Launceston won the civil war at Windsor Park and like most battles the TSLW derby was one of attrition until the final attack.
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But the goals were few and far between in a scrap brought on by heavy morning dew that only attracted numbers around the ball.
North Launceston held the benchmark of the competition goalless in the first half and were left seven points behind from an upset.
But the Blues consolidated their forward entries after the long interval to score three goals from four shots to claim a comfortable 3.8 (26) to 0.1 (1) victory on Saturday.
Launceston assistant coach Alex Wadley felt it was only a matter of time before the home side took the initiative away from the dour crosstown rival in the season opener.
"The conditions had made it very scrappy early on, so it brought every player into the contest, really," Wadley said.
"That is probably where we won the game.
"We were really strong around the contest and we were able to get it out to our runners a lot easier on the outside.
"As the game wore on, I think we just wore them down with our pressure and tackling.
"Once it opened up our run a bit, we were able to get it to some of our better ball users and get some better forward entries."
Meg Radford and Sian Beeton instigated the clean movement after the pair were prepared to put their heads over the ball.
Launceston has been noted for winning games off the back of its prolific scoring in past seasons, but a change of tactics were called on to shore up any early concerns.
Hayley Whyte and Kelsie Hill blocked the visitors from effectively bringing forward the ball that restricted scoring to one behind.
"We done a lot of work with our team defence, helping our mate out in the back half and we were able to run it out of there with good run and carry," Wadley said.
"Essentially our backline really mopped up well and made it hard for them once they got it in there. We broke our spirit a little in regards to getting it straight back out."
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But the day belonged to raw-faced Brooke Brown, excelling with an athletic game.
The defender turn her rucking stint into two crucial goals when going forward.
Coach Angela Dickson also added one of two straight goals in the third quarter.
North Launceston coach Dean Smith was fine with application, but felt his side could not sustain the intensity for long enough.
"They were a lot cleaner than us, so the take away for us is that we need to work on below our knees," Smith said.
"We also have to lift our conditioning - but the good thing with the bye [next week] is that we have plenty of time to really train hard, back off and be ready for game week.
"We have got a few players, who are not where they need to be with conditioning."
Smith was not totally dissatisfied in the narrowest defeat of their four encounters against an opponent that did not drop a game until a three-point grand final loss.
The performances of their newcomers suggested the Bombers will be a different challenger this year to their rookie year.
NTFAW under-17 best and fairest winner Zoe Bourne proved a dynamo with ball in hand, Scottsdale recruit Ruby Slater fulfilled a role for the team and Kayla Sheehan just adjusted maturely to the TSLW tempo.
"There was a lot of upside if you look from last year compared to this year," Smith said.
"There was no blow out for starters - Launnie is sort of still the benchmark, even though they didn't win the premiership.
"But with the wet ground, the dew on the ground, it was always whoever wins the centre bounces, lock it in your forward line and it was going to be in there until someone scored. They locked it in better."
North Launceston's defensive efforts drew plaudits that painted over the attack that had averaged a reasonable 41 points last season.
"I thought our backline really held up well considering the amount of time Launceston had it down there," Smith said.
"I just think our forward line needs to be a little bit more cohesive, but also with nine players making their debut, it's going to take a while".
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