Lions give Kangaroos a fright in thrilling AFLW grand final re-match

Ash Riddell has racked up 42 disposals as North Melbourne extended their winning streak to 29 games with an 11-point win over Brisbane in a thrilling grand final re-match.

The Lions were held to just a single behind in the first half of Saturday night’s match in Ipswich, before roaring back with three goals in the third quarter to close the margin to three points.

But two goals to Bella Eddey gave North the breathing space they needed in the final quarter, with the defending premiers holding their nerve when it mattered most to secure the 6.8 (44) to 5.3 (33) win.

Riddell was at her prolific best, accompanying her 42 disposals with five clearances, 467m gained and one goal assist.

Jasmine Garner (31 disposals, one goal), Erika O’Shea (25 disposals) and Tahlia Randall (two goals) also made important contributions for the Roos.

Ruby Svarc kicked two goals for Brisbane and Orla O’Dwyer tallied a team-high 20 disposals, but the Lions’ slow start came back to haunt them.

Lions coach Craig Starcevich felt his team’s fighting performance against the all-conquering defending premiers would give them a lot of confidence going forward.

“We’ve been wanting to close the gap for a couple of years now. Interestingly, we’re the last team to beat them, which feels like eons ago now.

“They’re in this amazing vein of form at the moment, and I reckon we’ve made some ground.”

The Lions entered the match without the suspended Dakota Davidson and some other key players, but still managed to give the Kangaroos an almighty fright.

“It was a tough night for both teams with the amount of the dew on the ground,” Starcevich said.

“But given who we had out and the fact we played four kids with less than 10 games and another one with less than 20 games, I’m ecstatic about the development of our group.”