The West Coast Eagles couldn’t get the job done at Arden Street Oval and eventually fell to the finals-bound Kangaroos by 39 points.
After booting two early goals – thanks to Kellie Gibson and Grace Kelly – the Eagles looked primed to win their first stanza of the season, but North Melbourne shut down any early hopes of an upset and kicked four in quick succession to propel them towards a 9.5 (59) to 3.2 (20) win.
West Coast looked slightly more polished than the weeks prior and were able to move the ball more freely, with skipper Emma Swanson (27 disposals, six clearances) again amongst the best for the day.
The Eagles’ engine room also looked more composed in the first quarter with Niamh Kelly finding space to run and send the ball forward, while Kellie Gibson (13 disposals, four marks) and Bella Lewis (12 disposals, two tackles) also did some good things in the centre.
The younger contingent of players also continued to develop their craft, with Beth Schilling (seven intercepts) standing tall in defence alongside Charlie Thomas (10 disposals), while all five of West Coast’s 2021 draftees put in work across the match.
After a strong showing in the first 10 minutes, West Coast were unable to wrestle back momentum after North Melbourne kicked the final two of the term, with their capacity to easily mark the ball in the goal square proving costly for the Eagles.
The backline also leaked a couple of goals in the second quarter while holding West Coast scoreless and snuffing out any remaining hopes of a comeback.
The lack of inside 50 entries again proved a problem for the Eagles after quarter time, coming into the long break having sent eight balls inside 50 to the Kangaroos 28.
The 2022 finalists continued their strong run of form into the third and fourth quarters and managed to render West Coast scoreless after the first stanza, until a late goal from Bella Lewis in the dying minutes of the match.
Hard running and hard tackling, the Kangaroos proved their class and had the edge on the Eagles all day as they played their final game of the season.
Beating West Coast in key areas across the ground, including contested possessions (-29) and inside 50s (-33), North Melbourne proved too strong in all areas of the game too claim their seventh win of the season.
DETAILS
North Melbourne 4.2 6.4 9.5 9.5 (59)
West Coast 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.2 (20)
GOALS
North Melbourne Bannister, Garner, King, Randall 2, Abbatangelo
West Coast Gibson, Kelly, Lewis
BEST
North Melbourne Garnder, Riddell, Wright, Bruton, King
West Coast Swanson, Smith, Gibson, N.Kelly, Lewis, Bowen
INJURIES
North Melbourne Nil
West Coast Nil
