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Three questions that will determine who wins the North Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions Grand Final

The stage is set for an epic Grand Final rematch this year. After falling 17 points short of the premiership in last year's decider against Brisbane, North Melbourne come in as the 2024 minor premiers with hosting rights and off the back of an undefeated season.

Let's take a look at the questions that will decide who lifts the cup on Saturday night:


Where did North go wrong last year and how do they avoid it happening again?

This is a Grand Final rematch from last year, where the Lions kept the Roos scoreless in the fourth quarter to win by 17 points.

It was Dakota Davidson who, despite a knee injury concern, kicked two goals in the fourth quarter to seal the game and clinch the premiership.

The Lions notched 110 tackles -- an AFLW record -- and their Skipper, Breanna Koenen, was named best-on-ground being moved to go head-to-head with Kangaroos star Jasmine Garner, finishing with nine intercepts, 19 disposals and 11 tackles.

So, what do North need to do to avoid this fate again?

Firstly, they got unlucky with Jenna Bruton hobbling off three minutes into the first quarter last year, with a torn Achilles, an emotional and tactical blow very early on.

One key aspect will be for the Kangaroos to watch Jade Ellenger. She is a versatile player who is effective off half-back and along the wing and in recent times has been given the mission of tagging some of the game's biggest names when it's called for, most recently against this season's league best-and-fairest winner Ebony Marinoff.

Two of the most dangerous players in North Melbourne's line up are Ash Riddell and Garner, who average 29 and 26 touches a game respectively this season, and were the top two ball winners in last year's Grand Final despite being on the losing side. If either of these players are let loose around the ball it will be hard to keep up.

When these two sides met for the first time since last year's Grand Final, the Kangaroos sent the Lions a strong message with a 44-point annihilation. It was the first time they've ever beaten Brisbane and they handed them their biggest ever loss in the process.

It was the third quarter that lost it for the Lions, like the final quarter onslaught they handed North In the 2023 Grand Final, so both sides will be wary of letting any small thing slip.

Brisbane is known to be slow off the mark in games, but once they get going, they are difficult to stop, so North will be desperate to try and get out to an early lead while the visitors get their ducks in a row.

One huge difference from last year to this year's Grand Final is that North have now beaten the Lions, and they know they can do it again.

Have they learnt their lessons from 2023? We'll find out, but those learnings could prove the difference.

How can you compete with the Lions' finals experience?

You cannot underestimate the reigning premiers in the final game of the year. This is their third consecutive AFLW Grand Final, despite finishing fourth on the ladder last year and third in 2024.

This is their sixth Grand Final all up (runners up in 2017, 2018 and 2022) with two premierships to their name from last year and 2021, and if there's something we know for sure, it's that the Lions find a way to make things happen when their backs are against the wall.

While the undefeated North Melbourne enter the game as minor premiers, the game seeming to be theirs for the taking, the problem is that Brisbane excel when they are the underdogs.

If North Melbourne win, it will be redemption from last year, the first time an expansion side has won a premiership and the first time they've beaten the Lions twice in a row. But if Brisbane do, it's their third premiership in nine seasons and would see them sit alongside the Crows as the most successful team in the league's history.

Each side's captain was asked to vote for their tip for the premiers on the eve of the season's launch and they set the stage for a rivalry we are seeing strengthen, nine voted for North Melbourne, eight voted the Lions.

Kangaroos coach Darren Crocker is quietly confident: "I think that's been a real growth in our group, and I think that's why we're better placed this year, coming into the Grand Final. There's been a level of calmness and being considered right throughout the whole year, trying to stay as present as we possibly can," Crocker said following their 57-point preliminary final demolition of Port Adelaide on Saturday.

How much extra boost can Kearney provide?

North Melbourne have proven that they can win without captain Emma Kearney who had been sidelined for seven weeks with a hamstring injury before returning in the prelim, so if she comes in at the top of her game, it gives them just another reason to be confident.

Kearney took the field for the first time since the injury in their win over the Power last weekend, but did not play her standard pivotal role, spending a lot of time on the bench and finishing with just five touches and 29 metres gained, clearly being eased into her return.

The Roos have confirmed this was tactical, with Crocker addressing it post-game.

"She's all good. It was just going to be a matter of how the game was looking, and we felt like we had it under control enough at three-quarter time to not have to put her out there and put her under any more duress than we needed to," Crocker said.

"It was great to have her back. With another week under her belt, there wouldn't be a cap. We'll rotate the defenders like we normally would, and she'll be part of those rotations."

Last season, Kearney averaged 20 touches, three marks and a whopping 359 metres gained, and if the time on the sidelines has had the desired recovery effect, it will be just another boost for the minor premiers who have kept the fire burning without their skipper already.