IN THIS week's Things We Learned, we discover the Cats have the best forward line in the competition, a Dockers veteran just keeps getting better and much, much more.

Check out what we learned from round nine of the 2026 season.

1) This Hawk is a lock for an All Australian blazer

Lucy Wales is the best ruck in the competition right now and should be a lock for the All Australian side. The Hawthorn star would have been right in the mix for her maiden blazer last year until a bout of appendicitis derailed her campaign late in the season. The star Hawk was equal sixth in the coaches' votes after eight rounds and could climb even further after another outstanding performance in the win against the Lions on Sunday. Wales' ability to impact the game both at centre bounce and behind the footy makes her one of Hawthorn's most important players. Surely, this is her year. - Dylan Bolch

2) The Cats have the best forward line in the AFLW

Geelong's heavy scoring this season has been a key driver of their surge up the ladder, and the evolution of their four key targets - Chloe Scheer, Aishling Moloney, Jackie Parry and Chantal Mason - is becoming an increasing concern for opposition sides. The chemistry building between them is providing confidence to the youngest of the quartet, Mason, and their average score of 72.6 points per game is a result of their capacity to bring one another into the game. Moloney is the league's leading goal assist player while kicking 15 goals of her own, Parry leads the AFLW with 20 goals for the season, while Scheer sits second with 19. With a combination of height and athleticism, crafting a backline to contain them is seeming like a near on impossible task. - Gemma Bastiani

3) Gold Coast's half-backs might be the best in the competition

With Charlie Rowbottom among the league's best players and Gold Coast's draftees making a huge impact in their first season, the half-back combination of Niamh McLaughlin and Daisy D'Arcy might be slightly flying under the radar. But they shouldn't be. Against Melbourne on Saturday night, the dynamic duo was front and centre in igniting the Suns' damaging ball movement from anywhere on the ground, continuing brilliant seasons for both. They combined for 23 intercepts, with McLaughlin using her footwork and creativity and D'Arcy her bravery and exquisite kicking to launch attack after attack for Rhyce Shaw's team. It is hard to find a more impactful one-two punch from defence in 2026. – Michael Whiting

4) The Bulldogs are trucking along so nicely, their skipper can't get a game

De Berry broke her collarbone in round two, and sat out the next month of footy while it was healing. For the past three weeks, she hasn't been on the injury list, and was neither in the 21 or in the emergencies. The initial messaging from the club was that given her lengthy soft-tissue injury history, she was being eased back into the side. But coach Tam Hyett confirmed on Friday night that Berry is simply not being picked. The Dogs only have one player on their injury list (defender Brit Gutknecht), and Hyett and her match committee are happy with the current mix of forwards, so co-captain Berry is being forced to cool her heels and play in the scrimmages with fellow unselected players - Sarah Black

5) Mindset matters for the Saints

From the first ball-up in Saturday afternoon's clash against Collingwood, it was clear the Saints were playing for more than just four points. St Kilda, bottom of the ladder with eight losses to its name and whose coach had just resigned 24 hours earlier, came out and played with an intensity not seen so far this season. When Collingwood came back in the final term, the Saints lifted to another level, holding on to win by two points. Their first victory of the year was the perfect send off for coach Nick Dal Santo and showed that they can win when they're at their best. Hopefully the win gives the side confidence and is the start of more to come. – Phoebe McWilliams

6) Kiara Bowers (somehow) just keeps getting better

Her side may have gone down to North Melbourne on Sunday, but Docker Kiara Bowers is putting together a career-best season at 34, just two years after missing the 2024 season due to pregnancy. Bowers has always been known for her tackle pressure, but this year she is also getting her hands on the ball more than ever, averaging 24 possessions and balancing her uncontested game, with her 31 on Sunday evenly split between contested and uncontested. Post-game, coach Lisa Webb praised the way her star "just gets to work on all the small things" each week, motivating the side. Bowers' versatility will be a valuable midfield asset as Fremantle battles for a finals spot. - Danielle Croci

7) The Crows mids lifted when they needed to

You wouldn't have known the Crows were the third worst team in the league for centre clearances coming into their round nine clash, given they went 5-0 against Richmond in the opening quarter on Saturday night. Chloe Bown (two), Ebony Marinoff, Sarah Goodwin and Jess Allan all got involved early and almost surpassed their side's average of 5.6 centre clearances for the entire game before the first break. "Richmond were the number one scoring team out of centre bounces [coming into the game], so it was a real area of the game that we had to address," Adelaide coach Ryan Davis said later. "I thought our midfield group led by Noffy in there was fantastic, and got the ball going our way. We were able to play the game in the front half for the majority [as a result]." - Lincoln Tracy

8) The Dowrick-inspired Power are building momentum

The outlook was bleak for Port Adelaide at 2-5 on a four-game losing run, but back-to-back wins have Glenn Strachan's side back in finals contention. On the heels of a backs-against-the-wall Showdown win, the Power outmuscled West Coast at Alberton Oval on Saturday with Abbey Dowrick doing the damage once again. The competition's leading clearance winner gathered another nine to go with her 25 possessions and a goal, and also laid eight tackles as Port won a lopsided tackle count 74-36. - Jason Phelan

9) Sydney's reshuffled attack stalls in Carlton defeat

In Sydney's first outing since losing key tall Ally Morphett to a season-ending ACL injury, the Swans' forward line struggled for inside-50 efficiency and lacked aerial presence against Carlton on Sunday. With Morphett sidelined, Sydney reshuffled, deploying key forward Taylor Smith as the primary ruck and supporting her with first-year forward Maddie Quinn. While the Swans won the inside-50 count 45-39, the Blues were far more clinical, converting 22 per cent of its entries into scores compared to the Swans' nine per cent. Speaking post-match, coach Colin O'Riordan said Sydney was off the pace early, over-relied on Chloe Molloy in attack and failed to provide enough support for their young target, highlighting the structural challenges created by Morphett's absence. - Emily Patterson