The North Melbourne Werribee Kangaroos have put on a Mother’s Day special, trouncing the ladder-leading Box Hill Hawks by 34 points on Sunday afternoon.

Once the Kangaroos were able to overcome an early tussle with the Hawks, they quickly took control of the game, kicking five goals to one after half-time on the way to the 9.7 (61) to 4.3 (27) victory at Arden Street.

KANGAROOS v HAWKS Full match coverage and stats

After conceding the first goal of the match, the Kangaroos were able to reply with four of the next five, but they were unable to capitalise on their inside 50 dominance (28-11 at half time), limiting their lead to only eight points at the main break.

Star midfielder Maddie Di Cosmo was up for the occasion in her 50th VFLW game, picking up a game-high 26 disposals and five inside 50s, helped by Charlotte Ryan (23 disposals, six tackles), whose outside run helped set up the Roos’ rapid ball movement.

Alana Barba’s on-ball work was superb once again, putting her body on the line in the contest to finish with 19 disposals and 10 tackles. Tahlia Meier was also lively with two goals and five marks.

Blink and you missed it

The Roos’ first for the afternoon came thanks to a blinder from Charlotte Blair. Collecting a difficult bouncing ball 60m out from goal, Blair turned on the jets, burning two Hawks to dribble past an open goalsquare.

One to watch

Livewire forward Kelsie Ternes impressed in her Kangaroos debut. The No.25 worked hard to push up the ground and managed to hit the scoreboard twice herself, including a goal-of-the-day contender from the boundary early in the second term.

Captain fantastic

Renee Tierney was everywhere in the win, pushing up to make herself an outlet out of defence, while imposing herself as a ground and aerial threat inside 50. The skipper also gave her side their first lead of the game, converting a set shot after a brilliant pack mark in the teeth of goal.

What the coach said

VFLW Coach Brett Gourley on the win: "It was a really pleasing performance today. I felt like the way were able to attack the contest from the start and bring a high level of pressure was outstanding from the girls.

"We were really pleased with the four-quarter effort and it’s nice to get back on the winner’s list."

On Di Cosmo’s 50th game: "Maddie has been such a fantastic player for us in a relatively short amount of time. She’s such a huge piece of the way we perform on the field and is such a fantastic person off it."

"I was really pleased with the way the girls were able to stand up for her today."

On Meier and Ternes: "Kelsie (Ternes) coming in for her first game was good with her 14 touches and kicked a couple of goals. Tahlia Meier was also fantastic up forward with her pressure and ability to hit the scoreboard.

"Really pleased with the effort from the forwards. We don’t measure their success on the number of goals they kick. They’ve got a role to play for the team and we judge it based on how well they execute their role."

Next up 

North Melbourne Werribee will take on the Western Bulldogs in a grand final rematch next Saturday, May 17 at Arden Street. The opening bounce is scheduled for 2.05pm AEST.

NORTH MELBOURNE     2.1    4.3    7.4    9.7   (61)
BOX HILL HAWKS           2.1    3.1    3.2    4.3   (27) 

GOALS 
North Melbourne: Blair 2, Ternes 2, Dojiok 2, Meier 2, Tierney,
Box Hill Hawks: Collingwood, Matin, Stevenson, Kendall