IS SATURDAY’S double-header the perfect storm to end North Melbourne’s immense winning streak?

The Roos are set to host Geelong at Marvel Stadium on Saturday afternoon, launching their respective seasons, and it means the Cats get first crack at putting a stop to the reigning premiers’ record.

Geelong entered the AFLW as part of the first round of expansion alongside North Melbourne, and historically has been a challenging matchup for the latter – despite not yet having claimed victory in the matchup. The Cats are, however, the last team to have taken points off the Roos, with a dramatic draw in round two, 2024.

1 TICKET, 2 GAMES Get your seats for the Roos v Cats double header

And last year, it was Melbourne who got closest to the Roos, pushing them all the way in a preliminary final, before ultimately falling by 10 points.

That game was Mick Stinear’s last at the helm of the Demons. Now, he heads up Geelong’s program. So, can he combine the strengths both clubs have shown against North Melbourne to do the seemingly impossible?

What does history say?

Although Geelong has struggled to consistently stay in finals contention across its history – a run to a preliminary final in 2024 the exception – it has managed to compete well against North Melbourne.

Particularly, it has defended the Roos’ heavy attacking game reasonably well, averaging the fourth-fewest points conceded against them. And Melbourne? It has defended the Roos best of any club across the AFLW’s history.

North Melbourne’s lowest avg. scores v clubs

Although the defensive efforts have proven fruitful, the capacity for those sides to attack is also lowered, with both averaging their lowest scores against North Melbourne (Geelong – 19.5 points, Melbourne – 30.5 points).

Personnel matters

Of the Geelong side that drew with North Melbourne to precede the current winning streak, 12 players are still listed.

Those players - Mikayla Bowen, Julia Crockett-Grills, Chantel Emonson, Zali Friswell, Claudia Gunjaca, Kate Kenny, Aishling Moloney, Nina Morrison, Jackie Parry, Georgia Prespakis, Kate Surman, and Becky Webster – have now formed the core of Geelong’s side, and have spent time developing as a unit.

The biggest asset on AFLW lists is time spent together – something North Melbourne has benefited greatly from – and Geelong is slowly establishing just that.

How do you beat the Roos?

In last year’s preliminary final challenge, Stinear identified the uncontested game as the key to stopping – or slowing – North Melbourne.

Taking away their uncontested possessions and, in turn, uncontested marks, minimises the Roos’ control in game and allows the opposition to generate its own attacking game.

Historically Geelong has also been able to identify these areas of focus, and is a key indicator of why it has consistently challenged the Roos.

Part of this is about stemming the flow from the source, bringing toughness at the contest and making it tough for the Roos to hit their outside players with ease. Geelong’s combination of Morrison, Prespakis, and Amy McDonald is a dangerous one, and crucially, the development of athletic ruck Caitie Tipping is something the side has needed to go to another level.

The next layer is having reliable wingers to offer attentive defence, filling gaps created by the smart Roos, but also bring genuine speed into attack when the ball is one. Creating spares ahead of the play to disorientate North Melbourne’s structured defence is crucial, and a lot of this is achieved with outside runners. Bowen is well-equipped to bring this on Saturday afternoon.

Lastly, maintaining a forward structure is significant in this mix. Too often are clubs sucked into bringing a forward – or two – up to the contest in an effort to compete with the Roos’ stars. It’s important that the Cats keep organised representation ahead of the ball, and force North Melbourne to defend one-on-one.

And that’s all Mick Stinear and his new side need to do on Saturday to end North Melbourne’s 27-game winning streak.

Easy, right?