North Melbourne secured an AFLW minor premiership for a third straight season, tuning up for their 2026 finals campaign in convincing fashion against Richmond at Windy Hill on Saturday.

After the Cats made it 11 wins in a row on Friday night, the Kangaroos needed to beat the Tigers to secure top spot, and after a brief early stumble it was never in doubt.

Seven straight goals in the first half set up a 68-point win, 15.11 (101) to 5.3 (33).

TIGERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The result secures a home qualifying final next weekend against the fourth-placed team on the ladder, likely to be Gold Coast, Carlton or Sydney. The Roos' Week 1 finals fixture will be announced on Sunday evening.

Captain Jas Garner (28 disposals, three clearances, one goal) did her chances no harm of earning the three umpires' votes with another dominant midfield performance.

Spearhead Tahlia Randall kicked 3.1 to take her season tally to 25 goals, just one short of competition-leading Cat Jacqueline Parry.

The Kangaroos have suffered from slow starts on occasions this season, and Richmond briefly threatened to make life difficult for the reigning premiers in the opening term.

The Tigers were on the board inside 30 seconds when former Roo Georgia Stubs slammed through the opener. 

Irish pair Blaithin Bogue and Vikki Wall combined for a quick reply before Richmond went ahead again, but that was as long as the Tigers were allowed to resist.

Alice O'Loughlin's pinpoint snap in blustery conditions was the best of the haul as the Kangas kicked away to a 17-point lead at the first break, before extending the gap to 38 points at half-time. 

More to come.

Next Up

It's go time for the Kangaroos as they launch their 2026 finals campaign. Having secured first place and a home qualifying final with this win, they will learn their opponent later this weekend. The full Week 1 finals fixture will be announced on Sunday night. 

RICHMOND                  2.1   2.2   5.3    5.3 (33)
NORTH MELBOURNE   5.0   8.4   12.6  15.11 (101)

GOALS
Richmond: Greiser 2, McKenzie, Stubs, Wolmarans
North Melbourne: Randall 3, Bogue 2, V Wall 2, Bruton, Eddey, Garner, Gatt, O'Loughlin, Sheerin, Shierlaw, Tripodi