North Melbourne have bolstered their AFLW premiership credentials, piling the pain on newcomers Richmond with a 56-point win at Ikon Park.
A five-goal second-quarter blitz set up the barnstorming 12.4 (76) to 2.8 (20) victory, lifting the Kangaroos to second place in conference A and leaving Richmond floundering at the bottom of the same ladder.
"It's important from the perspective of momentum and the season being so short; you need to grab momentum and take it for as long as you can," North Melbourne coach Scott Gowans said of the thrashing.
"No disrespect to Richmond because they're just a brand new club and I know how hard that is but I feel like we've still got a step to go though with a few areas of our game."
Kangaroos Ashleigh Riddell (21 touches), Emma Kearney (three goals, 12 disposals), Jenna Bruton (17 touches) and Jasmine Garner (one goal, 16 disposals) were dominant, with Monique Conti (18 disposals) and Katie Brennan (one goal, 14 touches) among Richmond's best in front of 3697 fans.
Richmond were competitive early but lacked composure inside 50 as North Melbourne capitalised to snatch a nine-point quarter-time lead.
Riddell was in everything, with 10 first-term touches, while Garner snapped the opener, then Kearney made Phoebe Monahan pay for a 50-metre penalty by kicking North's second.
They ramped up their ascendancy in the second quarter and made it count.
Kaitlyn Ashmore booted a pair of goals in quick succession, with Abbey Green and Kate Gillespie-Jones piling on two more.
Kearney booted her second after intercepting an errant handball to nudge the lead beyond 40 shortly before half-time.
Ashmore snapped her third after the main break before Richmond - off the back of Conti lifting - worked back into the contest.
When Richmond's first goal finally came, it was spectacular.
Sabrina Frederick took the ball out of the ruck and kicked it over her head from the goal square. Brennan then drilled a superb long-range major, her side's second.
Yet the resurgence was brief, with Green kicking her second to reinstate a 40-point buffer at the final change.
North Melbourne hammered home the result, Kearney booting her third and Daisy Bateman jagging two final-term goals.
"It took us until after half time to get the game the way we wanted it," Richmond coach Tom Hunter said.
"I think the third quarter, we showed glimpses of the type of football we can play and the side we're going to become."
Australian Associated Press
