They say it's the hope that kills, and for so much of Saturday night's elimination final, Geelong was just one goal away from taking the lead.

The Cats dominated nearly every facet of the game, but just couldn't find the middle of the sticks, and in the end, it was North Melbourne that triumphed by just two points, and the Roos now live to fight another day. 

CATS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

It's an unfortunate ending for Geelong, which has shown great improvement both between seasons and just in the past six weeks.

It was a scrappy, high-pressure game, with neither side allowing the other much space around the contest.

The Cats had 12-5 inside 50s in the first quarter, but the Roos took better advantage of their limited entries, and it was a buffer that held into half-time.

Geelong owned most of the second and third terms, but struggled to put any scoreboard pressure on, thanks in part to some desperate Kangaroos defending from the likes of Brooke Brown and Jas Ferguson.

Conversely, the Roos found the going tough when attempting to exit their defensive half, with Georgie Rankin and Annabel Johnson patrolling across the field, and the game was mainly a dour, ping-pong struggle played at the Cats' end.

Two top-tier midfields went head-to-head, with North Melbourne just edging Geelong in the clearance count despite a clear dominance in the ruck.

Jasmine Garner was once again North Melbourne's best with 23 disposals, six clearances, and eight tackles, and was well supported by Mia King and Jenna Bruton.

Amy McDonald nearly broke the game open in the final minutes with her run and dash, and was a fierce fighter throughout, as were Nina Morrison and Mikayla Bowen on the wings.

GOALS
Geelong: Moloney
North Melbourne: Abbatangelo, O'Loughlin

BEST
Geelong: A. McDonald, Morrison, Rankin, Bowen, Emonson
North Melbourne: Garner, M. King, Bruton, Smith, Brown 

INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
North Melbourne: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: 4,338 at GMHBA Stadium