NOW the AFLW is done and dusted, the AFL takes centre stage, while the TAC Cup and TAC Cup Girls competitions continue to throw up some sensational matches and moments.

GWV Rebels bounce back

After the GWV Rebels blew a 20-point lead to lose by a point to Bendigo Pioneers in the first match of the season, they came out with a point to prove in round two. A jaw-dropping first half saw them pile on 10 goals to zero and leave the reigning premiers in their dust. They had a bigger fight in the second half, but held on strongly to record their opening win of the season on the back of some fantastic play throughout four quarters.

A performance fit for a King

There is no secret that Sandringham Dragons’ Max King is a player of interest this season, with one half of the King Twins plying his trade up forward as one of the most imposing key position players in the draft crop. He has battled with injury over the pre-season, and if anyone forgot what he is capable of, they need not look far. King booted 8.5 and took nine marks, six of which were contested, to single-handedly tear Oakleigh’s defence to shreds and send an ominous warning to the rest of the competition. Luckily for TAC Cup defenders, King will spend the majority of 2018 lining up for Haileybury.

Gippsland Power continue their run

It took them a season and two matches to record their first win, but now they have the taste, they are not letting go. had it not been for a late Murray Bushrangers goal in round two, the Gippsland Power could have strung three wins together having lost their first six in the TAC Cup Girls competition. Since the first round, the Power have knocked off the Western Jets, drawn with the unbeaten Bushrangers, and taken down the Calder Cannons in a thriller. They face the Bendigo Pioneers this weekend and regardless of results, there is no question the development of the group has skyrocketed this year.

Gum success

Okay, so it might not be from the weekend, but the Courtney Gum story is a feel-good story that just keeps on getting better. The mature-age first-year player won the AFLW Players MVP Award, was announced All-Australian and finished on the podium in a host of other awards across the Players’ and W Awards nights. In a season where so many young players stood up and gave us a glimpse of the future, Gum reminded us that age is just a number and was one of the best talents throughout the entire 2018 AFLW season.

Port the real deal?

They were criticised last year for not beating a top eight side despite making the finals, but it has not taken them long to stamp themselves as a potential premiership contender. Eyebrows were raised at times over the off-season with the recruitment of so many free agents, but the likes of Tom Rockliff, Jack Watts and Steven Motlop will only strengthen the Power and if their win over Sydney is anything to go by, we are set for an impressive season for the men at Alberton.