NORTH Melbourne's commanding performance against Melbourne on Friday night reaffirmed its standing as the top team in the AFLW competition, but it wasn't the only game that shook up AFL.com.au's power rankings

The power rankings formula is simple: Who do we think is the most in-form team, taking into account how the relative strength of the teams they've played against? 

Due to there only being 12 rounds but 18 clubs in the AFLW competition, not every team plays each other over the course of the home and away season. While teams are sorted into bands of relative strength to ensure fairness in fixturing, this is obviously based upon last season's performances and doesn't take into account improving or worsening teams.

The ladder, for all the good that it does, doesn’t quite grasp of the nuance of an AFLW season, with weighted draws, close games and teams that have gone above or below expectations to account for.

So, AFL.com.au's AFLW experts have knocked their heads together to come up with a ranking of all 18 AFLW sides, in order from strongest to weakest. 

1. North Melbourne (up from 2nd)

If there were any doubts about North Melbourne's position at the top of the AFLW pecking order after its shock loss to Hawthorn, they were quickly assuaged with a powerful come-from-behind defeat of high-flying Melbourne. The Roos still have plenty of room for improvement this year, which is a concern for other teams, and are not quite as imperious as they once were. But their best still appears streets ahead of the rest.

2. Melbourne (down from 1st)

A loss to North Melbourne was the first blemish to the Demons' immaculate start to the season under new coach Tom Wilson. Liv Purcell has had a stellar start since returning from an ACL injury, new recruit Mia Austin has fired in front of goal and the likes of Kate Hore, Tyla Hanks, Maeve Chaplin and Tahlia Gillard have continued in their usual fashion to be some of the comp's best. Oh, and how could we forget draftee Jordy Allen, who at just 18 years of age looks as though she has been playing at the highest level for her whole life. You feel the loss to North will motivate the Dees to go one better when it comes to finals time.

3. Geelong (up from 4th)

Is Geelong's potential finally being realised? After a few years of disappointment and underperforming, the Cats have roared back into the premiership mix under new coach Mick Stinear. Midfield trio Georgie Prespakis, Nina Morrison and Mikayla Bowen are all in career-best touch, with Amy McDonald (hamstring) working her way back to full minutes, while Chloe Scheer has emerged as the lynchpin of the forward line, boosting Aishling Moloney and Jackie Parry.

4. Carlton (down from 3rd)

It's been a wobbly few weeks for Carlton, dropping games to North Melbourne and Melbourne. The Blues were far from disgraced, and performed far better against the top two than they have in previous years, but remain one step off the very best in the league. Carlton's midfield depth and Irish speed on the outside remains its biggest strength, aided by a rock-steady backline which is growing in confidence and cohesion.

5. Gold Coast (up from 6th)

It didn't take long for the Suns' youngsters to come of age, with a new draftee seemingly announcing themselves to the competition each week. Dekota Baron was the most recent to have her moment, earning herself a Telstra AFLW Rising Star nomination off the back of a three-goal haul against St Kilda in round seven. The youngsters, including 23-year-old former No.1 draft pick Charlie Rowbottom who is putting together career-best numbers, have been key to the Suns' run of four consecutive wins as they steer their way towards finals.

6. Sydney (up from 8th)

A strong 6-1 start firmly entrenched the Swans in top-four calculations, driven by individual brilliance and renewed midfield speed. However, scoring efficiency remains volatile, creating a significant gap between Sydney's best and worst performances. If the forward line can smooth out its attacking lulls against elite opposition through the closing rounds, the Swans will become a dangerous October threat, particularly with crucial tests against fellow premiership contenders such as North Melbourne still to come.

7. Hawthorn (down from 5th)

The Hawks are one of a number of middling teams whose form is oscillating week-on-week, with no rhyme or reason to the ebbs and flows. The confidence from the win over North Melbourne will no doubt feed players for the remainder of the season, but they were "embarrassed" around the footy by Geelong the following week. The loss of Emily Bates (ACL) has not yet been overcome, and may not be for the year.

8. Western Bulldogs (down from 7th)

Building a sustainable winning culture takes time, but Tam Hyett’s squad is rapidly proving its rise is built on more than potential. Following a breakthrough interstate win over Fremantle, the Bulldogs backed it up on Grand Final Eve with a thrilling victory over Port Adelaide, securing a fifth win of the season and strengthening their finals prospects. The most encouraging sign for the Footscray faithful is how widely the load is shared, with the emerging generation driving results rather than leaving it to the veteran core.

9. Fremantle (up from 11th)

An impressive showing on Sunday sees the Dockers gain ground in the power rankings, having been a hard side to read throughout the first half of the season. Now, they have found balance in the style of footy they want to play, and embedded the new addition of Eden Zanker into the forward line, which is making everything click. Finding consistency in that forward pressure, and maintaining a heavy attacking style will be important in what is a tough run home. But importantly, Fremantle has proven it can execute a winning game plan.

10. Adelaide (no change)

The Crows’ inconsistent nature in 2026 was widely predicted given the host of changes made on and off the field heading into the season. There have been moments of pure class from the redeveloped side, but the weekend wasn’t one of them. Against an in-form Dockers outfit, they fumbled, and fumbled badly. It’s not the end of the world, and there will be great lessons especially for those in the back half of the ground given the pressure to which they succumbed. They are firmly middle of the pack this year.

11. Richmond (down from 9th)

After a solid start to the season, there's been a couple of warning signs of late for the Tigers. Could fall off a cliff with their daunting run home, but a casual observer will have at least noted the much more solid gameplan in use in 2026. They remain a step ahead of the weakest teams, but if the Tigers are to match it with those around and above them, they'll need Mon Conti (Achilles) back in action soon.

12. West Coast (no change)

After a slow start, the Eagles have found some form, notching up a hat-trick of victories in their last three matches, including the club's first-ever win over Brisbane. Despite their current run of form, the Eagles have a challenging draw to finish the season, coming up against four teams above them on the ladder in the last five rounds. Ella Roberts is currently at her best and Amy Franklin has been key up forward, but they need some assistance if they want to make finals.

13. Brisbane (up from 14th)

It's been an un-Brisbane-like season, with the Lions having only registered two wins from their first seven matches. The Lions' Grand Final finish in 2025 has meant the club has a challenging draw, but the loss of Taylor Smith (Sydney), Poppy Boltz (Greater Western Sydney) and Ellie Hampson (Port Adelaide) has undoubtedly left some holes in its line-up. Former league best and fairest Ally Anderson (hamstring) also missed the first four matches through injury. One thing we do know is that you can never write the Lions off, but for the time being they're well and truly below their usual standards.

14. Port Adelaide (up from 15th)

Where it is clear that new coach Glenn Strachan wants to get the ball moving faster and with more finesse, there isn’t quite the cattle available to execute reliably just yet. So, still bogged down in a hyper-contested style, things have been more about bringing the opposition back to its level and disallowing clean outside ball, rather than being able to back in its own attack. Scoring has dried up, and their team defence is struggling. More positively, the form of defender Teagan Germach and rising forward Lauren Young are keys around whom long term plans can be made, but they can only do so much right now.

15. Collingwood (up from 16th)

Having broken through for a maiden win over the weekend, the Pies are starting to get a little reward for effort. Although still allowing opposition sides to score far too easily, something they have established is clear improvement in scoring themselves. They’ve put up their two highest scores of the season in the last fortnight, and showed some serious grit to run over the top of the Giants in the last quarter on Sunday. The integration of players who have suffered frustrating injuries is also starting to work out, particularly with the likes of Mattea Breed, Ash Centra, and Brianna Davey.

16. Greater Western Sydney (down from 13th)

While the Giants have remained competitive in patches, structural lapses and an inability to sustain their performance across four quarters have left them rooted near the bottom of the ladder. Battle-hardened midfielders Bec Beeson and Alyce Parker have remained steady workhorses, but the team's forward efficiency has dropped off significantly since its early-season scoring burst. With Essendon awaiting this weekend at Henson Park, it looms as a crucial line-in-the-sand game if Cam Bernasconi's side is to revive its season and avoid a bottom-four finish.

17. Essendon (no change)

The Bombers sit just one place from the bottom of the power rankings and rightly so given they are winless this season. One positive is that they have had some competitive matches, with narrow losses to Fremantle, West Coast and Richmond. Maddy Prespakis has been outstanding, but a growing injury list, which includes a season-ending injury to boom recruit Zoe Prowse (foot), means a lift isn't going to get easier for the crew from Windy Hill.

18. St Kilda (no change)

Pressure is rising on Nick Dal Santo and his troops at Moorabbin as they remain on the bottom of the ladder and the bottom of our power rankings. Not only do the Saints remain winless, but they have one of the largest injury lists in the competition, including long-term injuries to Alice Burke (ACL), J'Noemi Anderson (hamstring) and Liv Vesely (ankle), while former skipper Hannah Priest announced her pregnancy on the eve of her 75th game and therefore will sit out the rest of the season. Draftee Jade McLay has come in and impressed earning herself a Rising Star nomination and Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw kicked a career-high five goals against the Suns showing glimpses of what they're capable of.