TWO TEAMS will get the opportunity to belt out their song for the first time this year, with four winless sides set to face off against each other in round five.

This weekend also marks the first AFLW Indigenous Round, while a number of showpiece games – Fremantle v Brisbane, Collingwood v Melbourne and North Melbourne v Carlton – will cause further demarcation in the competition.

The above teams occupy six of the top eight positions on the ladder.

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Friday, February 26

Geelong v Richmond at GMHBA Stadium, 7.10pm AEDT

• The Cats will be lining up for their third consecutive Friday night match, but it hasn't gone to plan thus far. Geelong is the second-lowest scoring team in the competition, just ahead of Gold Coast, and has been struggling to move the ball with pace and fluency.
• If there's such a thing as an in-form side yet to win a game in 10 attempts, Richmond is just that team. The Tigers recorded their highest score ever against the Blues last week, just pipping their previous best effort – which came against Geelong last year.
• Tip: Just like 2020, both these sides will be hoping to break their winless streak against each other. The Tigers are in better form, but it'll be close. Four points.

WATCH IT LIVE Cats v Tigers

Saturday, February 27

Western Bulldogs v Greater Western Sydney at VU Whitten Oval, 3.10pm AEDT

• After just falling short against St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs have pulled off three straight wins, two against last year's preliminary finalists Melbourne and Carlton. The Dogs are incredibly efficient with their ball use, averaging the third-fewest disposals in the AFLW with just five players having kicked goals. 
• After a tough start against Fremantle and Adelaide, GWS has settled, recording two wins against strugglers Gold Coast and West Coast. The Giants are getting a more even contribution in the midfield, while the defence is well-organised and disciplined. A bag from Cora "Scora" Staunton never hurts, either.
• Tip: The Giants are back on the road for the first time in three weeks, and the Dogs know Whitten Oval (and that cross-wind into the pocket) inside and out. Dogs by 17 points.

WATCH IT LIVE Bulldogs v Giants

Fremantle v Brisbane at Fremantle Oval, 2.10pm AWST

• The almighty Dockers just keep rolling on their merry way, defeating every opponent in their path. They're never reliant on one goalkicker, having had 13 players kick majors this season, the highest number in the AFLW. 
• Brisbane showed great resilience against Adelaide after another poor opening quarter. The twin towers of Jesse Wardlaw and Dakota Davidson keep defences busy, but it's the work of the improved Greta Bodey at ground level that's catching teams on the hop.
• Tip: This will be a battle of Freo's versatile attack versus Brisbane's well-established defence. The Lions will give it a red-hot crack, but probably aren't quite at the Dockers' level yet. Not many are. Fremantle by 17 points.

WATCH IT LIVE Dockers v Lions

North Melbourne v Carlton at UTAS Stadium, 7.10pm AEDT

• Coach Darren Crocker used the word "clunky" a few times in his post-match presser after last week's loss to Collingwood. There's been an unexpected loss of connection in the Roos' usually fluent movement of the ball down the field, making life difficult for the forward line.
• Carlton has shaken off its early-season woes to record two wins, but they've come against expansion sides St Kilda and Richmond. The Blues have produced horror first quarters, kicking just 1.2 across four first terms. They can't afford to play catch-up against North Melbourne.
• Tip: This is a must-win game for both sides, who would not have been expecting to be in this position halfway through the season. Both have been Jekyll and Hyde teams this year – who will show up on Saturday night? Blues by three points.

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WATCH IT LIVE Kangaroos v Blues

Sunday, February 28

Adelaide v St Kilda at Norwood Oval, 12.40pm ACDT

• The Crows were just too good for Brisbane last week, overcoming both the Lions and their own poor accuracy in front of goal. The last two weeks have seen Adelaide kick 7.16. In a positive for the side, Nikki Gore seems to have established herself in defence in her third season, while Erin Phillips appears to be most dangerous when forward.
• The Saints have successfully broadened their paths to goal this year, recording nine goalkickers already, only one fewer than their entire 2020 season. Ruck Rhi Watt is in ripping form, averaging 9.5 contested possession, the highest in the side.
• Tip: The last time these sides met, the Saints looked set for an unlikely victory before conceding two late goals. Adelaide has had several significant inclusions since then and will be too experienced for the Saints. Crows by 15 points.

WATCH IT LIVE Crows v Saints

Collingwood v Melbourne at Victoria Park, 3.10pm AEDT

• Can the Pies make it a club-record five straight wins? We've rarely seen Collingwood in this type of form, and its built on the back of a strong well-rounded performance. The backline – led by Stacey Livingstone and Ruby Schleicher – is so effective it's hard to believe All-Australian Ash Brazill (ACL) is still to return. 
• From the sublime to the ridiculous. Melbourne piled on six goals in a quarter against North Melbourne but couldn't find the middle of the goals to save themselves against the Dogs, kicking 2.12. The importance of the speed and class of Kate Hore (who missed with illness) and Sinead Goldrick (concussion) cannot be undersold.
• Tip: Melbourne could slip eight points adrift of the top two should it lose this game. Collingwood's midfield trio of Brianna Davey, Jaimee Lambert and Britt Bonnici have hit another level, and draw this in the Pies' favour. 11 points. 

WATCH IT LIVE Magpies v Demons

West Coast v Gold Coast at Mineral Resources Park, 2.10pm AWST

• The Eagles will be happy to be home after consecutive cross-country games in Brisbane and Sydney. Like the Tigers, the Eagles are improving week by week, with the form of Grace Kelly, Bella Lewis and Mikayla Bowen particularly promising. The team just needs to stick with its pressure and run for longer, and that first win will come.
• The Suns have stayed in Perth this week after playing Fremantle, and some bonding time may have been just what the doctor ordered. David Lake didn't beat around the bush, calling out his side's "lazy" two-way running in the second half against Fremantle.
• Tip: It's possibly the first time West Coast has gone into a match favourites, but the patches of form it's shown in the past few weeks have been encouraging, while the Suns can't find the scoreboard. Eagles by nine points.

WATCH IT LIVE Eagles v Suns

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BRISBANE has ended Fremantle's 11-game winning streak and confirmed its status as a premiership contender, holding on in a thrilling finish to beat the Dockers by 11 points at their Fremantle Oval fortress.

The Lions held the Dockers goalless for almost an entire match before young star Roxy Roux converted a clutch set shot from 45m to cut the margin to five points and set up a thrilling finish with less than two minutes to play.

DOCKERS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats 

Brisbane star Ally Anderson stepped up moments later, converting on the run under pressure to seal the 3.7 (25) to 1.8 (14) win, which was the Lions' first at Fremantle Oval since 2017.

It was the Dockers' first loss since the 2019 preliminary final, ending a 12-game winning run at Fremantle Oval that stretches back to round five, 2018.

Both sides were incredibly inaccurate, with the Lions missing an opportunity to put more space between them and their opponents in the third quarter, kicking 1.5 to 0.0.

They won key contests down the stretch, however, with their backline holding up under pressure to give the ladder leaders a 4-1 record.  

Brisbane midfielder Emily Bates was a clear best on ground with 26 possessions, three clearances and four inside 50s, using the ball superbly.

The teams could not be separated at the contest, splitting contested possessions 106-106 each, while the Dockers had a slight clearance advantage 21-19. 

Freo midfielder Kiara Bowers continued her excellent season with 24 disposals and seven tackles, but the Dockers' inaccuracy in front of goal cost them. 

The difference
The Dockers are revered for the pressure they put on opponents, but on Saturday they came up against a hungrier Brisbane team that had more energy from the outset. Fremantle coach Trent Cooper highlighted the Lions' 20-6 advantage with tackles inside 50 as a key to the match, with his team unable to match Brisbane's physical approach in front of their own goals. Kara Antonio, Roxy Roux and Sabreena Duffy didn't lay a tackle, with the Dockers' only out-tackling their opponents in one quarter.       

Five minutes of madness  
The closing stages were frantic as the Lions fought to hold onto an 11-point lead. Star Docker Sabreena Duffy had a chance to cut the margin to five points but missed everything with her set shot before Roux took her opportunity from 45m. Somehow the Dockers had a sniff, despite being outplayed, but Anderson's composure under significant heat sealed the match.

Déjà vu
It was Roxy Roux last week converting a brilliant banana goal from deep in the pocket, and on Saturday Courtney Hodder stepped up from the exact same position for the Lions. She kicked the first goal of the game with her left boot, curling her set shot home brilliantly to give the Lions an early advantage. It would be the only goal kicked in the first half as it turned out, with both teams struggling in front of goal and kicking nine points between them in the first two quarters.

Say what?
"They were super. The way the girls stuck to what we were trying to implement, for such a young team, was terrific. For their belief in terms of coming all the way to Perth, preparing to play against the top side, and to knock them off when they're on a streak like that, all that stuff for your footy education is gold." - Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich

"We sort of saw this coming to be honest. We trained really poorly during the week and we sparked up a little bit Thursday night, but it wasn't to our usual level. We were off in our pressure and Brisbane's pressure was good. We definitely didn't handle it today." - Fremantle coach Trent Cooper  

What's next
The Dockers face West Coast for the second time this season on Sunday week, meeting their cross-town rivals at Optus Stadium at 1.40pm AWST before their respective AFL teams clash in the AAMI Community Series at the same venue. Brisbane travel to Canberra to face Greater Western Sydney at Manuka Oval on Saturday at 3.10 AEDT.

FREMANTLE       0.2     0.7     0.7     1.8 (14)
BRISBANE           1.1     1.2     2.7     3.7 (25)

GOALS
Fremantle: Roux
Brisbane: Hodder, O'Dwyer, Anderson

BEST
Fremantle: Bowers, Sergeant, K.Antonio, Pugh, Miller, Roux, Pugh
Brisbane: Bates, Bodey, O'Dwyer, Hodder, Anderson, Lutkins

INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Brisbane: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: 3423 at Fremantle Oval

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