CHECK out what we saw in round 12 of the 2026 season.

Cats lock in top-two finish with clinical win over Dogs

GEELONG has sewn up a top-two finish and a home qualifying final, after demolishing fellow finalists the Western Bulldogs by 68 points at GMHBA Stadium.

The Cats were a class above an understrength Bulldogs side, who were missing their two most recent best-and-fairest winners in Isabelle Pritchard (knee) and Ellie Blackburn (managed), and cantered to the 13.10 (88) to 3.2 (20) victory, orchestrated by a powerful midfield.

Jackie Parry kicked Geelong's opening goal within the first 50 seconds of the game (finishing with five), and it was an early warning side for the Dogs.

In the absence of Pritchard, Blackburn and Jess Fitzgerald, the Bulldogs midfield was occupied by Cleo Buttifant, Sarah Poustie, Mikala Cann, Dom Carruthers and even forward Heidi Woodley as the magnets were flipped, desperately trying to arrest Geelong's clearance dominance.

Port overcomes Saints in thriller

PORT Adelaide overcame a lightning delay to edge past St Kilda by six points in a tense finish at RSEA Park.

The second half was halted for almost an hour as a heavy storm passed through Moorabbin, but the Power held strong in the dying stages to record a 7.9 (51) to 7.3 (45) win.

Star ruck Matilda Scholz was the star of the show, wreaking havoc against St Kilda’s vulnerable rucks, while the likes of Ella Heads, Abbey Dowrick and Piper Window were also solid contributors for the Power.

For the Saints, captain Serene Watson and midfielder Ash Richards had strong outings.

Roos thump Tigers to complete hat trick of minor premierships

NORTH Melbourne has sealed top spot on the ladder for the third consecutive season, beating Richmond by 68 points at Windy Hill on Saturday afternoon.

The Kangaroos put the foot down across the first half with seven unanswered goals on their way to a 15.11 (101) to 5.3 (33) victory - their sixth in a row.

It was a complete team performance, with captain Jasmine Garner leading her side as she makes a charge for an elusive AFLW Best and Fairest award (28 disposals, three clearances, 430 metres gained).

Tahlia Randall grew into the game in the second half (three goals), but fell short of reeling in a potential tie for the AFLW Leading Goalkicker award after a late opportunity went out of bounds on the full. She finishes the home and away season with 25.

The Tigers looked for star Monique Conti often by handball (a game-high 33 possessions, nine clearances, five tackles), while co-captain Ellie McKenzie stood up strongly with 25, six clearances and 485 metres gained.

Blues steal a thriller from Lions' grasp, claim top-four finish

CARLTON completed a huge second-half comeback to beat Brisbane by five points at Brighton Homes Arena.

Trailing by 22 points at half-time and already missing Claudia Whitfort (hamstring awareness), the Blues executed an incredible turnaround.

They kicked three unanswered goals in the third quarter and another two in the fourth to claim victory, 6.4 (40) to 5.5 (35).

With her team down and almost out it was Irish sensation Erone Fitzpatrick that led the Blues' second-half surge, with young star Sophie McKay finishing the match off in style.

McKay kicked all three of her goals after half-time, including the go-ahead major with less than three minutes remaining.

Fitzpatrick (27 disposals and a goal) seemed to be swimming upstream for much of the contest, but she laid on a goal for McKay in the third and another for Nell Morris-Dalton to breathe life into the Blues.

Abbie McKay (28), Keeley Sherar (27) and Mimi Hill (27) all lifted after Brisbane dominated the first half, particularly around the stoppages.

Hawks lock in last finals spot as Eagles sweat on Roberts injury

HAWTHORN will play finals for the third straight season after locking away eighth spot with a 55-point win against West Coast, with the Hawks taking red-hot form into the post-season after kicking their highest-ever score in a Halloween feast on Saturday night.

The Hawks kicked five unanswered goals in the second quarter to set up the 14.10 (94) to 6.3 (39) win at Sullivan Logistics Stadium and then powered away late as they prepare now for an elimination final, dominating clearances (33-19) and inside 50s (52-19) and bringing ferocious pressure to prevent West Coast from getting any flow in its game. 

The Eagles were put on the back foot early by a game-ending knee injury to superstar midfielder Ella Roberts, with the 21-year-old going down in pain after planting her right foot in the opening minutes, requiring the help of trainers to exit the game.

The club will now sweat on scans for the talented playmaker, whose absence was telling in the engine room as Hawthorn stars Eliza West (25 disposals and 14 clearances) and Lucy Wales (27 and 27 hitouts) took control of the game.  West’s 14 clearances was a Hawthorn AFLW record. 

Suns survive Giants comeback, miss top four by a whisker

GOLD Coast has fallen agonisingly short of a top-four finish despite claiming a nine-point victory over Greater Western Sydney at Henson Park on Sunday.

The Suns needed to build a solid margin to boost their percentage and snatch a double chance in the AFLW finals series. However, their 9.8 (62) to 7.11 (53) win left them in fifth by just 0.2 per cent.

After taking a 20-point lead in the second term, Gold Coast surrendered momentum as GWS launched a fiery third-quarter fightback. The Giants kicked five unanswered goals to turn the match on its head and take an 11-point lead into the final break.

The Suns responded in the final term, with early goals from Sunny Lappin and Anne Hatchard regaining them the lead and ultimately sealing the win, although a top-four berth remained out of reach.

Bombers overcome Magpies to send Wood out with a win

ESSENDON has bid goodbye to outgoing coach Natalie Wood on a high, with a hard-fought win over an equally fraught Collingwood on Sunday afternoon.

Some late attack from the Pies kept things interesting, but the Bombers ultimately ran out 4.14 (38) to 4.7 (31) victors on the Windy Hill deck.

It was fast, pinging footy. After all, what was there to lose? The problem for Collingwood was it lacked the polish on the end of those transitions to get dangerous on the scoreboard. Meanwhile Essendon relished the vocal crowd camped in the grandstand and saluted the fans whenever possible.

Ash Centra reminded everyone why she was the No.1 pick back in 2024, with 25 disposals, seven clearances, and a goal, and clearly the most composed playmaker on the ground.

Essendon dominated the bulk of the match, defending well through the middle of the ground and hemming the Pies in dangerous positions. Some inaccuracy, however, prevented the margin from ballooning out across the first half.

Carrying heavy strapping on her right quad, Maddy Prespakis (34 disposals, five clearances) was immense through the middle, and Amy Gaylor's aerial game was on show with nine marks.

Demons seal third spot with commanding Crows win

MELBOURNE has cruised into the finals with a clinical display against Adelaide, the Demons ending the Crows’ season with an impressive 18-point win in a rain-affected contest at Unley Oval on Sunday.

There was a late injury concern for Melbourne, with Kate Hore leaving the ground with a sore shoulder after she was met solidly in a bump by Jemmika Douglas with three minutes remaining.

But coach Tom Wilson allayed fears after the final siren, playing down concerns over an injury.

Results heading into the clash meant Adelaide couldn't play finals, while the Demons had locked up third spot and they took the opportunity to manage key players Olivia Purcell and Paxy Paxman, who were late withdrawals.

In their absence, Tyla Hanks and Megan Fitzsimon handled the ball like it was a dry day, while Ryleigh Wotherspoon was outstanding with three goals.

"I thought our first half, in particular, was super strong," Wilson said.

"The third quarter was a little bit more of an armwrestle, and credit to Adelaide I thought they finished the game really strongly. 

"So, to be able to come here, turn up and get the four points is really important for us, and the girls deserve a lot of credit."

Ebony Marinoff led the charge in trademark fashion, but Adelaide's midfield was well beaten.

Molloy heroics lift Swans to one-point win over Dockers

SYDNEY star Chloe Molloy has produced a goalkicking masterclass to drive her team to a thrilling one-point win against Fremantle on Sunday, becoming the AFLW's leading goalkicker in 2026 with a bag of four at Cockburn ARC Oval. 

Molloy, who set a new AFLW record with 27 goals for the year, kicked all but one of her team's five goals and then pushed into defence to take a game-saving mark late in the fourth quarter after the Dockers made a charge after reviving 'Wharfie Time'. 

The mercurial Molloy kicked goals from tight angles and long set shots in a best afield performance, with her team winning a club record ninth game and securing its first-ever home AFLW final against the Western Bulldogs next week. 

The 5.7 (37) to 5.6 (36) win came at a cost, however, with Swans tall Caitlin Reid heading to hospital during the game for assessment on her jaw after a jarring head clash with Hayley Miller late in the first quarter.