Hawthorn Stuns North Melbourne: 32-Match Winning Streak Ends in Upset

Hawthorn has pulled off a stunning upset, ending North Melbourne's 32-match winning streak with a 4.8 (32) to 3.7 (25) victory in Cairns on Friday night.

The Hawks' win is their greatest since joining the women's league in 2022, and it came without captain Emily Bates, who suffered an ACL rupture last weekend.

Relentless pressure pays off

North led by 10 points at the main break in blustery and humid Cairns conditions, but Hawthorn's Mikayla Williamson kicked the only goal of the third term, pulling the match to within three points.

Four straight behinds gave Hawthorn the lead in the last term for the first time since the first quarter. Cairns native Jacqueline Dupuy then kicked a goal to give Hawthorn a seven-point buffer at nine minutes.

But North was not done, with Blaithin Bogue kicking a goal against the run of play.

Inside the last two minutes, Hawks ruck Lucy Wales snapped the sealing goal.

'Unreal' feeling for Dupuy

"In my head, I was just panicking, thinking, 'How long have we got?' I reckon I looked at the bench three or four times in the last 90 seconds, just praying for the siren," Dupuy said.

"It was pretty unreal when it finally went. And to be able to look around at these girls I love so much and just see the sheer joy and feel that myself was amazing."

"It's just a credit to the kind of player Lucy is. She's clutch. She is one of the most consistent players for us and I just feel like it was very fitting that she was able to kick that winning goal," Dupuy said.

North's streak ends

North's last loss was the 2023 grand final against Brisbane. The Kangaroos then started the 2024 season with a win and a draw, before starting their historic streak.

Friday night's tally was also their lowest score since 2023.

"It's always tough to go to sleep after a game, and certainly feeling pretty jacked right now," Dupuy said.

"But I'm sure we'll get a rest and go up again in six days, which would be exciting to head down to Geelong."