Ash Riddell has starred through the midfield and Tahlia Randall kicked three goals as North Melbourne unleashed a second-half masterclass to thrash Essendon by 52 points at Windy Hill.
Essendon led by seven points at quarter time and was still within striking distance at the main break, with North Melbourne holding a 29-20 lead after two terms.
But the reigning AFLW premiers flexed their muscles, scoring eight goals to two in the second half to win 12.13 (85) to 5.3 (33).
Riddell was prolific with 32 disposals, six clearances and two goal assists.
Jasmine Garner (27 disposals, two goals) and Eilish Sheerin (25 disposals, one goal) were also influential.
Madison Prespakis battled valiantly for Essendon on the way to 32 disposals, Bonnie Toogood kicked two goals from 18 possessions, while Stephanie Wales (23 hit-outs, 13 disposals, four clearances) was important in the ruck.
The Kangaroos (9-1 win-loss record) will snare the minor premiership if they win their remaining two matches against Adelaide and Richmond.
The Bombers (1-9) are among three one-win teams vying to avoid the wooden spoon.
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Earlier at Windy Hill, Chloe Molloy and Cynthia Hamilton unleashed an early goal barrage to lead Sydney to a 51-point victory over Collingwood.
Molloy and Hamilton had three goals apiece by the opening minute of the second term against Collingwood, before forward-turned-ruck Taylor Smith chipped in with three of her own, as Sydney cruised to a 12.8 (80) to 4.5 (29) triumph.
The result kept seventh-placed Sydney (7-3) in the hunt for a home final with two rounds remaining.
Giants stun Hawks
Hawthorn’s finals hopes are on thin ice after its forward Aine McDonagh missed a snap with just 18 seconds remaining as GWS pulled off an upset one-point win at Sydney’s Henson Park.
The Hawks (5-5) slipped to ninth after falling 7.13 (55) to 7.12 (54) to the 15th-placed Giants (2-8).
Tilly Lucas-Rodd (left) enjoyed the Giants’ win in their milestone match. (Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)
They trailed by eight points with 2 minutes remaining before Jacqueline Dupuy took the ball out of the ruck and snapped truly to make it a two-point game.
With just 25 seconds remaining, McDonagh took a mark in the pocket, giving her the chance to clinch victory.
McDonagh played on but sent her snap wide, allowing GWS to hang on for a rare victory in what marked the perfect way to celebrate Tilly Lucy-Rodd’s 100-match milestone.
Dockers survive Saints scare
In Perth, Fremantle’s finals hopes were hanging in the balance as St Kilda surged to a two-point lead with less than nine minutes remaining.
But 19-year-old Noa McNaughton, who kicked a remarkable checkside goal earlier in the match, turned the contest on its head with a magical few minutes to lead her side to an 11-point win, 7.9 (51) to 6.4 (40).
First, McNaughton got the lead back for Fremantle by shaking a tackle and snapping truly.
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Then from the next centre bounce, her surge forward resulted in a mark and easy goal to Eden Zanker.
And she killed off the contest a few minutes later when she combined with a teammate for a one-two play before dribbling the ball to Hayley Miller in the goal square.
The win lifted the Dockers (5-5) into eighth spot, but they face an uphill battle to make the finals given they finish their campaign with tough games against second-placed Geelong and seventh-placed Sydney.
AAP
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