Close finishes were the tale of Round 2 in the VFLW, with three matches decided by less than a goal.
Meanwhile the reigning premiers produced a second-half masterclass to overhaul a three-goal deficit and remind everyone they are still the team to beat.
CARLTON 3.2 6.2 6.4 6.4 (40)
NORTH MELBOURNE WERRIBEE 1.0 3.3 7.4 11.6 (72)
For the second consecutive week, North Melbourne Werribee turned around slow start to record a dominant win, this time beating Carlton by 32 points at IKON Park. Coming off a strong opening round win, Carlton started the match in excellent fashion and kicked three goals in each of the first two terms to hold a 17-point advantage at the main break. Lucy Burke was in superb form down back, while Nell Morris-Dalton and Sophie McCarthy had the scoreboard ticking over. However, the Blues would only be afforded two more behinds in the second half as North Melbourne Werribee flipped the script. The Kangaroos piled on four goals in the third quarter to lead by six points at three quarter time before doubling the dose in the last quarter. Shelby Knoll was the star up forward with four majors and four contested marks. Recruits Abby Favell, Lauren Jatczak and Ava Seton were also terrific.
BEST
Carlton: Lucy Burke, Mia Fuller, Sophia McCarthy, Nell Morris-Dalton, Octavia Di Donato, Alessia Acquaro
North Melbourne Werribee: Abby Favell, Shelby Knoll, Lauren Jatczak, Poppy Schaap, Ava Seton, Madeleine Di Cosmo
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SANDRINGHAM 1.2 1.5 2.7 3.8 (26)
COLLINGWOOD 1.3 1.4 3.9 3.9 (27)
Collingwood withheld a fast-finishing Sandringham to prevail by one-point in their clash at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval. The first half was an arm-wrestle as the sides managed just a goal apiece, with the Zebras ahead one point at the main break. The game opened up more in the third term, with the Magpies gaining the ascendancy but not completely putting it on the scoreboard, with two majors from seven scoring shots. It gave the hosts an opportunity to mount a final-term comeback for the second consecutive week after overrunning Essendon in Round 1. The Zebras reduced the margin to one point at the seven-minute mark of the final term, however Collingwood showed great resolve to the hosts hitting the scoreboard again to hold on for a thrilling victory. Erin McKinnon was again influential in the ruck with 35 hitouts to go along with 12 disposals, six clearances and five tackles. Dom Carbone and Tamara Henry led the disposal count with 16 each, along with Sandringham’s Alana Porter who also recorded nine intercepts and seven tackles.
BEST
Sandringham: Ava Bibby, Bella Enno, Zoe Barbakos, Deanna Jolliffe, Courtney Aughtie, Sunday Hollingsworth
Collingwood: Erin McKinnon, Ella Jeffrey, Dominique Carbone, Amelia Peck, Caitlin Matthews
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WILLIAMSTOWN 2.0 2.3 2.6 3.8 (26)
BOX HILL HAWKS 0.1 2.3 3.3 4.3 (27)
The second one-point result of Round 2 came at DSV Stadium where the Box Hill Hawks opened their account against Williamstown. The Seagulls kicked the opening two goals of the match as they carried on their form from the massive opening round win against Geelong. However, the Hawks gained the ascendancy in the second term to tie the scores at 2.3 apiece at half time. The home side created ample opportunity to kick a winning score after the main break but managed just one goal from six scoring shots in the second half. That was in contrast to the Hawks who booted two goals from two scoring shots. The visitors led by two points in the final minute before Taelah Smith marked in the pocket and had a set shot to win the game for Williamstown. However, the kick just missed and Box Hill would run out the final seconds to prevail. The Hawks had plenty of ball winners for the afternoon, with four players amassing over 20 disposals, led by Hannah Stuart, while Zoe Vozzo kicked two of her side’s four majors. The Seagulls had great contributions from Bella Smith (21 disposals, seven clearances) and Emily Eaves (18 touches and five tackles).
BEST
Williamstown: Bella Smith, Emily Eaves, Ellen Williams, Laura Blue, Naomi Ferres, Georgia Howes
Box Hill Hawks: Tess Cattle, Kayley Kavanagh, Hannah Stuart, Matilda Van Berkel, Emma Di Petta, Annabelle Embelton
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PORT MELBOURNE 3.1 5.3 5.5 5.5 (35)
DAREBIN 1.0 2.2 4.2 5.2 (32)
The weekend of close finishes continued at ETU Stadium where Port Melbourne hung on desperately in the final moments to defeat Darebin by three points. A tight result didn’t look to be on the cards in the first 30 minutes, when the Borough hit a lead of 25 points at the 11-minute mark of the second term. But amazingly the hosts wouldn’t kick another goal for the rest of the game, opening the door for the Falcons claw their way back. The visitors booted three second half majors, with Ava Hishongwa-Gibb’s major reducing the deficit to three points with six minutes remaining. But Port Melbourne was able to hold on to get onto the winners list in season 2026. Eloise Ashley-Cooper was a standout for the Borough, leading their disposal count with 18 while also producing 11 tackles. Courteney Bromage was the only multiple goalkicker of the match with two majors. For Darebin, skipper Caitlin Bunker played a key role in keeping the Falcons in the hunt, amassing 19 touches while also have 10 tackles and five clearances.
BEST
Port Melbourne: Eloise Ashley-Cooper, Mia Caffry, Lauren Caruso, Isabella Stutt, Georgia Foran, Courteney Bromage
Darebin: Caitlin Bunker, Isabella Daddo, Alyssa Mifsud, Ava Vincent, Kasey Lennox, Marnie Jarvis
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ESSENDON 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.12 (12)
GEELONG CATS 0.0 1.1 3.5 4.8 (32)
Geelong bounced back from a heavy opening round defeat, breaking away from Essendon in the second half to secure a 20-point upset at Windy Hill. The Cats clung to a one-point half time lead after going scoreless in the opening term before producing 11 scoring shots in the second half to run away with the victory. They also managed to keep the Bombers goalless, with the home side kicking 12 behinds. It marked the first time the side had been held goalless in a VFLW match since Round 9, 2025. A superb display from Bindi Crabtree had a big say in Geelong’s victory, with the midfielder amassing 25 disposals, whilst Mekah Morrissy was equally important with 23 disposals, eight tackles and seven inside 50s. Brooke Plummer, playing against her former club, led the way from a stats perspective for the Bombers with 24 disposals and seven inside 50s.
BEST
Essendon: Isobella Hishongwa-Gibb, Drew Ryan, Layla Prince, Nicole Hales, El Chaston, Ashlea Melnikas
Geelong Cats: Isabella Davies, Lucy Marescuk, Mekah Morrissy, Bindi Crabtree, Jenna Hurring, Nikita Harris
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CASEY DEMONS 0.0 1.0 1.0 3.0 (18)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.6 4.1 5.4 6.5 (41)
Round 2 concluded with a standalone game at Casey Fields on Sunday, where the Western Bulldogs opened their 2026 account with a comfortable 23-point win over the Casey Demons. Despite sitting out the opening round with a bye, the Bulldogs were raring to go from the start, kicking four goals to one in the first half to put the Demons on the back foot. The scoring slowed down slightly in the second half and the hosts won the final term but the damage had been done as the Western Bulldogs won their first game under new coach Liam Cavanagh and took the first step towards improving on their five-win campaign last year. A complete performance from Ellie Bishop helped the Bulldogs hold control for much of the afternoon, with the star playmaker picking up 25 disposals, eight clearances and a goal. Mary Sandral led the attack and booted a game-high three majors. Tylah Burn was excellent for Casey despite the loss and led her for disposals (18) and clearances (nine), while Zahri Burn also impressed.
BEST
Casey Demons: Zahri Burn, Natalie Banjavcic-Mills, Chloe McDonald, Alice Robinson, Lillian Snow, Kasey Phillips
Western Bulldogs: Freya Taylor, Ellie Bishop, Sarah Sansonetti, India Barker, Mary Sandral
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