ANOTHER season of the AFL Women’s competition is in the books, and with just four days between the grand final and the start of the Trade Period, we will quickly recap how each of the sides performed throughout the season. In the second of three articles, we review the middle six sides, what went right, what went wrong and where they can go from here.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Finished: 12th
Won: 4
Lost: 7

Despite finishing 12th, the reigning wooden spooners could be immensely proud of their turnaround, especially after starting the year 0-4 with three losses of 40 points or more in that time. However after a shellacking at the hands of Brisbane, the Bulldogs turned up at Victoria Park against fellow winless side Collingwood, and smashed the Magpies by seven goals in a huge victory.

That result gave the red, white and blue confidence, and finished the year with a far more impressive 4-3 record in the last seven rounds, with their only losses coming against a trio of finalists in North Melbourne, Essendon and Fremantle. They were able to blood their kids such as Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, Brooke Barwick, Cleo Buttifant and the most impressive of the first years, Elaine Grigg which set the wheels in motion for a bright future.

The Bulldogs will still have a top 10 pick at their disposal, and based on their second half season form, they can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. While they will likely still be a couple more years off really contending, the pieces are there to go forward, and the expectations will raise again next year.

ST KILDA

Finished: 11th
Won: 4
Lost: 7

It was another frustrating year for Saints fans in what proved to be a sense of déjà vu at Moorabbin. Yet again the side showed glimpses of what they could become with an incredible 3-0 start to the year, including a nine-goal thrashing over Gold Coast on the road in Round 1. However the wheels fell off in Week 4 when the Saints went down to fellow undefeated side Hawthorn by 57 points, and lost eight of their last nine games.

There were a lot of ‘what ifs?’ along the way, with the Hawthorn loss being the only defeat over five goals, while a 27-point loss to Brisbane marked the only other deficit above 15 points. However the talent that the side has, honourable losses should be a thing of the past, and those involved with the red, white and black will be hungry to see some greater progression in 2025.

The emergence of Serene Watson as well as the consistency of Jaimee Lambert and Tyanna Smith. The number one target for Saints over the off-season should be forward support for Jesse Wardlaw who kicked 14 goals, seven more than anyone else, and the only player above 170cm to kick three or more.

GEELONG

Finished: 10th
Won: 4
Drew: 1
Lost: 6

It was a harsh reality check for the Cats who came within a whisker of a grand final the year before, but ultimately found out the adversity that comes with both injuries and a dip of form. The severe hit to the club’s ruck stocks early in the season left key forward Kate Darby and athletic medium utility Gabbi Featherston taking the load throughout the year, and it was always going to be challenging in that regard.

While the injuries did not help, Geelong did seem to come in and out of form, as the Cats were the only side to take points off North Melbourne in a Round 2 draw. The navy blue and white hoops’ inconsistency could not have been better emphasised the two weeks following, going goalless to Carlton before piling on 15 goals in a 69-point win over the Suns. They stormed home to win three of their last five games, but a seven-point defeat to Richmond and then four-point loss to Adelaide sentenced them to outside the eight.

The midfield depth of the Cats is insanely good, with Nina Morrison, Georgie Prespakis and Rebecca Webster all averaging more than 20 disposals per game, while the shining light by far was key forward Aishling Moloney who booted a record 21 goals in the regular season, including hauls of six and four.

MELBOURNE

Finished: 9th
Won: 6
Lost: 5

It was an unfamiliar November for Dees fans as the red and blue instead watched on during the post-season series, falling just short of a finals spot. Melbourne can attribute its slow start to the root cause of its problems in 2024, Dropping four consecutive games after scraping over the line against Geelong by two points in Week 1. Week 6 proved to be a turning point as the Grand Old Flag began to wave more vigorously in the run home.

The Dees piled on five wins from their last six games, but unfortunately needed all six to secure an unbelievable finals spot. The six-point loss to top two team Hawthorn proved to be the final straw, though Melbourne ended the year on a high with a huge 47-point win over wooden spooners Collingwood.

Already the off-season rumours have been in full swing with premiership players Tayla Harris and Lily Mithen both allegedly exploring options as the Dees look to return to the pointy end of the draft. If Melbourne can secure a top five pick with the talent already on its list, then expect its absence from finals to be short lived.

ESSENDON

Finished: 8th (lost elimination final)
Won: 6
Drew: 1
Lost: 4

For the second consecutive year, Essendon proved to be around the finals mark, but ultimately not quite good enough to challenge the better sides. The Bombers started the year with a 1-3 record but then got back on track with four consecutive victories. A draw against Richmond threatened to derail the season, but the Bombers bounced back with a six-goal victory over arch rivals Carlton in the final round of the season to secure eighth spot.

While Essendon did well out west, ultimately the Bombers fell 10 points short of Fremantle, and had to settle for making the post-season series without getting to the second week, something they will look to achieve next season.

The form of Georgia Nanscawen was a highlight for fans of the red sash, as she and Madison Prespakis controlled the midfield. A first round injury to star forward Bonnie Toogood will no doubt have left a few ‘what ifs?’ in the minds of Bombers fans.

RICHMOND

Finished: 7th (lost elimination final)
Won: 6
Drew: 1
Lost: 4

Returning to finals after missing out in 2023, Richmond was in a similar boat to Essendon with a lot of ‘what ifs?’. The Tigers suffered a shock one-point loss to West Coast in new coach Daisy Pearce’s debut game, before stringing together four wins. A competitive loss to North Melbourne was respectful, and by Week 7, the Tigers had racked up an impressive 6-2 record and looked on track for a top four spot.

However that is when everything slipped in the final few weeks, only winning two points from their last three matches which was a draw to Essendon. Losses either side of that to Melbourne and Hawthorn meant the Tigers dropped to seventh and had to play first-time finalists Port Adelaide on the road. While putting up a good score, the Tigers could not contain the Power’s attack, going down by four goals in an elimination final.

Star onballer Monique Conti had another ridiculous season, while the usual suspects in Grace Egan and Ellie McKenzie. Unlike a lot of other sides, the Tigers had three players with double-figure goals as Katie Brennan (13), Caitlin Greiser (13) and Emelia Yassir (11) all stood out.