State of Play hosts Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani preview the big topics ahead of this weekend's VFL and VFLW action.

The percentage race
With such a tight ladder in play halfway through the Smithy’s VFL season, percentage is becoming increasingly important to those teams stuck in the logjam. Just two wins separate the second-placed Box Hill Hawks and 11th-placed Port Melbourne, so every point conceded becomes a factor as teams race for a finals place. The Borough (on 95.3 per cent) and St Kilda (103.9 per cent) are most at risk should they drop games in the run home, while Greater Western Sydney (119.7 per cent) has stabilised with a big win over Carlton last week.

Lambert-Pearce medal favourites?
Six rounds into the 2026 VFLW season, some players have already staked their claim on Lambert-Pearce medal favouritism. Collingwood captain Dom Carbone – who won the award in 2024 – has returned to her absolute best form this year, averaging 21.6 disposals and four clearances, while also kicking eight goals. Meanwhile, Williamstown dynamo and reigning Coaches MVP Award winner Emily Eaves is also having a career-best turn, averaging 21.2 disposals and 5.7 clearances, with six goals to her name. There's a long way yet to go, expect to see these two stars high in the vote count come September.

How can Carlton stop the slide? 
When Carlton beat reigning premier Footscray in Round 8, the Blues had a 5-2 record and sat in second spot on the ladder. Fast forward five weeks and they are in freefall, having lost their past four matches to now sit outside the wildcard spots. The challenges keep coming for Carlton, with third-placed Werribee and second-placed Box Hill coming in the next three weeks. While Josh Fraser is doing everything right in the AFL, the VFL side is desperate to turn the tide.

Best of the rest
There’s a peloton of Collingwood, North Melbourne Werribee and Williamstown in the VFLW. The chasing pack of Port Melbourne, Western Bulldogs and Geelong are already two games behind the leaders and this weekend, that gap could widen further. Port Melbourne and the Bulldogs face off in a must-win clash to stay in touch with the leaders. With both sides coming off a win, a chance to cement their spot in the top four is on the line.

Someone has to win 
Collingwood tackles Richmond in the ABC’s VFL Match of the Day on Saturday afternoon. Arch-rivals doing battle in a must-win encounter at La Trobe University, Bundoora. With one win between them from the past 14 matches, the injury-depleted Tigers and the battling Magpies are desperate to taste victory again. Collingwood was run down by Frankston last weekend when it seemingly looked home with a 22-point lead in the last quarter, while the Tigers are desperate to turn their form around having won just once in their past eight starts.

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