North Melbourne have tackled their way to a great AFLW escape, beating Geelong by two points in a hard-fought elimination final.
No goals were scored from the last minute of the first term, but the Kangaroos withstood a barrage of inside-50s and held on to win 2.4 (16) to 1.8 (14).
North will now meet Richmond in a semi-final, only a fortnight after the Tigers drew with them to deny the Kangaroos a top-four finish.
A week after posting the second-highest score in AFLW history, the free-wheeling Cats were shut down and posted the second-lowest score of their much-improved season, despite ideal conditions.
Geelong had a whopping 40 inside-50s to 18, but North dominated the tackle count 82-57 - with Kangaroos defender Amy Smith racking up 17 of them.
Asked if he felt North had got away with it, coach Darren Crocker said "absolutely".
"But as I just said to the players," he added. "We've been probably on the wrong end of a few of those results as well.
"In a final, it was nice to get one back.
"They will definitely feel disappointed they didn't come away with that win."
Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney, who was heroic in defence, was similarly blunt.
"We were actually really lucky to hold onto that - Geelong were outstanding," she told the Seven Network.
Cats coach Dan Lowther said his players did not adapt to North's iron-clad defence.
"It was a tough loss," he said.
"We play six weeks of really open, flowing football ... and then you get caught in a game where you play four quarters of an arm wrestle.
"But credit to the Kangaroos. They certainly did their homework."
In round one, Geelong beat Richmond by two goals to one at the same venue, also in good conditions, and it was arguably the worst game of the season.
Saturday night was anything but, with the two teams battling out a riveting contest.
Cats forward Shelley Scott had two shots on goal in the last couple of minutes, but the first missed and the next was rushed through for another behind.
To no small extent, the game turned on two injured players.
Kearney played with her right knee strapped heavily in her return from a week off, but was outstanding and marshalled the North defence.
"She's such a professional, she'd done everything she possibly could right to get herself right for this game," Crocker said.
By contrast, Geelong ball-magnet Georgie Prespakis was well off her usual output, a week after rolling her ankle.
"She was pretty upset during the game because she was obviously being hamstrung by an injury that stops her playing good football," Lowther said.
Another key was North onballer Jasmine Garner, who this week won the AFL Coaches Association award as player of the season.
Last Sunday, Richmond's Meg Macdonald shut her down in an outstanding tagging role.
Garner had more latitude against Geelong and was back to her best, racking up 23 possessions and a game-high six clearances.
But the North defenders were the heroes - Kearney, Smith, Nicole Bresnehan, Jas Ferguson, Sarah Wright and Mia King
"It's nice for the defence to get recognition - it's usually the midfielders." Kearney said.
