As the elimination final against Geelong approaches, North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos senior coach Darren Crocker highlighted the significance of the midfield battle.

"Around the contest and seeing who can get the ascendancy there is going to be really important," Crocker said.

"The ability to be able to absorb the Cats' pressure, but also pass it back to them is gonna be a really big part of what the game is going to look like."

08:45

'Kearns is raring to go': Darren Crocker's pre-finals press conference

AFLW senior coach Darren Crocker chats to media ahead of our elimination final against Geelong on Saturday night

Geelong's ability to score heavily has also been a key factor over the past month and it will enter this weekend having recorded the second highest score in AFLW history (102) in Round 10, but Crocker believes Saturday's result will still boil down to which side can have the bigger impact in the trenches.

"From a forward line perspective, it's all about their supply," Crocker mentioned.

"We need to limit their supply and give our forwards enough of the ball so that we can actually put some strong scoreboard pressure on.

"So again, I think it comes back to that midfield battle."

00:42

Out we come to play: Roos ready for finals action

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos will take on the Geelong Cats in an elimination final on Saturday night

The Kangaroos will meet the Cats for the third time in 2022 and second time in Season 7, with the former triumphing by 12 points back in Round 4 at UTAS Stadium.

North Melbourne is yet to lose to their 2019 expansion counterpart, but Crocker acknowledged how far the Cats have come since both teams entered the League three years ago.

"Geelong was the first team that we played against in my first season, and we had a really strong win in that game," Crocker said.

"But coming up against them in Round 1 in Season 6, they had rapidly improved.

"They've drafted really well, they've built a strong midfield, and they're actually really good at bringing the heat and that was something I noticed in Season 6 and that's continued on in Season 7."

04:05

Last time we met: Kangas defeat Cats in Tassie

The Kangaroos and Cats clash in Round 4 of the 2022 NAB AFL Women's Competition

North Melbourne's quest for a finals berth this season has seen it come across every other top-eight side, as well as the ninth-placed Gold Coast, which is something Crocker sees as beneficial heading into November.

"It has been a tough fixture for us, but I think it's going to hold us in really good stead and that was a message to the players and the staff on Monday," Crocker stated.

"I think our game has come along this this year, we're playing a better brand and a more sustainable, finals-type brand of football and having that tough fixture should hold us in good stead over the next period of time."