Kangaroo midfielder Jas Garner has continued her outstanding run of form, powering North Melbourne Tasmania to a 19-point win over Richmond on Saturday.
The Roos trailed in the second quarter but flexed their muscles to seal the 5.7 (37) to 2.6 (18) victory, cementing their place inside the top six on the AFLW ladder.
Garner, who earned a perfect 10 coaches' votes for her performance in the win over Fremantle in round six, had 26 disposals including 12 contested possessions, seven clearances and a goal in a dominant display at the Swinburne Centre.
Despite missing a handful of key players due to injury, the Tigers stayed with the Kangaroos for most of the first three quarters, before Darren Crocker's team put the foot down in the closing stages of the third term.
The Kangaroos have now peeled off four consecutive wins to put them two games inside the top six, with four rounds to play in the home and away season.
The Kangaroos kicked two crucial goals in the closing minutes of the third quarter, the first arriving when Sophie Abbatangelo danced around the Tiger defence to put the Roos two goals in front.
Minutes later Daria Bannister stretched the margin even further after punishing Richmond for a sloppy holding free kick in front of goal.
The final 15 minutes was an arm wrestle between two sides in different states of evolution. North Melbourne looks capable of beating the very best in the competition, while Richmond was kept in the contest by dual All-Australian Monique Conti who never stopped finding the ball in transition, dancing around opponents and putting the ball inside 50.
Star Kangaroo midfielder Ash Riddell continued her brilliant season to date, amassing massive numbers again to finish with 30 disposals including 21 kicks, while skipper Emma Kearney had 21 touches.
An ankle knock to forward Daisy Bateman was the only concern for the Roos. Bateman hobbled from the ground after tangling with a Tiger defender in the third term but was able to return in the final quarter.
The ball magnet
Ash Riddell started the season by equalling the AFLW disposal record with 35 touches in round one and hasn’t looked back since. The 25-year-old has been on a tear, adding another big day on Saturday to take her season average to 28 disposals, 18 kicks and 10 handballs across the first six rounds.
The ladder now
The win lifts the Roos to third, at least temporarily, with the fourth-placed Demons playing the Giants later on Saturday. It's a promising launching pad ahead of a period which might define the club's season. The Roos play Melbourne, Collingwood and Brisbane next up, who make up three of the current top six:
1. Adelaide: 5W, 0L, 272%
2. Fremantle: 5W, 1L, 187.3%
3. North Melbourne Tasmania: 5W, 1L, 159.1%
4. Melbourne 4W, 1L, 154.9%
5. Brisbane Lions 3W, 1L, 130.1%
6. Collingwood, 3W, 2L, 101.5%
What's next?
The Kangaroos will have the opportunity to avenge the six-point defeat by Collingwood in last year's qualifying final. They host the Magpies in Hobart at 3.10pm on Sunday, February 20. Tassie remains a happy hunting ground for the Roos, who rolled the Dockers in Hobart in round five to extend their unbeaten record in the state to seven games.
Richmond 0.1 1.3 2.3 2.6 (18)
North Melbourne Tasmania 1.2 3.2 5.5 5.7 (37)
GOALS
Richmond: Brennan, Yassir
North Melbourne Tasmania: Abbatangelo, Bannister, Garner, M King, Randall
BEST
Richmond: Conti, McKenzie, Brennan, Miller, S.Hosking
North Melbourne Tasmania: Garner, Kearney, Riddell, Abbatangelo, Brown, M.King
INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
North Melbourne Tasmania: Bateman (ankle)
Late changes: Nil
Reports: Nil
Crowd: 1093
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