North Melbourne has won its first AFLW premiership, completing a stunning unbeaten season by toppling the Brisbane Lions in the 2024 NAB AFLW Grand Final.

The Kangaroos won by 30 points, 6.3 (39) to 1.3 (9). 

KANGAROOS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats

The breakthrough premiership is the club's first in 25 years, adding to its four AFL premierships. It comes as sweet revenge for last year's AFLW Grand Final, which the Roos lost to Brisbane after leading at three-quarter time.

The Kangaroos are the first expansion club to win an AFLW flag and the first team in VFL/AFL/AFLW history to go through a season undefeated (a draw against Geelong back in September is the only blemish).

Superstar and league favourite, Jasmine Garner, finally has an individual medal, named best-afield for her 35-disposal, 10-clearance performance.

And coach Darren Crocker – a former premiership player for the club in his own right – has finally brought some silverware back to Arden Street.

If a flag was sweet relief for North fans, they were put through the wringer in three tense quarters after the Roos had started best in front of a sold-out Ikon Park.

No goals were kicked between Vikki Wall's first in the fifth minute of the second term and her second three minutes into the fourth, as the unstoppable Roos threw repeated fruitless attacks at the immovable reigning premiers. 

The deadlock was finally broken by a smart one-two between Jenna Bruton and Kate Shierlaw, with Bruton bursting through to hit up Wall.

The Irishwoman didn't play in last year's decider; she was in the middle of another brief rugby sojourn and watched the game on her phone on the other side of the world.

Her second goal took the margin to 23 points at the start of the fourth, and the 'North Melbourne' chant echoed around the ground.

At the start of the night, Tess Craven shook off any lingering concerns after a corked back, running hard to mark a pin-point Garner kick and converting truly for the opening goal.

Alice O'Loughlin had a brace to her name before Brisbane hit the scoreboard in earnest, when Ellie Hampson fully capitalised on a down-field free kick after a slightly overzealous Emma King tackle.

The Roos had 30 more touches in the first term, simply denying Brisbane the footy – with eight Lions not touching the ball – but the visitors' pressure was excellent in the clinches, stopping the Roos from fully running away with it.

North dominated the second term with the ball living in its half of the ground, but Jen Dunne, Shannon Campbell and Bre Koenen hung on grimly on the last line of defence and the Roos only added one additional goal for the term, taking a 17-point lead into half-time.

While Brisbane managed to right the ship somewhat in the third term when it came to ball ownership, North's backline was incredibly disciplined, with Sarah Wright, Jas Ferguson and Libby Birch moving in unison to shut down forward forays.

Tahlia Hickie injured her left elbow in the opening minutes of the second half, with Mia King accidentally landing on it as the pair tussled for the footy. The Brisbane ruck had the joint strapped up and returned to play.

Having played very limited minutes last week on return from a long-term hamstring injury, Emma Kearney showed no signs of rust. The skipper was simply superb from the opening bounce, patrolling half-back and showing there's plenty of life left in the 35-year-old.

Jade Ellenger started the game as a loose tag on Garner, which appeared to be released in the third term as the champion Roo got on a roll.

As was the case in last year's edition, Brisbane skipper Koenen was swung onto Garner, and in a separate incident, Ellenger's ankle was caught under a North player, with her night done at the start of the fourth.

Memories of Brisbane's game-winning comeback in last year's Grand Final loomed large ahead of the final term, but Wall's stuttering but arrow-straight set shot eased nerves.

North Melbourne defender Libby Birch has also made history, becoming the first player - male or female - to win a premiership at three different clubs. Birch joined the Roos in a whirlwind trade last off-season after winning flags at Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.

NORTH MELBOURNE     3.0    4.1    4.1    6.3 (39)
BRISBANE LIONS          1.1    1.2    1.3    1.3 (9)

GOALS
North Melbourne: O'Loughlin 3, Wall 2, Craven
Brisbane Lions: Hampson

BEST
North Melbourne: Garner, Riddell, Kearney, Craven, Wright
Brisbane: Dawes, Anderson, O'Dwyer, Dunne

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Brisbane: Hickie (elbow), Ellenger (ankle)

Crowd: 12,122 at Ikon Park

2024 NAB AFLW Grand Final Best on Ground voting

The following votes were allocated for the 2024 NAB AFLW Grand Final Best on Ground medal.

11 – Jasmine Garner, North Melbourne: 3332
8 – Emma Kearney, North Melbourne: 3221
4 – Ash Riddell, North Melbourne: 211
1 – Alice O'Loughlin: 1

Judges voting (3, 2, 1):
Kate McCarthy, Channel Seven (Chair) – Jasmine Garner, Emma Kearney, Ash Riddell
Sarah Black, AFL Media – Jasmine Garner, Ash Riddell, Emma Kearney
Ed Bourke, NewsWire – Emma Kearney, Jasmine Garner, Alice O'Loughlin
Jess Webster, Fox Footy – Jasmine Garner, Emma Kearney, Ash Riddell