THE 2024 AFL Women’s home and away season comes to a close today with a quartet of matches that may have no impact on the make up of the finals, but are still important to all the sides involved.

1:05pm
RSEA Park

Recent form

Euro-Yroke’s heartbreaking loss to the Bulldogs means the Saints are just playing for pride today, while the Lions will be tuning up for finals today and making sure everything is good to go ahead of next week.

Last time they met

When these two met last season, the Saints caused the surprise upset, winning by 21 points after restring Brisbane’s scoring early and then kicking away in the final term.

Key stat areas

The Saints prefer to kick the ball over handballing it, while for Brisbane it is the other way around. Both of these sides have really strong tackling numbers, but Euro-Yroke has been doing better in contested possessions than in uncontested possessions, whereas for Brisbane it is the other way around.

Key match up/s

One thing about Euro-Yroke’s set up is that if you isolate Jesse Wardlaw too high up the ground or make her do too many different things at once in transition, you neutralise her influence.

Luckily for the Lions, she is an ex-teammate of theirs, so they know her game well. Players like Bre Koenen will know exactly what to do to take her influence out of the game.

3:05pm
Swinburne Centre

Recent form

Richmond has been inconsistent in recent weeks, and will be looking to get some consistency back into its game ahead of finals. Hawthorn meanwhile has continued its excellent season and will be looking to add to its current form with another win.

Last time they met

These two have met twice since Hawthorn entered the competition two seasons ago. However, the head-to-head ledger reads in Richmond’s favour, with the Tigers having won both matches. In saying that, the margin did decrease significantly from match one to match two.

Key stat areas

Interestingly, Hawthorn has been doing about doubly as well in inside 50s as Richmond, but have been triply more efficient once inside 50. One area that the Tigers do need to watch today is uncontested possessions, because not only is their own figure poor but it is significantly lower than Hawthorn’s.

Key match up/s

The midfield battle in this one should be very entertaining. On one side you have Eilish Sheerin and Monique Conti, and on the other you have Eliza West and Emily Bates.

4:35pm local time (5:05pm AEDT)
Alberton Oval

Recent form

Yartapuulti is on a good run of form at the moment, and is gearing up for an inaugural finals campaign. Meanwhile for the Giants, it has been another tough season, and they will be looking to finish 2024 on a high with a win today.

Last time they met

The last, and first time, these two met was in the final round of last year. In what was Erin Phillips’ final ever match, the Power were far too strong for the Giants, winning by almost six goals.

Key stat areas

The Power prefer to kick the ball over handballing it, while for the Giants it is the other way around. When it comes to clearances, the big differences is in stoppage clearances, which the Power has a significant advantage in, as the centre clearance figures of the two sides is almost dead even.

Key match up/s

The Power’s forward line is a daunting one to match up on, with Ash Saint and Gemma Houghton in particular very dangerous when up and about. This means that Katherine Smith, Isabel Huntington and the rest of the Giants’ defence is not going to have a quiet afternoon.

3:05pm local time (7:05pm AEDT)
Fremantle Oval

Recent form

Both of these teams will be looking to win their third match in a row today. Walyalup though are gearing up for a return to finals, while the Bulldogs are just playing for pride.

Last time they met

Despite being two inaugural sides of the competition, it has been a few years since they have met in a competitive fixture. When they met back in season six, the Bulldogs came from behind in the final quarter to pinch a three point win.

Key stat areas

One area that the Bulldogs do need to watch today is uncontested possessions, because not only is their own figure poor but it is significantly lower than the Dockers’. Meanwhile, one area of focus for the Dockers’ can be stoppage clearances, because they have a significant advantage in that area over the Bulldogs and both sides are not strong at centre clearances.

Key match up/s

Walyalup’s midfield is a serious strength of its side, with the likes of Aisling McCarthy and Gabby O’Sullivan having stellar seasons. It means Deanna Berry, Jessica Fitzgerald and the rest of the Bulldogs midfielders are going to have a busy day today keeping them quiet.