IT WAS a two-part battle that shaped the semi-final between North Melbourne and Richmond.
Two weeks ago, Tigers tagger Meg Macdonald won plaudits for her work on superstar Roo Jas Garner, limiting the AFLCA player of the season to 13 disposals.
TIGERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats
The match was a draw, consigning the Roos to eighth spot and locking in a top-four spot for the Tigers.
On Saturday, the pair once again went head-to-head, except for a period at the start of the second when Macdonald was receiving treatment on a knee issue.
ROO GOOD North shows Tigers no mercy in semi-final shootout
And Garner was the match-winner, with 22 disposals, seven clearances, eight tackles and two goals, both coming as North Melbourne went on a second-quarter rampage to coast to a 36-point win.
"It was a different story. I admire Jas, she's just an out-and-out pro. She was disappointed to have her colours lowered last time we played them, and not be able to help the team," North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker said.
"Everything for Jas, she's such a quality person, and so good to have in the program, because it's all about 'how do I help the team'. She got to work with the midfield group this week, learnt a lot about herself and how she can shake a tag better, and I thought she was outstanding.
"There were a couple of things we put in place as well, which really allowed her to be able to play the type of game she did and bounce back."
Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson was full of admiration for Garner's performance, saying "she was a star today", but had a slightly different view of the battle.
"We felt in the first quarter she was getting numbers, but Meg did a good job early, tackled her a few times and stopped her from getting the ball forward, she was able to get it out a few times," Ferguson said.
"It's funny how it works. Early in the second quarter when Meg wasn't on her, we played on from a mark and explode, trying to set the ground up and get some attack going, but we turned it straight back over to them.
"It ended up in her lap, which was smart football from her, but also from them in winning it back. There were a couple of those little moments that went against us, but also, she's a very good player who learned.
"She had a steely attack on the contest today, and well done, she was too good."
After a remarkable rise from 11th to fourth, Richmond's season is over, exiting the finals in straight sets.
"We've beaten all the teams around us, and we were looking for a breakthrough, and Brisbane in round five was still huge for us, it was a breakthrough moment (as was) drawing against this team in the final round to get us into the top four," Ferguson said.
"I know we don't get the win we would have liked to in finals, but to get those two games against quality teams is really important for us.
"There's a gap there, but we think it's tight and we can make it up, we just have to get back to work."
North Melbourne will now play its first preliminary final, having qualified for the 2020 edition before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
"Hopefully this doesn't sound arrogant in any way whatsoever, but I feel like we should be up in that top echelon, as a top-four team," Crocker said.
"We’ve now been able to prove that, and we get a great opportunity against some really strong opposition, and the first one is Melbourne next week.
"They're a really, really well-coached team, they've got some great players and they play a strong brand of football. We're going to have to be at our best."
