ESSENDON has a difficult task ahead of it as we head into the second half of the 2025 NAB AFLW Season.
Eleventh-placed Essendon is fixtured to play five of the current top eight in its final six games of the home and away season.
The Bombers, who have lost their past three matches to Geelong, St Kilda and Fremantle, come up against first-placed North Melbourne and second-placed Melbourne in the next fortnight.
They then face the Western Bulldogs, who sit in 16th place on the ladder, before taking on seventh-placed Brisbane, third-placed Hawthorn and fifth-placed Sydney in their last three games.
Sydney is the only team with a harder run to finals.
After losing the past two games unexpectedly to Collingwood and Greater Western Sydney, the Swans now face the mammoth task of playing four top-eight sides in their remaining six games including North Melbourne, Melbourne and Adelaide all on the road.
Richmond, which is yet to register a win in 2025, has a difficult three weeks ahead of it when it plays Brisbane, fourth-placed Adelaide and reigning premier North Melbourne.
At the opposite end of the scale, Collingwood has the easiest run into finals, playing just one top-eight team in its final six games.
The Pies play Brisbane in round 12, but aside from the Lions they face the Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast, Richmond, St Kilda and West Coast, who all currently sit in the bottom half of the ladder.
It comes after they faced the hardest first half of the season which included playing five teams currently in the top eight.
Each club's degree of difficulty is the average ladder position of its opponents. The lower the score, the harder the fixture is expected to be.
Current ladder position: 4th (4-2)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 10 (equal 12th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 9.7 (equal ninth hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 2
Current ladder position: 7th (3-3)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 7 (second hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 12.5 (17th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 1
Current ladder position: 6th (4-2)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 9.7 (11th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 9.8 (11th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 2
Current ladder position: 14th (2-4)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 5.3 (hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 12.8 (18th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 1
Current ladder position: 11th (3-3)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 12 (16th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 5.7 (second hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 5
Current ladder position: 12th (3-3)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 7.7 (third hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 8 (third hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 4
Current ladder position: 8th (3-3)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 8.7 (equal seventh hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 8.5 (equal fourth hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 3
Current ladder position: 17th (1-5)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 8.7 (equal seventh hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 10 (equal 12th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 3
Current ladder position: 15th (2-4)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 11.2 (15th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 9.7 (equal ninth hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 2
Current ladder position: 3rd (5-1)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 9.5 (10th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 10.3 (14th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 2
Current ladder position: 2nd (5-1)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 13.3 (17th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 10 (equal 12th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 3
Current ladder position: 1st (6-0)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 10 (equal 12th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 8.5 (equal fourth hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 3
Current ladder position: 13th (2-4)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 8.2 (fifth hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 9.2 (equal seventh hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 3
Current ladder position: 18th (0-6)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 8.7 (equal seventh hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 9.2 (equal seventh hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 3
Current ladder position: 10th (3-3)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 7.8 (fourth hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 10.8 (15th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 2
Current ladder position: 5th (4-2)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 14 (18th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 5.5 (hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 4
Current ladder position: 9th (3-3)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 10.8 (14th hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 8.7 (sixth hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 4
Current ladder position: 16th (1-5)
Degree of difficulty R1-6: 8.5 (sixth hardest)
Degree of difficulty R7-12: 12.2 (16th hardest)
Upcoming games against current top eight: 1
