Add Category
Melbourne will face the Brisbane Lions in the AFLW grand final after defeating the Kangaroos by 17 points in a tense encounter at Princes Park.
- The Demons will appear in a second consecutive grand final interstate
- They led the Kangaroos by three points at the final change
- The Lions beat the Crows in the first preliminary final
The Demons led by just three points heading into the fourth quarter of the preliminary final, but two unanswered goals helped give them breathing space on their way to sealing a 5.3 (33) to 2.4 (16) victory.
It will be the Demons' second consecutive appearance in a grand final.
The Lions booked their berth in the season decider via a 23-point triumph over the Adelaide Crows on Friday night.
They will host the Demons in the grand final at their training base, Springfield Central Stadium, on November 27.
After losing the grand final away to the Crows last season, the Demons will again travel interstate in pursuit of silverware.
Lily Mithen (16 disposals, one goal) was everywhere in Melbourne's eighth consecutive win, with Tyla Hanks (20 disposals, 12 tackles) and veteran Karen Paxman (19 disposals, seven tackles) also influential for the victors.
Neither side led by more than two goals until Demons captain Daisy Pearce brought the crowd to its feet with a superb piece of play to kick the match-sealing major in the dying stages.
Star Demons forward Tayla Harris battled on despite hurting her left shoulder during a third-quarter ruck contest and will be a close watch in grand final week.
Ash Riddell (17 disposals), Jasmine Garner (25) and captain Emma Kearney (17) were among the best for the Kangaroos.
Riddell became the fastest player in AFLW history to register 1,000 career disposals, reaching the mark in just 43 matches.
But the record was of little consolation as the Kangaroos were left ruing a wasteful third quarter.
They dominated territory for the term — enjoying an 18-2 advantage in forward entries — and kept the Demons scoreless.
But they failed to cash in on their dominance, registering just two behinds of their own to trim the margin to three points at the final change.
The Demons got the crucial first goal of the last quarter through Kate Hore, who had been quiet to that point.
Pearce then put the match to bed with a superb snap around her body with less than three minutes on the clock.
ABC/AAP