North Melbourne Werribee has made a pair of changes to its side ahead of its Round 3 bout with Essendon on Saturday morning at Windy Hill.

Charlotte Blair returns to the team after missing the Roos' Round 2 win over Williamstown due to a hamstring complaints. Blair is joined in the squad by club debutant Sarah Ingram, a skilled midfielder who made the switch from Collingwood to Arden Street following two AFLW games in 2024.

Heading out of the line-up are Matilda Zander (omitted) and Caitlin Fletcher (unavailable).

Recruit Gen Lawson-Tavan is set to become just the second player in VFLW history to notch 100 League games. Lawson-Tavan notched 76 appearances for Darebin, 21 for Carlton and will run out for the third time as a Roo on Saturday. 

The League-leading Kangaroos will look to keep their undefeated streak alive this weekend following season-opening victories over Carlton and Williamstown.

Bouncedown is scheduled for 11.05am AEST at Windy Hill.

How to follow the game

You can live stream the match free via the AFL website, AFL Live Official App and VFL App. Head here on gameday to keep up with the score and our best performers.

Round 3

Saturday, May 3
Essendon v North Melbourne Werribee at Windy Hill, 11.05am AEST

The North Melbourne Werribee Kangaroos have suffered their first loss of the season, losing by three points in a nail-biter to Essendon on Saturday.

After overcoming a 14-point deficit to take the lead early in the final term, the Kangaroos were ultimately undone by inaccuracy, with a late Bombers goal securing a 5.5 (35) to 4.8 (32) victory for the home side at Windy Hill.

BOMBERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The hosts dominated the territory battle in the first half, but the Roos fought back with repeat forward 50 entries, though they were unable to capitalise on them.

Charlotte Ryan (22 disposals, five tackles) put in a strong shift, using her outside run to influence a number of attacks, while also applying relentless tackle pressure on the defensive end.

Alana Barba was also damaging in the middle, finishing the game with 22 disposals and a game-high eight clearances.

One to watch

Sarah Ingram (19 disposals, four clearances) was a welcome inclusion into the side.

The club debutant worked her way into the game and was at the heart of the Roos' third quarter dominance, with her stoppage work being a key facet.

Five minutes of madness

North Melbourne's first period of dominance came late in the second term, as it worked its way back into the game. The visitors were able to lock the ball inside their forward half, but despite only managing three behinds, they set themselves up to make a charge in the second half.

Tierney brilliance

The Kangaroos' first lead of the game came through a brilliant snap from the pocket from Renee Tierney (14 disposals, two goals) in the final quarter. It looked like the winner for North Melbourne as the skipper benefitted from Dojiok's pressure deep in the Bombers' defensive 50.

What the coach said

VFLW coach Brett Gourley on the defeat: "Obviously not the result we were after today, but the way in which we were able to fight our way back into the game in the second half was really positive.

"I felt like the second half looked much more like a North Melbourne game and the sort of footy we wanted to play. That last quarter we were clawing our way back into the game and unfortunately just couldn't get over the line.”

On Barba and Ingram: "I thought they were great, particularly when the team needed them to step up and rally the troops together.

"The way that Alana applied herself in that second half was outstanding and Sarah in her first game did a brilliant job as well. I'm really pleased with their performances and look forward to next week."

On Ryan: "She's been fantastic since she's come to the club. Her effort and application have been incredible and she's one of the players in the team that we can always rely on to play her role.

"She was able to work both ends of the field and was really damaging across the wings for us. She was really important in our transitional play and was able to link up the mid-part of the ground with the forwards."

Next up 

North Melbourne Werribee will look to bounce back against the undefeated Box Hill Hawks at Arden Street next Sunday, May 11. The opening bounce is scheduled for 11.05am AEST.

ESSENDON                       3.1    4.2    4.5    5.5   (35)
NORTH MELBOURNE      2.0    2.3    2.7    4.8   (32) 

GOALS
Essendon: Bernardi 2, Hobbs 2, Davidge
North Melbourne: Tierney 2, Dojiok, Reid

BEST
North Melbourne: Barba, Tierney, Ingram, Ryan, Lawson-Tavan

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Tessa Boyd (back) replaced by Amanda Ling