North Melbourne Werribee has kept its season alive with a 24-point semi-final victory over a valiant Williamstown on Sunday afternoon.

The victory sees the Kangaroos advance to the preliminary final, after being able to overcome their inaccuracy in front of goal to pick up the 4.17 (41) to 2.5 (17) win in a fierce contest at Arden Street.

It was a purely dominant first half from the Roos as they kept the Seagulls scoreless, with accuracy in front of goal their only blight as they struggled to capitalise on their 29-8 advantage in the inside-50 count.

Renee Tierney (16 disposals, nine marks) led from the front to get her side over the line, using her power to repeatedly win the contested ball, while her eight tackles helped apply valuable pressure up forward. 

She was also later able to hit the scoreboard with a crafty out-the-back dribble goal from close range, while Maddie Di Cosmo (18 disposals, five marks) capped off her afternoon with a major from an unselfish Tierney kick early in the second term.

KANGAROOS v SEAGULLS Full match coverage and stats

Ryan firestarter

It was Charlotte Ryan who got the Roos bouncing at Arden Street, kicking the opener to give her side the ascendancy in the opening five minutes.

Positioning herself perfectly out the back of a stoppage, the No.5 turned on the jets, bursting away from her opponents to fire from 25 metres and capitalise on the Roos’ early forward-half pressure.

Skipper's party tricks

The ball seemed to follow Renee Tierney wherever she went all afternoon, so it was no surprise the skipper put on a first-half marking clinic.

She got the show started right from the off, taking a brilliant diving mark below her knees seconds into the game, before pushing high up into defence to take a juggling pack mark under extreme pressure.

Déjà vu

The victory marks back-to-back semi-final successes over Williamstown, after last year’s 18-point win which booked the Roos’ spot in the Grand Final.

The Kangaroos’ win on Sunday afternoon also sees their win streak over the Seagulls extend to four, with three wins over Williamstown in 2025.

What the coach said

VFLW Coach Brett Gourley on the win: “Williamstown is a super physical team. The brand that they play is probably polar opposite to us, which is more centred around handballs and getting the ball through the corridor, whereas they are more focused on surging forward and are a very kick-heavy team.

“We also had a bit of rain early, which made it a bit wet, so we just spoke about trying to get some territory and I thought we did that really well in the first half. We were able to get some really good time in forward half and unfortunately we just couldn’t kick straight, and as the old saying goes ‘bad kicking is bad footy’.

“As disappointing as that was, we had the game looking the way we wanted it for the most part.”

On the Roos’ inaccuracy: “We will get to work at training on goalkicking. It is obviously such an important part of the game and hasn’t been a strength of ours this season, so we probably need to put a little more time into it this week.

“We’ve got to be able to kick straight in finals and make the most of our opportunities, because we know the best teams in the competition don’t give you many opportunities.”

On Tierney: “Renee is an outstanding footballer first and foremost. She is super tough and very competitive and you can rely on her to play her role up forward for us. We were really pleased with her performance today.

“She presented really well up the ground for us, but as a leader of the group, she is ruthless and demands a lot of the group, but she is also personable and really cares about the team and the individuals as well.

“She was great today in terms of her performance on the ground, but we are also very grateful to have her as a leader of this group.”

Next up 

North Melbourne Werribee will face Box Hill at ETU Stadium in the preliminary final next weekend as it looks to secure back-to-back VFLW Grand Final berths.

Fixture details will be confirmed on Monday.

NORTH MELBOURNE WERRIBEE     2.4     3.10     4.13     4.17     (41)
WILLIAMSTOWN                               0.0     0.0     1.2     2.5     (17) 

GOALS 
North Melbourne Werribee: Ryan, Sutton, Di Cosmo, Tierney
Williamstown: Howes, Crowley

BEST 
North Melbourne Werribee: Tierney, Zander, Savarirayan, Barba, Di Cosmo, Douglas