Thursday, 4 December 2025

 Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (09:40): Over the weekend the North Melbourne AFLW team did what no other club has done before and secured back-to-back flags, the first AFLW side to do so. They went in with belief and came out with a legacy. I was fortunate to be amongst the crowd of more than 12,740 people, including the Governor-General.

From the first bounce there was intensity and there was pressure, but it was always going to be the North Melbourne story – a 40-point win, the perfect season, a 27-game winning streak. The Roos have not just been a juggernaut, they have been an unstoppable force, with midfield dominance and the backline refusing to give an inch. The whole team – from best-on-ground medallist Eilish Sheerin to AFL best and fairest winner Ash Riddell, who I might say is also a wonderful schoolteacher, captain Jasmine Garner, coach Darren Crocker and president Sonja Hood to the CEO Jennifer Watt – have put in an outstanding effort. In the club’s 100th celebration season you have been the real Shinboners.