With 'tattoo Tuesday' behind them, North Melbourne stars set sights on AFLW title defence

Australia Broadcast Center

a day ago

There's a small but crucial detail different about Jasmine Garner heading into this season. On the back of her right arm is a tattoo of a bounding Kangaroo.
"Well, it was tattoo Tuesday," Garner told ABC Sport.
The Tuesday being the one after her side won North Melbourne's maiden AFLW premiership last year.
"We had the Saturday night [after the win], then we had the Sunday, and we had Monday, and so we were all a bit hungover.
"But I think most of the group got it. It was either here on the ankle, few on the ribs … We were like, 'We kind of have to do it. It's the first ever premiership for the club.'"
The historic flag came after an undefeated run in which North Melbourne toppled the then-reigning premier Brisbane in the final.
They were heavy favourites to do so, even before the season started, after making their maiden grand final the year before, where they fell short to the Lions.
However, despite being heavily revered by the rest of the competition and wider footballing community, the dream run wasn't always a flawless one.
In week five against Richmond during the condensed fixture, the Kangaroos recorded their lowest score for the season with just three goals to edge a win.
And in week two, they drew with Geelong in a bruising clash.
"It didn't feel like that throughout the year [that we were unstoppable]," Garner said.
"We didn't come in after a game that we'd won and been like, 'OK, this is what we did. Well, we're fine.'
"We'd break it down into quarters … It wasn't like, 'Yeah, we've got the four points, everything's going so well.'
"Because definitely last year we had some games where we weren't playing great footy. But it was just finding ways to stay in the game, and then when you've got momentum, making the most of it.
"It was the first final against Adelaide at [Princes Park], I remember the first half, a lot of it they controlled. It was like, 'Why couldn't we get the ball out?' And then in the second half, we were able to get the win."
This year, not only will North Melbourne be hunted more than ever, Garner will also have the added responsibility of guiding the side through its premiership defence as captain, after taking the reins as skipper from veteran Emma Kearney.
She adds the captaincy to her resume, which now features a premiership, a grand final best on ground, six All Australians and four club best and fairests.
However, the lengthy list of accolades doesn't mean Garner is getting complacent.
"If you don't do the extra work, you don't get fit, get strong, you will get left behind," she said.
"Every year you're just finding something different to get better at, to stay up with the elite."
What is she working on right now?
"I think just every year, I'm trying to get fitter at my running," she said.
"I think that's what I've been able to do when I moved into the midfield and just keep building that engine.
"Because the best midfielders in the comp are usually good runners … So, just trying to stay strong."
There's also a small "35" tattoo inked on her wrist, and another on her ribs.
"All of a sudden, I'd got three new tattoos. I'm like, 'I was addicted'," she joked.
Now, the question will be if another bounding Kangaroo will join the first if her side can manage to go back-to-back this year after finally getting a taste of premiership success. They are tipped by many to do so.
The Kangaroos' 2025 campaign begins against Geelong on August 16.