THE NORTH Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos have suffered their first loss of the 2022 AFLW season on the road to Adelaide. 

The Crows won by 13 points at Norwood Oval on Sunday despite the best efforts of gun Kangaroos midfielder Ashleigh Riddell and returning captain Emma Kearney.

Goalkicking ace Ashleigh Woodland was the difference in Adelaide's 5.7 (37) to 3.6 (24) triumph over a spirited Kangaroos outfit.

Woodland booted four goals to go with the four she kicked in the Crows' season opener, leaving the Roos with one win and one loss so far in 2022.

The Roos trailed by just seven points with three minutes remaining before Woodland capped her remarkable match by scoring the sealer in a brilliant coast-to-coast team goal.

Riddell, who tied the league disposal record of 35 touches in round one, collected 27 possessions against Adelaide while the influential Kearney gathered 23.

Woodland kicked the sole goal of a frenetic opening term, pouncing on a loose Kangaroos handball and converting a classy snap over her left shoulder.

Adelaide led 1.1 to 0.2 at quarter-time and skipped clear early in the second term with two goals inside two minutes. When Stevie-Lee Thompson kicked Adelaide‘s third goal, the Crows had skipped to a 17-point advantage.

The Kangaroos quickly responded to the threat with their first major after Sophie Abbatangelo marked and goaled from 30 metres out.

Adelaide, with its dual AFLW best and fairest winner Phillips collecting 14 touches - one shy of North's Riddell - held a 3.3 to 1.3 halftime lead.

Woodland extended that advantage to 19 points early in the third quarter with her third goal coming after a strong mark when holding front position against North's Jasmine Ferguson.

The Kangaroos then rallied, with an Ellie Gavalas goal in the 13th minute helping to reduce Adelaide's lead to 11 points at three quarter-time.

And after a 14-minute scoring stalemate in the final quarter, the visitors had a sniff of an upset when Jasmine Garner goaled - only for Adelaide's standout Woodland to reply two minutes later to settle the result.

The difference

The Roos held sway in the numbers game on all but the scoreboard for most of the match and eventually ended up with one more disposal than their Adelaide counterparts. It was the Crows’ cleaner and more precise forward 50m entries that proved the difference between both sides, with Ashleigh Woodland (four goals) the only multiple goalkicker.

Welcome back Abba

Skipper Emma Kearney stole the show of the returning players but Sophie Abbatangelo was also a welcome sight back in the Roos’ forward 50. She kicked a goal of her own but it was her desperate tackling and aerial competitiveness in the absence of the team’s regular tall timber that almost got the Roos over the line.

Keep an eye on

Bella Eddey was a bit-part player for the Roos after being taken with the club’s first selection in the 2020 NAB AFLW Draft. On her showing today, Roos fans can expect her to be a permanent fixture in the team for years to come. She collected 16 possessions in her role in the wing, her speed and precise kicking regularly catching the eye.

What’s next?

The Roos take on Greater Western Sydney in the Pride Round at Arden St on Sunday at 1.10pm AEDT. The Roos will be sweating on the return of ruck-forward Kim Rennie (concussion) and Danielle Hardiman and Sarah Wright (both COVID health and safety protocols).

ADELAIDE                           1.1    3.3    4.4.   5.7 (37)
NORTH MELBOURNE        0.2    1.3    2.5.   3.6 (24) 

GOALS 
Adelaide: Woodland 4, Thompson
North Melbourne: Abbatangelo, Gavalas, Garner

BEST  
Adelaide:  Hatchard, Phillips, Thompson, Woodland, Allan
North Melbourne: Riddell, Gavalas, Kearney, Garner, Eddey

INJURIES  
Adelaide: Randall (knee)
North Melbourne: Nil

LATE CHANGES 
Adelaide:  Nil
North Melbourne: Nil

Reports: Nil