IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover there's a new team in the upper echelon of the AFLW competition, a young Dee could be the steal of the draft, the Pies have a big problem, plus much, much more.

Check out what we learned from round two of the 2026 season.

1) The Bulldogs women have their own Bont

Western Bulldogs' midfielder Isabelle Pritchard’s 36-disposal, nine-clearance, nine-tackle and one-goal performance against Richmond showed just how damaging she can be. At 178cm, Pritchard is taller than the average AFLW on-baller, with her strength, height, speed and skill all reminiscent of another Bulldogs ball-winner. With the same attributes as Marcus Bontempelli, Pritchard's ability to consistently win the ball and stay involved around the contest gives the Bulldogs a dangerous point of difference in the middle. If Pritchard keeps performing like this, she could become a one of the competition's best contested-ball weapons and spearhead the Bulldogs’ push for finals. - Jai Tiwari

2) Adelaide is no longer in the top echelon of AFLW teams

It was bound to happen at some point, but the quadruple loss of experienced Adelaide premiership stars - Chelsea Randall (concussion-enforced retirement), Stevie-Lee Thompson (retirement), Anne Hatchard (Gold Coast) and the pregnant Danielle Paredes (née Ponter) - appears to have been too much for the Crows to overcome. Adelaide has debuted four players in the space of two matches, and all are 20 or younger, while Ryan Davis is employing a new game plan to match the developing AFLW trends. It’s likely a temporary setback, rather than a years-long stint in the lower reaches of the ladder, but losses to Sydney in round one and against Carlton on Sunday show that Adelaide is no longer the powerhouse it once was. - Sarah Black

3) The young Suns will not be patient

It was clear from the outset of Saturday’s win in the west that Gold Coast’s new core of young stars will not be easing their way into the League this season. Five goals from Alannah Welsh was the headline, but with Ava Usher, Sunny Lappin and Lily Quigley all taking the game on and kicking the first goals of their careers, the young Suns grew in stature as every minute passed against West Coast. With nine second-gamers, the Suns played with speed and skill and applied relentless physical pressure when they didn’t have the ball. There were plenty of highlights, but the poise of Usher to take three bounces and convert on the run early in the third quarter underlined the exciting attributes in this Suns team, which put the competition on notice. - Nathan Schmook

4) This player could be the steal of the draft

With their first pick of the 2025 Telstra AFLW Draft – No.16 – the Demons opted for dashing defender Jordyn Allen, and in just two weeks everyone can see exactly why. She arguably slid back to the teens as a result of plenty of bid-matching for Gold Coast and Sydney at the top of the draft, but has brought every bit of energy a top five selection might have. With 22 disposals and eight bounces against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday, she proved her confidence to take the game on and set Melbourne up from the back half, and potentially has fans forgetting that All-Australian Maeve Chaplin is still yet to see game minutes this season. - Gemma Bastiani

5) Wales vs Scholes is box office gold

Grab the popcorn and watch the ruck duel between Lucy Wales and Matilda Scholes. The stars went head-to-head in Hawthorn's barnstorming win, and both were outstanding. Scholz had the edge at the stoppages where she had 35 hitouts to 19, while Wales exerted more influence around the ground with 10 marks and her first AFLW goal. Both racked up the possessions, Scholz with 24 and Wales 23, with the Hawks' star going at 78.3 per cent disposal efficiency to Scholes' 50 per cent. Watching these two superstars battle it out will be box office gold for years to come. - Jason Phelan

6) This Irish Kangaroo just keeps getting better

It’s easy for North Melbourne players to be overlooked when their teammates include Jas Garner, Ash Riddell, Emma Kearney, Libby Birch and Tahlia Randall. And perhaps that’s been the case for Irishwoman Erika O’Shea, but against Brisbane on Saturday night she played one of the best games of her career to again show the Kangaroos have weapons all over the ground. Still just 24, O’Shea was magnificent in the greasy conditions, gathering a career-high 25 disposals, including an incredible 13 intercepts, using her speed and good hands to mop up when the Lions went forward. O’Shea was excellent in last year’s finals series and appears to be still rapidly improving. – Michael Whiting

7) The Pies have a huge ruck problem

The official team sheet released on Friday listed Collingwood ruck Sabrina Frederick as omitted, but in his post-match presser Magpies senior coach Sam Wright suggested there was more to the story. Wright said Frederick had been sick this week, leaving Josephine Bamford and Imogen Barnett the mammoth task of trying to neutralise star ruck Mim Strom. But there was little Bamford and Barnett could do to stop Strom, who put in a best-on-ground performance as Fremantle finished +14 in hit outs and +17 in clearances. Wright said Frederick would continue to build match fitness in the coming weeks and provide off-field support to the 19-year-old Bamford, but it appears a ruck solution is still a fair way off for the Pies. - Lincoln Tracy

8) Cat's big day out started with midfield excellence

After a significant loss to North Melbourne in round one, AFLW fans were unsure whether the Roos were really good, or Geelong wasn't as good as anticipated. The answer is that the Roos are unreal, but the Cats are still very good. Against the Saints in round two, the Cats showed they can score and score heavily, notching up 100 points on the scoreboard. Their midfield was exceptional with Georgie Prespakis, Nina Morrison and Amy McDonald (who started well but unfortunately injured her hamstring in the second term) would provide plenty of supply forward, Jackie Parry getting on the end of their work kicking a career-best bag of six goals. - Phoebe McWilliams

9) Dominance around the stoppages is Sydney’s greatest weapon

While Essendon controlled the air early by intercepting clearing kicks, Sydney blew the game open once they conquered the source. Spearheaded by Ally Morphett in the ruck and Laura Gardiner at her feet, the Swans' 29–20 clearance dominance allowed them to bypass the Bombers' trap. By taking control around the stoppages, Sydney repeatedly pumped the footy inside 50 (39-33), generating high-quality entries and directly transforming their midfield supremacy into dynamic, match-winning scoreboard pressure. - Emily Patterson