Jennifer Guy has been named to make her return from a hip injury suffered back in Round 2, and will be joined by Brooke Slaney who has shaken off a wrist injury to be available for the trip west.

The pacey Aisling Tupper is the final inclusion and will pull on the Kangaroos guernsey for the first time, having originally been a part of the team back when it was under the Melbourne University name.

Making way is Elisha King, who is dealing with a minor hamstring complaint. Kiara Delia and Charlotte Van der vlies have been omitted.

The clash against the Falcons is only a portion of a big day of footy in Wyndham, one of the club's Academy regions.

Geelong v Western Bulldogs will kick Saturday off at 11am at Avalon Airport Oval as part of a VFLW double-header, with a girls-only Auskick session to be run between the games. AFLW Roos Ash Riddell, Liz McGrath and Amy Smith will all be involved in the session.

In conjunction with Werribee Football Club, North Melbourne's U13-girls Next Generation Academy will also be in attendance for their 2024 introduction session.

How to follow the game

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Round 11

Saturday, June 1
North Melbourne v Darebin at Avalon Airport Oval, Werribee, 1.30pm AEST

In another thrilling finish, North Melbourne's VFLW side has come out victorious, beating the Darebin Falcons at Avalon Airport Oval by six points to claim a third consecutive win.

The Roos trailed at quarter-time, but three goals in three minutes towards the back end of the second term proved valuable as they hung onto win 5.7 (37) to 5.1 (31).

The victory takes North Melbourne to fifth spot on the ladder with three pivotal matches remaining in the home and away season.

"The last four weeks has been great, we are starting to get the game looking a little more like how we want them to," VFLW coach Brett Gourley told NMFC Media.

"The first half in particular today, we played most of the game in our front half which is how we want it to look.

"We spoke during the week about how we want to be a front-half turnover team, and not a back-half transition team, that's one thing we really focused on this week.

KANGAROOS v FALCONS Full match coverage and stats

Despite a strong start to the contest in terms of possession, it was Darebin's Olivia Storer who booted the game's opening major against the flow of play 18 minutes into the first quarter.

While Nyakoat Dojiok and Aisling Tupper were lively inside forward 50, the Kangas were staring down a six-point half-time deficit until three quick goals from Emily Paterno, Dojiok, and Mackie Sutcliffe rapidly changed turn the home side's fortunes.

Paterno's goal was the best of the bunch, as the veteran crumbed a pack in textbook fashion before snapping truly while Dojiok and Sutcliffe managed to get on the end of some deep entries.

Only one minute had elapsed in the third term before Paterno slotted her second and extended the margin out to 18 points, but the quarter ultimately belonged to the visitors who continued to bring the pressure around the contest.

Monique De Matteo proved to be a handful for the Roos and kicked Darebin's two goals for the term to halt North Melbourne's momentum and set up a massive fourth quarter.

"I felt like we were able to win the territory battle particularly in the first quarter, and even in the first half we were able to get multiple looks inside, although we weren't able to capitalise on the scoreboard we felt like we were really dominating the game," Gourley said. 

"The third quarter changed a little bit ... we were able to keep the ball inside forward 50, get a lot of repeat entries and get some really good opportunities to score, unfortunately we couldn't convert them into goals, but they came a little later."

Both sides scrapped away as the rain began to tumble in the final term, with the Falcons looking to snatch a win despite the key statistical metrics pointing North Melbourne's way.

Dojiok and Sabine Du Parquet exchanged majors midway through the quarter and with two minutes left it was defender Nicole Hales who stood tall to take a crucial intercept grab - keeping her side's six-point advantage intact.

Another desperate effort from Matilda Zander on the boundary line helped the Roos seal their third win on the trot. 

Renee Tierney played a significant role in the win, collecting a game-high 31 disposals to go along with four marks, seven tackles, and six clearances. The midfielder was the catalyst for the turnaround in the second quarter, playing a part in two of the three goals.

"With Jen Guy coming out we were probably going to play Renee a bit more forward today, but it gave her the opportunity to go back on the ball," Gourley mentioned.

"She was just outstanding, so clean inside, her ability to win the contested footy and give it to players on the outside was great and also her ability to mark the footy under pressure was brilliant as well."

Maddie Di Cosmo also starred in midfield, recording 10 tackles to go along with five clearances and 25 disposals.

NORTH MELBOURNE    0.4    3.6    4.7    5.7 (37)
DAREBIN FALCONS      1.0    2.0    4.1    5.1 (31)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Paterno 2, Dojiok 2, Sutcliffe
Darebin: De Matteo 2, Storer, Callinan, Du Parquet

BEST
North Melbourne: Tierney, Di Cosmo, Barba, Hales, Rhodes, Reynolds

LATE CHANGE
North Melbourne: Mackie Sutcliffe replaced Jennifer Guy (back)