ROUND five, more than any other round this year, felt like it contained plenty of decisive trade decisions.

Plenty of coaches were presented with what appeared to be 50-50 decisions between players of a similar price or position, but that decision would have significant ramifications on that coach's score for the round. Here are just a few of the common questions we received last week, and the results of those trades:

• Isabel Bacon at $575k (90) or Lucille Cronin at $608k (57)
• Brit Bonnici at $859k (55) or Ella Roberts at $959k (139)
• Teah Charlton at $710k (35) or Ash Richards at $520k (122)
• Georgie Prespakis at $1,039,000 (85) or Charlie Rowbottom at $1,072,000 (110)

Finding yourself on the rough side of that 50-50 made for a long weekend, but this weekend offers a chance at redemption. Many injuries and suspensions came out of round five, and have coaches looking at the next set of decisions. Where do you trade the suspended Ella Heads or the injured Emma O'Driscoll? How will the Hawks reshuffle to cover the injured Emily Bates in the midfield, or the Swans to cover for Sofia Hurley? Are Mim Strom, Charlie Mullins and Ash Richards going to be fit enough to line up in round six?

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Another question to ask yourself – is your Fantasy side in a position where it needs to take a risk and go early on predicting one of these moves, or is it better to go with the safety of a premium player like Rowbottom or Kiara Bowers in your midfield? Mid-season is often where younger players start to fatigue and need a rest, so managing your on-field rookies is also going to take some balancing. Thankfully we have plenty of interesting trade targets this week, so coaches have plenty to work with as they enter round six.

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Top five price rises

1. Ashleigh Richards (MID / FWD, $708,000): +$188,000
2. Harriet Cordner (DEF, $780,000): +$159,000
3. Ella Roberts (MID, $1,109,000): +$150,000
4. Isabel Bacon (DEF, $716,000): +$141,000
5. Kaylee Kimber (DEF, $393,000): +$118,000

Top five price falls

1. Laura Stone (MID, $429,000): -$170,000
2. Emma O'Driscoll (DEF, $556,000): -$165,000
3. Georgia Patrikios (MID, $609,000): -$153,000
4. Maria Moloney (MID, $720,000): -$128,000
5. Mimi Hill (MID, $783,000): -$112,000

Top targets

Laura Gardiner (SYD, MID, $968,000) - 99 Fantasy points
Playing off the half-forward line has not been kind to Gardiner so far this season, averaging 30 points less than last season and dropping $412k so far. But the stars are aligning for a return to her midfield role – injuries to key defensive depth has seen Lucy McEvoy drop back behind the ball, and a nasty knee injury to Sofia Hurley leaves them even shorter in the middle. It is a little speculative, but I expect Gardiner to return to the 75 per cent+ CBA role she had much of last season and start posting some ceiling scores again soon. Her breakeven is still over 100, so you can afford to wait another week if you want more certainty. But it certainly feels like we have reached the turning point for Gardiner we have been waiting for most of the season.

Ash Richards (St Kilda, FWD, $708,000) - 122 Fantasy points
'High risk, high reward' is the name of the game here – St Kilda is in a dire spot and coach Nick Dal Santo is moving the magnets around at the moment. In the loss to Richmond, one of the moved pieces was Ash Richards, spending a season high 73 per cent time in the middle and impacting greatly. Her 22 disposals included 13 kicks, four clearances and a goal, in addition to six marks and 10 tackles for a very well-rounded performance. Was this enough for Dal Santo to maintain that role, given the Saints won centre clearances 10-7 but lost the overall clearance count 21-13? Was the medical check-up on Richards late in Sunday's game just soreness from the contest, or a late out waiting to happen? With a breakeven of just 32, these answers to these questions will dictate whether or not Richards is one of the forward bargains of the year or a Fantasy trap.

Tarni White (COL, DEF, $781,000) - 102 Fantasy points
After a couple of quiet weeks, White reminded us all why she is regarded as one of the best defender premiums in the game. Playing as a sweeper across half-back, White collected 28 disposals and took seven marks, including an incredible leaping intercept mark nominated for Mark of the Round. She is greatly underpriced coming into round six, and has several friendly match-ups for the remainder of the season. White stands out as one of the best sideways swaps for the suspended Heads or the injured O'Driscoll.

Alyce Parker (GWS, MID, $988,000) - 111 Fantasy points
Parker has found her straps on return from her fractured foot in 2025, and is beginning to show once more how she got her reputation as a midfield bull. She is third in the League for clearances, third for contested possessions and 16th for tackles. Early on, she was giving away plenty of free kicks (nine in the first three rounds) but seems to have found her rhythm with the new rules, giving away just two in the last two games while earning three. Parker has a very friendly upcoming run against Richmond, Collingwood and Essendon, so now is a great time to jump on board if you don't have her!

Sell

Ella Heads (PA, DEF, $753,000) - 55 Fantasy points
A terrific start to her 2026 campaign saw Heads jump in ownership up to over 30 per cent at its peak. But alas, her reckless bump on Melbourne's Eliza McNamara has resulted in a three-match ban, and a clear trade priority for coaches this week. A disappointing 55 in her last game has also seen her drop in cash a fair bit, but is effectively a straight swap for White, Rebecca Webster, Harriet Cordner, Isabel Bacon, or any other premium defender you might be looking at.

Emma O'Driscoll (FRE, DEF, $556,000) - 9 Fantasy points
An early-game knee injury is an awful sight to see at the best of times, but also for Fantasy coaches who were left with a single-figure score from the defensive superstar. The extent of the injury is unknown at the time of writing, but with the short AFLW seasons, even a couple weeks off would make her a trade – particularly with a high breakeven (93) on her return. Someone to keep an eye on for her return as a downgrade target!

Maria Moloney (PA, MID, $720,000) - 23 Fantasy points
If you were one of the few coaches who rode the incredible $300k price increase of Moloney this season, as she returned to the CBA midfield mix for Port Adelaide, you'd be thrilled by the season so far. But everything came crashing down to earth on Sunday with a paltry 23 from just 10 touches and two tackles. The breakeven game is now heavily against her, and it's best to cash out now while her price is still high.

Mischa Barwin (COLL, FWD, $457,000) - 45 Fantasy points
Barwin has been a more-than-handy rookie on our benches this season, making a tidy $257k so far and providing a reliable 40-plus score most weeks. But the rolling price cycle is dropping her best score of the season this week, and she'll have her work cut out for her against a powerful Cats line-up. Along with a ton of other rookie options like Beruldsen, Bown, Allen, Usher and Murray, now is a great time to cash out and use that money elsewhere before the value evaporates.

Top rookie targets (under $400,000)

The cheap rookie options are getting a bit harder to find, with fewer and fewer debuting each week. The top four price risers last week were in fact all established players in the middle of their AFLW careers. But to capitalise on the bench value we have established over the early parts of the season, we still need to be finding value where we can among the rookies and the below are a few handy players to downgrade to.

Defenders:

1. Holly Egan (FRE, $367,000)
2. Daisy Walker (GWS, $242,000)
3. Georgia Stubs (RIC, $355,000)

Midfielders:

1. Renee Morgan (GEE, $306,000)
2. Jade McLay (STK, $304,000)
3. Asher Fearn-Wannan (BL, $254,000)

Rucks:

1. Paige Price (GC, $237,000)
2. Georja Davies (GC, $326,000)

Forwards:

1. Gemma Houghton (FRE, $302,000)
2. Tunisha Kikoak (FRE, $284,000) - if Mim Strom is out again
3. Lucy Waye (ADE, $260,000)

Captains

Friday night AFLW games are finally back, kicking off with the Hawthorn v North Melbourne game this round. Make sure to look at your vice-captain options a bit more closely this round, with looping a little easier for most coaches to pull off.

No.1: Ebony Marinoff (vs BL, Sunday 5.05pm AEST)
No.2: Jasmine Garner (vs HAW, Friday 5.45pm AEST)
No.3: Ella Roberts (vs STK, Sunday 3.05pm AEST)
No.4: Ash Riddell (vs HAW, Friday 5.45pm AEST)
No.5: Charlie Rowbottom (vs ESS, Sunday 1.05pm AEST)

Other options to consider: Kiara Bowers (v WBD), Olivia Purcell (v CAR), Mikayla Bowen (v COL), Madison Prespakis (v GC), Matilda Scholz (v SYD), Laura Gardiner (v PA)

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