Melbourne have stormed back from 28 points down against Geelong to kick the final five goals of the game and book an AFLW preliminary final berth in stunning scenes at Ikon Park.
Despite the Demons roaring back to win by just four points, 8.8 (56 to 8.4 (52), Cats star Chloe Sheer had a set shot from close range to win the game, straight in front with just seconds remaining but pushed her kick wide.
It was a fourth-quarter masterclass from the Demons to snatch the lead, a memorable victory and become the first team to reach the final four.
At half-time the Cats seemed to have the game locked away, boasting a 22-point margin. But the Demons found their groove, and a goal onslaught led by Alyssa Bannan helped them home.
Saturdayā€™s highly anticipated match-up saw Cats coach Mick Stinear face his old Demons ā€“ a team he coached for 10 seasons.
Geelong, technically, should have been playing in front of a home crowd at GMHBA Stadium, but had to settle for Ikon Park after a venue-booking clash with the AUSX Supercross Championship ā€“ a dirt-bike racing series.
Due to the AFLW season structure and length, the Cats and Demons hadnā€™t faced each other in more than a year, with the Demons winning their round 12 clash back in 2025.
Since both the teams have had significant changes, with Stinear departing for the Cats and Melbourne welcoming new coach Tom Wilson.
There were nerves in the opening term, with both sides missing opportunity to convert. But Rebecca Websterā€™s long-range goal from 50 with a fortunate bounce gave the Cats the opening major and steadied the ship.
A blistering second quarter from Georgie Presparkis, Chloe Scheer and Jacqueline Parry pushed the Cats further up the scoreboard and almost left the Demons goaless for the first half, but they were saved by a last-minute snap from Eliza McNamara.
Momentum shifted in the third, with a goal from a 100-game Melbourne veteran Tyla Hanks followed by a brilliant running goal from Kate Hore.
Suddenly, there were holes in the Cats defence and Melbourne pounced. The Dees came roaring back into the contest and a second goal from Bannan cut the margin to one point in the fourth, with less than eight minutes left.
A thrilling few minutes followed and Paxy Paxman found the ball to boot cleanly and put the Dees in front. As the clock ticked down Scheer had an opportunity to save the Cats but fell agonisingly short with a behind.
In typical Melburnian weather, the game was hit by flashes of torrential rain followed by a 15-minute lightning delay and then patches of sunshine.
Thereā€™s a short break before the second qualifying final starts at 4.05pm at Ikon Park, with reigning premiers North Melbourne facing the Carlton.
The Kangaroo juggernaut is eying a historic three-peat this year and have cruised through the season, but they arenā€™t invincible. Hawthorn defeated the Roos back in round six and Carlton came close earlier in the year.
Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.From our partners
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