The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos reclaimed top spot on the ladder after crushing Essendon in the clubs' first ever AFLW meeting at Windy Hill on Sunday.

The Kangaroos leaped out of the blocks, kicking 6.5 to 0.1 in a dominant first half played in conditions befitting the ground's name.

Spearhead Tahlia Randall kicked three goals as the Roos ran out 51-point winners, 8.10 (58) to 1.1 (7).

BOMBERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The win puts the Kangaroos in pole position to claim a top-two position on the ladder, following third-placed Brisbane's loss to Geelong earlier on Sunday. North Melbourne is two points ahead of Hawthorn and six ahead of Brisbane, with a crunch game to come against fierce rivals Adelaide on Friday night.  

The hefty defeat was a record low in more ways than one for Essendon, with the scoreline both the Bombers' lowest ever score and their biggest defeat in their three-year history.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, it was a physical affair highlighted by high-flying grabs and bone-crunching bumps.

North put the pressure on Essendon early, allowing the Bombers into their forward 50 just five times for the entire first half, and seemed in cruise control for much of the match.

Ruby Tripodi and Mia King's defensive efforts through the midfield quelled any forward advances the Bombers attempted, while efficiency on the attack was where the Roos were able to pull away.

The Roos' overall pressure just kept building as they were able to keep increasing their lead at a constant but rapid pace.

North had more than double the efficiency of their shellshocked opponents inside 50 (17-40) in the ruthless display, sending an ominous warning to the rest of the competition.

Although the Roos' offence was something of dreams, their dominant defence kept Essendon to single digits as it too hunts a finals spot.

MAZDA NEXT LEVEL PERFORMER Vote for the best Kangaroo against the Bombers

Half ton for evergreen Shierlaw

Entering the game two shy of 50 career goals, tall forward Kate Shierlaw needed only six minutes to bring up her personal milestone. At 35, Shierlaw is the oldest player on North Melbourne's list but has been in career-best form this season. Her two goals against the Bombers take her tally to 11 from seven games, including a haul of five against the Demons in Week 3.

Next Up

A Friday night blockbuster awaits the Kangaroos, against AFLW Adelaide at Norwood Oval. With Hawthorn and Brisbane both nipping at the Kangas' heels in the race to finish in the top two, a win for the Roos would secure a home qualifying final. The opening bounce is at 7.45pm AEDT (7.15pm local).

ESSENDON                    0.0   0.1   0.1   1.1 (7)
NORTH MELBOURNE    3.3   6.5   6.7   8.10 (58)

GOALS
Essendon: Toogood
North Melbourne: Randall 3, Shierlaw 2, Garner, E King, Wall

BEST
Essendon: Gay, Prespakis, Nanscawen, Toogood
North Melbourne: Shierlaw, Randall, Riddell, M.King, Smith

Injuries: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: 4336 at Windy Hill