Essendon have eased past rivals Carlton by 32 points to seal their maiden AFLW finals berth with a round to spare.
The Bombers dominated from the outset and kept the Blues scoreless for the opening half, with a 30-point halftime lead setting up their 8.8 (56) to 3.6 (24) triumph at Windy Hill.
It was the perfect response to last week's shocking loss to cellar-dwellars West Coast.
In their second AFLW season, Essendon now sit on 24 points, comfortably inside the top eight and within touching distance of the top four, while Carlton's finals hopes are all but over.
Carlton (16 points) sit outside the top eight by four points plus percentage.
"We sure as hell got the job done today. To do it at Windy Hill in front of our fans is really exciting," Bombers star and former Blue Madison Prespakis told Fox Footy.
"We were a bit disappointing last week so we really wanted to make a mark this week and I think we did that.
"For us, to make finals, it's a tick of the box. But to make finals is one thing, but to win finals is the second thing and that's what we want to do.
"We want to win finals and I'm really bullish around this group and I love playing for them."
Prespakis (27 disposals, seven clearances, 17 contested possessions) set the tone with a midfield masterclass, well-supported by Georgia Nanscawen (17 disposals, five clearances, nine tackles).
Captain Bonnie Toogood (two goals, 20 disposals, eight marks) was superb, while Sophie Alexander (three goals) celebrated her 50th game in style.
For the Blues, Abbie McKay (25 disposals, five clearances, eight tackles, 19 contested possessions) worked tirelessly, while Harriet Cordner was monstered by Toogood early but kicked two final-quarter goals.
The Bombers flew out of the blocks to get the game firmly on their terms.
Toogood banged home her 50th AFLW goal to open the scoring, with Alexander snapping Essendon's second.
But the Bombers were also wasteful, kicking five points to keep Carlton in the contest, with a margin of 17 at quarter time.
Essendon nudged out to a 30-point halftime lead then dealt Carlton a hammer blow inside the opening 75 seconds of the third term, kicking two quick-fire goals.
Toogood took a contested mark and kicked truly to extend the lead to 36, before forcing a turnover and teeing up Alexander for her second.
Erone Fitzpatrick booted the Blues' first to stem the bleeding but when Toogood set up Alexander for a third goal, the Bombers effectively wrapped up four points with a quarter to spare.
