North Melbourne secured a coveted double chance at the AFLW finals with a 46-point belter of wooden spoon Western Bulldogs.
The Kangaroos in the final held the Bulldogs scoreless in the first half of their 7.13 (55) to 1.3 (9) victory at Whitten Oval on Saturday.
Decorated duo Jasmine Garner and Ash Riddell starred as the Kangaroos moved into third place in the table.
The Bulldogs finished last season with just one win in 10 matches.
Garner, a five-time All Australian, collected 31 disposals and kicked two goals in a dominant performance.
And Riddell was the architect of a first-half blitz, his 18 disposals towards the main break registering 407 meters gained, almost double the second best on the field.
The club champion Kangaroos finished with 36 disposals and Emma Kearney (20 disposals) and Amy Smith (14, five tackles) were also influential.
Kangaroos star Garner was a constant roaming threat and joined Emma King, Kate Shierlaw, Ellie Gavalas, Tahlia Randall and Erika O’Shea as scorers.
The Bulldogs’ lone goal came on an opportunistic left-footed shot from Britney Gutknecht early in the final quarter.
Despite the efforts of Ellie Blackburn (30 disposals), Elisabeth Georgostathis (23), Jess Fitzgerald (17) and Gabrielle Newton (18), the Bulldogs slipped to a ninth defeat in 10 matches.
In contrast, the Kangaroos have bounced back from two defeats and are heading into the final with confidence.
PAA
