WEEK seven of the AFL Women’s season and the chaos of the condensed fixture ends today with a trio of matches across as many states.

1:05pm AEDT
North Hobart Oval

Recent form

North Melbourne continues to be one of the teams to beat this season, and week two’s draw remains the only time the Roos have dropped points this season. Sydney meanwhile is currently on a three-match losing streak, so will be looking to snap that today.

Last time they met

These two have only met once previously, which was Round 6 back in Season 7. Sydney will certainly be hoping that today’s result is a little bit different than it was then, when North Melbourne was dominant and won by 11 goals.

Key stat areas

Both of these sides prefer to handball the ball more than they kick it, so this will be interesting to see how this clashes on-field. These two sides are also pretty big tacklers, so this may have an impact on the disposal efficiency of the two sides today.

The disparity between the inside 50 efficiencies of these two sides should be raising alarm bells for the Swans, and with the large gap in the inside 50 figures between the sides, this should be an area of key focus for the Swans.

Key match up/s

Kate Shierlaw returns to the North Melbourne side today after missing last week with injury, which will be a massive boost for her side. The question for Sydney then is, who do they match up on her? Do they go with Alice Mitchell because of her height, or Brenna Tarrant who is a batter match for her physically?

3:05pm AEDT
RSEA Park

Recent form

St Kilda snapped a three-match losing streak midweek with a comfortable win over GWS and will be looking to maintain that run today. Melbourne on the other hand seems to have found its groove again, and after a confidence boosting midweek win over Adelaide will be looking to turn their current two match winning streak into three.

Last time they met

These sides have met four times since St Kilda joined the competition in 2020. St Kilda may have won that inaugural match between the sides in 2020, but the Dees have won the next three since then so now the head-to-head ledger is looking very red and blue.

Key stat areas

Both of these sides are bigger kickers of the ball than they are handballers. Neither of these sides have been strong in the clearances so far this season, so whoever gets a stronghold in that area could get a huge boost.

Key match up/s

Liv Purcell is one of three big inclusions for the Dees today, with her physical presence in the midfield much missed by the Dees to date this season. Her return is well timed, as the Dees need to find someone to keep the influence of Jaimee Lambert to a bare minimum today, and Purcell is the perfect kind of player to do that.

5:05pm AEDT
Henson Park

Recent form

The season has really not gone to plan for GWS so far this season, and the Giants are currently on a four-match losing streak. Adelaide will be disappointed at its performance midweek against Melbourne, and will be looking to jump back onto the winners list as soon as possible.

Last time they met

As two original clubs of the competition there is certainly plenty of history between these sides, but this history is not very positive for those in orange. In the last three matches between the sides alone, Adelaide has won by 69, 96 and 40 points.

Key stat areas

Adelaide has recorded vastly more inside 50s than GWS this year, but GWS has been vastly more efficient once inside 50 than the Crows.

Both of these teams have been doing much better in the uncontested possessions game than the contested possessions game, and combined with the fact that these two have not been the strongest of tacklers in 2024 could provide a very interesting thing to keep an eye on today.

Key match up/s

Isabel Huntington and Tarni Evans are welcome returnees for GWS today, and will help sure up the defence and the transition of the Giants. The timing of their return is important, considering the forward targets such as Caitlin Gould and the midfield prowess of the likes of Niamh Kelly that the Crows have at their disposal.