Port Adelaide’s Gemma Houghton has become the first AFLW player to kick 100 goals.
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The 2025 top 8 has been decided with Brisbane beating Collingwood by 20 points, St Kilda thumped by the Bulldogs by 45 points at home, and Adelaide defeating Fremantle 29-17 at Norwood Oval in the last match of the home and away season.
The top 8 is:
- North Melbourne
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Hawthorn
- Carlton
- Adelaide
- St Kilda
- West Coast
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Every AFLW Grand Final in history has featured either (or both of) the Adelaide Crows or Brisbane Lions - will that change?
Also, the Swans’ failure to make the finals means there still has never been an AFLW final played in Sydney where fans have been permitted to attend (the only such final, between GWS and Melbourne in 2020, saw a crowd lockout due to COVID; the season was ultimately cancelled).
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Celebrating 10 seasons of AFLW, inaugural premiership coach Bec Goddard will present a medal to the premiership coach, with former Adelaide skipper Erin Phillips to hand over the medal to the premiership captain.
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First semifinal is locked in: 4 Hawthorn vs 5 Carlton.
Next Saturday either 3.05pm or 7.30pm. Pretty much the only two options.
Winner will dodge the Roos in preliminary stage.
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But the Hawks or the Blues will have to travel to Brisbane in the prelim, if the Lions beat the Dees tomorrow.
It’s better by a mile. If my team was to be eliminated, at least they will go out with a goal.
Just my thinking.
In this afternoon’s finals, Brisbane overcame an early deficit to defeat Melbourne 56-43 at Ikon Park, then Adelaide thrashed St Kilda 60-16 at Norwood Oval.
The result is that the Lions are straight into a preliminary final at home, while Melbourne will host Adelaide in the semi final next weekend.
Melbourne defeated Adelaide 60-49 in the semi-final at Ikon Park this afternoon, and advanced to next Saturday’s preliminary final against North Melbourne. The loss marks the end of Matthew Clarke’s coaching career at Adelaide.
The home side made a fast start, leading by 12 points at quarter time, before the Crows surged in the second term, kicking five goals to one to lead by 13 points at half time. The Demons fought back in the second half with five goals, while keeping the Crows goalless in the third quarter and one goal in the final term. Demons defender Tahlia Gillard (14 kicks, two handballs and 3 marks) made two crucial tackles late in the third term, plus another just before the final siren.
In tonight’s second semi final, it was one way traffic for Carlton as they thumped Hawthorn by 46 points. The Hawks were kept goalless in the first and third quarter and only kicked four goals for the match. It’s the second year in a row that the Hawks bowed out of the finals in straight sets.
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North Melbourne survived a strong challenge by Melbourne to advance to next Saturday night’s grand final. The Kangaroos won this afternoon’s preliminary final by 10 points (46-36) in front of 7,057 fans at Ikon Park, with their winning streak now standing at 26 matches.
Melbourne kicked the opening three goals before the reigning champions fought back with three of their own. The Demons kicked another goal to lead by seven points at quarter-time. The scoring then dried up, with the Roos scoring 1.5 in the second term and went scoreless in the third term, while the Demons kicked one goal and four behinds in the second and third quarters respectively, while Tayla Harris took a spectacular mark. The Kangaroos had 12 inside 50s in the final quarter, resulting in two goals which sealed the game.
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The streak continues:
There have been nine AFLW Grand Finals now and each and every one of them has included either the Adelaide Crows or Brisbane Lions (in fact, the Lions have reached every decider in the 18-team era, while the Crows haven’t reached one since S6 2022).
Next Saturday’s decider will be the third straight North Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions Grand Final.
Further, the Lions have now reached seven straight Grand Finals across the men’s and women’s competitions (dating back to AFLW S7 2022).
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By reaching the grand final, Brisbane Lions have claimed the McLelland Trophy as the team with the best aggregate performance in both the AFL and the AFLW this year.
The final margin was 35 points: 67-32.
History will be on the line next Saturday night: North Melbourne looking to become the first AFLW side to go back-to-back, while Brisbane Lions hoping to become the first team to win both the men’s and women’s premierships in the same year, emulating the Brisbane Broncos.
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Is there a draft (like with the men’s) to help curb the dominance of the stronger teams?
Unthinkable that a team can win 26 games in a row in this day in top level professional sport
Yes, there is, and like the men’s the order in which the draft operates is first determined by reverse ladder position, and then the picks can be traded (for example, the Suns finished last and so would get the first pick, the Giants (17th) get the second pick and so on).
Interesting to note that the Lions could end a team’s undefeated season in the match that matters, like the Broncos did against the Roosters in the NRLW.
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For Brisbane (and Queensland sport in general), it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to hold both men’s and women’s premierships in both the AFL and the NRL simultaneously. Who would have thought 20 years ago this could happen?
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In 2020, the Brisbane Lions men’s team had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to qualify for a Gabba Grand Final (made possible because of Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdowns) but lost to the Geelong Cats in the preliminary final.
The Lions would’ve been hot favourites to beat Richmond and one could only imagine how loud the Gabba would’ve been that evening.
In the 2021 NRLW season (rescheduled to the first half of the 2022 calendar year), the Broncos had the chance to qualify for a Grand Final which was always going to be fixtured for Kayo Stadium, but the Roosters came from behind to beat them in a preliminary final ensuring the Broncos wouldn’t play in a GF for the first time in NRLW history (FWIW, it ended up being a Roosters vs Dragons Grand Final, with the Tricolours winning).
The draft has never been about “curbing the dominance” for better performing teams.