Melbourne have earned a shot at a first AFLW flag after a tense four-point win against the Brisbane Lions in an historic preliminary final at the MCG.
The Demons split Saturday's contest wide open with four unanswered goals in the second half and then held on grimly to win 5.3 (33) to 4.5 (29).
They will take on competiton powerhouse Adelaide in the grand final next Saturday at the Adelaide Oval.
This first AFLW game at the MCG continued the series of nerve-wracking battles between these teams with Melbourne victorious by three points earlier in the season.
After Dakota Davidson goalled on the run to fire Brisbane into the lead early in the third quarter, the Demons wrested control of the contest.
Young forward Alyssa Bannan booted her second and third goals, ruck Lauren Pearce got a goal from a stoppage and Eliza McNamara sent the home fans wild with a freakish bouncing goal from a tight angle.
It seemed the Melbourne players, seemingly fresher after a longer break during the finals, had the game on their terms with a 17-point buffer after Bannan booted her third goal.
But Brisbane refused to surrender and Shannon Campbell provided hope with a left-footed goal on the run with six minutes left on the clock.
And when Greta Bodey kicked straight from a mark 30m out, the Lions trailed by just four points with 36 seconds remaining.
The ball was in the Lions' forward half when the siren ended a stirring battle.
"It's not how we planned to play out the last two minutes, but that's what good teams do, they push hard right to the final siren," said Melbourne coach Mick Stinear.
"Thankfully, we were able to find a way in the end.
"The group thoroughly deserve the win, they played their hearts out and that was a brutal game of footy,."
It was a bruising contest that turned into a slog in the greasy conditions following light rain shortly before the start of the game.
Both teams were hellbent on getting the ball into the open to implement their running styles, but the slippery ball literally played into the hands of the defenders in the low-scoring first half.
