NORTH Melbourne isn't done yet.

The two-time premiership powerhouse has put paid to any thoughts of the gap closing or a dimming of the fire within, with a powerful muscle-flexing 73-point thumping of Geelong at Marvel Stadium.

KANGAROOS v CATS Full match coverage and stats

The Cats still hold the record as the last team to have taken points off the Roos – a draw back in round two, 2024 – and under the charge of new coach Mick Stinear, there were idle thoughts that maybe they could break the 27-match winning streak.

But after a tussle of a first term, North Melbourne clicked up a gear and the inaccurate Geelong simply couldn't match the pace, recording its largest ever AFLW loss in the 15.10 (100) to 3.9 (27) defeat.

It was also the Roos' second-largest win.

Geelong's much-vaunted midfield kept up with North Melbourne's for the most part, but the Cats badly lacked the class heading inside 50.

Hard-running Nina Morrison is perhaps one of only a handful who can match Ash Riddell's running power, but even she had to tag-team with Mikayla Bowen, and the Roo got off the chain in the second half while the Cats' co-captain faded.

Georgie Prespakis won the opening clearance, but superstar Jas Garner kept up with the flying Cat, running her down inside 50 when she received a follow-up touch.

It was just that sort of game.

"Beaten by the best team in the comp, still. I was hoping they'd gone backwards in the off-season, but that was a bit optimistic," Stinear said.

"Pleased with the way we started, and I think for the majority of the game our contested work and our clearance work was thereabouts. We were just made to pay for our mistakes. The environment they created – particularly from halfway through that second quarter – we didn't get reward for effort early in that second and they started to get some quick goals, and it disheartened us a little bit and we never really got flow going with our offence."

Claudia Gunjaca did well to smother Mia King's snap at goal in the second quarter, but the ricochet fell to Blaithin Bogue, who kicked her first of two consecutive goals in a short space of time.

North Melbourne's sterling defence – with the surprise addition of Kate Shierlaw – held firm and intercepted at will.

The Cats' tall forward combo of Aishling Moloney, Jackie Parry and Chantel Mason (a stunning contested mark aside) were barely sighted in the first half as the Roos gradually increased its pressure on the accelerator, kicking out to a 22-point lead at half-time.

Such was North Melbourne's rate of scoring in the third term, with Tahlia Randall, Ruby Tripodi and Tess Craven among those to kick truly, the Roos managed to just outscore St Kilda's men's side across town, recording 77 points to the Saints' 75 after three quarters each.

"We knew Geelong was going to come out hard, they were going to bring the pressure," North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker said.

"Some people might think there's a bit of a blueprint in how to beat us, controlling the footy, which we were a bit sloppy early with. We allowed them to take a lot of uncontested marks. But once we addressed that at quarter-time, the girls were fantastic."

Riddell finished with 35 touches and five clearances, while Garner had 34, four clearances and a goal.

Third-year Bryde O'Rourke played comfortably her best game for Geelong, while gun forward Chloe Scheer made a successful (albeit a little rusty) return to football after two years on the sidelines with toe and knee injuries.

Debutants shine
Just in case there was any doubt about North Melbourne's next generation, key back Claire Mahony made an assured debut behind the footy, her first game coming at the start of her third season on the list. Geelong's Evie Cowcher found plenty of footy at half-back (although the ball did live in North Melbourne's half), and Priya Bowering nearly kicked a stunner for her first goal.

Score assist put to the test
As North Melbourne owned the ball in its own half, Moloney was pushed up to the wing in the fourth term and finally appeared to get a clear shot at goal. Kim Rennie dived across, and loudly claimed it was touched, but it was called a goal. With the new score assist in play (the same as the men's competition), the players reset for a centre throw-up while the score was checked. Play was held up until it was eventually decreed a touched behind.

Up next
Geelong will be hoping to record its first win under Stinear, hosting St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium in a double-header on Saturday, while it's the Grand Final rematch for North Melbourne, travelling up to Brisbane on Saturday night.

NORTH MELBOURNE      2.1     6.2     12.5     15.10     (100)
GEELONG                       2.2      2.4      3.7       3.9     (27)

GOALS
North Melbourne: Bogue 3, Randall 3, Craven 2, O'Loughlin 2, Garner, Tripodi, Wall, Eddey, Shierlaw
Geelong: McDonald, O'Rourke, Parry

BEST
North Melbourne: Garner, Riddell, Craven, O'Shea, Randall, Mahony
Geelong: Prespakis, McDonald, Webster, Bowen, O'Rourke

INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Geelong: Nil

LATE CHANGES
North Melbourne: Nil
Geelong: Nicola Stevens (knee soreness), replaced in selected side by Lexi Gregor

Crowd: 14,573 at Marvel Stadium