A severe concussion to North Launceston superstar Maggie Cuthbertson brought a premature end to the second Northern derby as Launceston came away 93-point victors at UTAS Stadium.
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The match was called off less than two minutes into the final quarter following Cuthbertson receiving an accidental boot to the head as she attempted to tackle opponent Daria Bannister, who was Launceston's best player in the clash.
The undefeated Blues showed those in attendance why they are benchmark of the TSLW competition as they burst to a whopping 65-point lead at the main break with Bannister sitting on three goals.
North Melbourne's star added three more to her tally to finish with six as the Blues' AFLW and high-end talent was on show with the ladder-leaders looking to have paddocks of space on the open surface.
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TSLW leading goalscorer Brie Rattray provided a notable accomplice to Bannister, scoring five majors in the 15.9 (99) to 1.0 (6) victory as coach Ange Dickson praised her side's efficiency.
"It's a hard one to see anyone get injured, so there's a somber feeling around the group but we are happy with the win and happy with our efforts and way we played out our structures," she said
"Obviously last time we played them, there was a lot of contested footy and it just felt like it was ruck contest after ruck contest and we had a big focus for us to spread from those contests and not let them get the multiple ball ups.
"That worked well and we managed to get the outside ball and get the run and be able to switch the play which opened up the game."
View our full gallery from the game HERE
Joining Bannister and Rattray in Launceston's best players were Georgia Hill, Chanette Thurlinger, Nicole Ristrom and Meg Sinclair, with Hill producing several exciting runs down the wings of UTAS Stadium and providing the Blues with a spark.
While Dickson was upbeat about her side's performance, North Launceston captain Jodie Clifford lauded her players' efforts, accusing them of resting on their laurels after a hard-fought Glenorchy match-up last week.
"The main difference between this match and the last Launceston was they came out hungrier than us," Clifford said.
"They wanted to get to the ball first and it looked like we wanted to be second.
"Last time we came in after being smashed by Glenorchy and we had something to prove whereas this time we pushed them last week and put in a good performance."
Cuthbertson scored the sole North Launceston major, running into an open goal following third-quarter holding the ball decision.
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