AFTER a week off for the long weekend, 10 clubs return for round six of the Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s season, while Casey, Collingwood and Essendon will enjoy another week of rest as they have their bye. The round is headlined by the huge game between the undefeated, top of the table Geelong taking on the Darebin Falcons, who have been in terrific form the past three games, with a trio of dominating wins. The Southern Saints face off with the Hawks in a battle of two teams with only one loss in what should be tight encounter. 

Carlton vs NT Thunder

Saturday June 16, 12PM, RAMS Arena

The Blues stormed out the gates, winning their first two games of the season but have faltered in recent weeks, dropping their past three games. The season has had plenty of promise for the Blues, who have seen outstanding performances from Darcy Vescio, the equal leading goal kicker in the competition with nine majors. Given the fire power of the opposition, she will be crucial for the Blues to offset the damage down the other end. The Blues will face quite the challenge in registering another win however, as they take on the NT Thunder who have been in absolutely unbelievable form! Sitting at four wins from four games and with a percentage of almost 300, the Thunder have been on another level from any other side in the competition, posting victories by 54, 72, 69 and 36 points respectively. The Thunder have had a number of outstanding individual performances, highlighted by Marijana Rajcic and Jess Sedunary, who have consistently lit up the scoreboard. After the week off, the Thunder will be hoping to maintain its form from the early season and continue the surge into the back half of the season. Both teams have made several changes, and all will be hoping for a big game to solidify their spot in the side moving forward.

Western Bulldogs vs Williamstown

Saturday June 16, 1PM, Henry Turner Reserve

Two struggling sides battle it out on a Saturday afternoon in Footscray. The Bulldogs come into the game winless and have struggled to find consistency throughout their early games. The Dogs have been impressive in patches and have competed well for periods of the game before being overran in the second half and last quarters. They welcome back AFLW players, Hayley Wildes and Kim Rennie who were instrumental in the Bulldogs run in that competition. Strong performances from those two as well as some standout games from those already cemented in the side will go a long way to securing their first win. Williamstown come in also struggling to find form with just one win from their first five encounters. After an impressive win over the Tigers in round four, it seemed as though the Seagulls were set to turn their season around, however this was unfortunately followed up by a poor performance against Casey the following week. Jess Duffin has been a shining light for the team, with several high possession games and hitting the scoreboard at a prolific rate.

Geelong vs Darebin

Saturday June 16, 2:45PM, GMHBA Stadium

In the game of the round, the top of the table Cats take on the Darebin Falcons who have been impressive in their own right. Despite sitting undefeated, the Cats have been shaky at times and this was evident in their last game where they just managed to scrape across the line against Melbourne Uni. Renee Garing continued her great run of form in that outing and managed to drag her team over the line alongside Maighan Fogas and Richelle Cranston who were also instrumental in the win. After stumbling out the gates in round one with a loss to the Thunder, the Falcons have since responded with three dominant wins. Hannah Mouncey has been absolutely unstoppable up forward, as she leads the competition with nine goals alongside Carlton’s Darcy Vescio. Lauren Pearce will be a huge out for the Falcons, as she has been instrumental in getting the Falcons on top around the contest. Melbourne AFLW star Elise O’Dea will make her way into the side and should have a huge impact in the game, as she did all summer. They look to continue their strong stretch of play and hand the Cats their first loss of the season, whilst moving their way up towards the top of the ladder.

Hawthorn vs Southern Saints

Sunday June 17, 11:30AM, Box Hill City Oval

Sunday action kicks off when the Saints travel down to Box Hill to take on the Hawks in a huge game in the context of the ladder. Both sides come in at three wins from four encounters and within reach of top position on the ladder. A disappointing performance in their last game saw the Hawks drop their first game of the season in a tight encounter against Collingwood. They have had big contributions from Sarah Perkins up forward who has regained her form from the inaugural AFLW season, where her Adelaide Crows were able to win the premiership, and Emma Mackie, who has been gaining plenty of possessions, averaging over 20 per game. The Saints come in having not played since the May 27, with their bye in round five coming before the league-wide bye. Allison Drennan has been in red hot form, racking up high numbers of possessions and hitting the scoreboard too. It is a big game for both teams as they look to keep pace with the league leaders moving into the second half of the season.

Richmond vs Melbourne Uni

Sunday June 17, 2:30PM, Queen Elizabeth Oval

In the last game of the round, the struggling Tigers take on Melbourne Uni at Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo. The Tigers enter the game off a win against the Bombers in the curtain raiser to the Dreamtime at the G game, kicking off what was a great day for the Richmond Football Club. Impressive performances from Lauren Tesoriero and Phoebe Monahan led them to victory as the side as a whole appeared to find form. They also welcome Christina Bernardi into the side, who was great for Collingwood in the AFLW season. A win will get the Tigers back into contention and even up their record at 3-3 as they head into the bye in round seven. Melbourne Uni, despite having won just one games, have been impressive in recent weeks, especially in their matchup against the Cats last round. AFLW Best and Fairest winner, Emma Kearney was at her best, with 32 possessions and two goals as she torched Geelong. Ashleigh Riddell and Kate Gillespie-Jones also impressed, however it was not enough as Geelong held on for the victory. This is an important game for both teams, as they look to remain in the hunt in season 2018.