Great rivals meet in both VFLW preliminary finals with spots in the 2026 Grand Final on the line.

FIRST PRELIMINARY FINAL: WILLIAMSTOWN VS PORT MELBOURNE

A standalone club will feature in the 2026 VFLW Grand Final but at DSV Stadium on Saturday, we’ll find out whether it’s Williamstown or Port Melbourne who occupy that spot.

If it is the Seagulls, it will be their first appearance in a decider during their time in the competition. It would seem a fitting reward having finished as minor premiers in two of their last three seasons.

This campaign has been particularly impressive, as Paul Groves’ side dropped just two matches all year and come into this finals campaign following back-to-back triumphs against both of last year’s Grand Finalists.

Their attacking forces have been strong in recent weeks, not dipping below 50 points in their last three matches. A large part of that is courtesy of competition leading goalkicker Mia Zielenski, who has booted 32 majors this year, which includes 12 in her last four games leading into Saturday’s encounter.

At the other end, the Seagulls have been far and away the best defensive side in the competition, conceding under 20 points a game on average, a remarkable effort. Expect the likes of Kiara Boyd and Ellen Williams to lead that unit with their consistent ability to generate intercept possessions.

Emily Eaves could be the side’s most influential player come finals time if her last fortnight of games are anything to go by. She’s combined for 45 disposals, 16 clearances and three goals against the Pies and Roos respectively and will be crucial in the middle on Saturday.

But a recent lack of finals success will play on the minds of Williamstown, having won just one of their last four finals, a trend that Port Melbourne will hope continues on the weekend.

The Borough are one triumph away from their first Grand Final since 2023 in which they defeated Collingwood to claim their premiership.

Their confidence to repeat those efforts only grew in their elimination final victory over an in-form Carlton outfit away from home.

There were no surprises to see the likes of Mia Caffry (19 disposals, six clearances) and Emear Scally (22 disposals, seven clearances) heavily influential in the triumph as they have been all season. In fact Caffry had 21 disposals and six intercept possessions in her side’s last clash with the Seagulls this year.

Courtney Jones was also incredibly impactful in the finals win and her performance that included 18 disposals, 11 tackles and a goal, will see her as one of the key players to halt from a Williamstown perspective.

Port Melbourne were outplayed by the Seagulls in their Round 4 encounter, conceding their second biggest score of the year to go down by 41 points, but they had won three of their previous four games before that battle.

2026 SEASON

WILLIAMSTOWN
1st (12-2, 255.0%)
STREAK: Won 4 (2026: WWWWLWWWWWWWLW)

PORT MELBOURNE
5th (9-5, 116.7%)
STREAK: Won 1 (2026: WLWLWWWWWLWLWWL)

2026 MEETING

Round 4 – ETU Stadium
PORT MELBOURNE    0.3   0.4      0.5       0.9 (9)
WILLIAMSTOWN       2.2   2.2      7.5       7.8 (50)

BEST
Port Melbourne: Georgia Foran, Keely Fullerton, Mia Caffry, Maggie McKellar, Lauren Caruso, Alexandra McBride-Loane
Williamstown: Naomi Ferres, Mia Zielinski, Zara Guss, Georgia Howes, Megan Williamson, Emily Eaves

GOALS
Port Melbourne: Nil
Williamstown: Mia Zielinski 2, Ellen Williams 2, Eliza Straford, Emily Eaves, Lilu Hung

LEADING DISPOSALS
Port Melbourne: Mia Caffry 21, Lauren Caruso 17, Eloise Ashley-Cooper 16, Courtney Jones 14, Georgia Foran 14
Williamstown: Naomi Ferres 27, Georgia Howes 18, Zara Guss 18, Bella Smith 6, Emily Eaves 16

SECOND PRELIMINARY FINAL: NORTH MELBOURNE WERRIBEE VS COLLINGWOOD

A 2025 Grand Final replay will decide which of North Melbourne Werribee or Collingwood will feature in this year’s edition as they do battle at Arden Street Oval on Saturday.

History is on the line for the Kangaroos as a victory on the weekend will bring them one step closer to being the first VFLW club to win three consecutive premierships.

But they are not there yet, and with two losses in their previous five games, they will hope that they can return to their flawless best this post-season.

The reigning premiers will certainly have the cattle to again achieve great heights, headlined by Alana Barba who is averaging a tick under 24 disposals, and is coming off a performance against the Hawks in Round 16 that included 31 disposals, six clearances and a goal.

She’ll have plenty of help in the middle, with Ava Seton continuing to accumulate at a high level, whilst Poppy Schaap has proven capable of performing well both at stoppages and inside 50. She had 15 disposals and booted two goals against Collingwood in Round 15.

Despite being limited to just nine games this season, Nyakoat Dojiok’s goalkicking ability hasn’t faded, having booted at least one goal in every match this season, and is still the club’s leading goalkicker in 2026.

The Magpies will be determined to finally get over the hump that is defeating the Kangaroos and after a thrilling come from behind win last week, they look set to handle the pressure of finals football.

Star players such as Tahlia Sanger (27 disposals, 15 tackles), Abbey Tregellis (23 disposals, seven clearances) and Jemma Ramsdale (15 disposals, nine intercept possessions) all stood up when required to get the Pies over the line, and the trio will be relied upon to again return their team to the final game of the season.

Amelia Peck was limited to just one goal in last week’s elimination final but is still a threat inside forward 50 this weekend. She also kicked three majors against North Melbourne Werribee in their Round 15 contest in August.

Another to keep an eye out for in the black and white is Erin McKinnon who has been a crucial component to the side in the ruck. She averages over 32 hit outs a game, in which only two other players average more, and is expected to have a big say in the contest when she matches up with Kangaroos ruck Lauren Jatczak.

The Roos have had the edge over the Pies in recent meetings, winning both battles this year. But each was game was decided by a goal or less, as was the 2025 decider the two teams featured in last year in which the eventual premiers in North Melbourne Werribee prevailed by only six points.

It means were likely to see another thriller take place between these two powerful outfits.

2026 SEASON

NORTH MELBOURNE WERRIBEE
2nd (12-2, 198.0%)
STREAK: Won 2 (2026: WWLWLWWWWWWWWW)

COLLINGWOOD
3rd (10-4, 185.1%)
STREAK: Won 1 (2026: WLLWLWWLWWWWWWW)

2026 MEETINGS

Round 15 – Arden Street Oval
NORTH MELBOURNE WERRIBEE   2.0        4.2        4.5        7.6 (48)
COLLINGWOOD                                     2.3        3.4        5.5        6.6 (42)

GOALS
North Melbourne Werribee: Emma King 3, Poppy Schaap, Renee Tierney, Tahlia Meier
Collingwood: Amelia Peck 3, Georgia Knight 2, Ellie Brady

LEADING DISPOSALS
North Melbourne Werribee: Alana Barba 24, Ava Seton 20, Tessa Boyd 20, Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner 16
Collingwood: Tahlia Sanger 24, Dom Carbone 23, Jemma Ramsdale 20, Abbey Tregellis 18, Tamara Henry 15

Round 9 – La Trobe University
COLLINGWOOD                                     0.1        2.1        2.1        5.4 (34)
NORTH MELBOURNE WERRIBEE   0.3        0.4        5.7        5.7 (37)

GOALS
Collingwood: Tahlia Fellows 3, Dom Carbone, Macy Watkins
North Melbourne Werribee: Alana Barba, Emily Hurley, Nyakoat Dojiok, Maddie Di Cosmo, Stella Reid

LEADING DISPOSALS
Collingwood: Tamara Henry 21, Dom Carbone 20, Stella Huxtable 20, Lily Jordan 19, Tahlia Sanger 19
North Melbourne Werribee: Alana Barba 26, Ava Seton 26, Maddie Di Cosmo, 18, Charlotte Blair 17, Bridget Deed 16