THE AFLW's 2026 leading goalkicker, Chloe Molloy, believes Sydney is a vastly different side from the one that lost to the Western Bulldogs earlier this season ahead of Sunday's elimination final rematch at Henson Park.

The Bulldogs handed the Swans their first loss of the season in round four, winning by 27 points at Mission Whitten Oval, but Molloy believes her side’s late-season momentum has transformed their football since that meeting.

Sydney kicked four consecutive goals to close the gap before the Bulldogs responded with six straight to win 9.6 (60) to 5.3 (33).

Speaking to media on Wednesday, Molloy said the Swans had found greater consistency since that defeat, despite still searching for a complete four-quarter performance.

"AFLW is a longer season now, and it's a journey of finding momentum and form. There's quite an art to the way you handle a season," she said.

"The mindset is very different now.  (Colin O'Riordan) actually touched on it this morning, comparing the team we are now versus the team we were back then. AFLW seasons are short, but it feels so long ago now since we played them. They know the recipe to beat us, so every week you have to handle a different situation.

"Round four was months ago now and we've really shifted into a flow state of playing more consistent Swans football. I would say we still start a little bit slow and haven't put together a full four-quarter effort yet. The key difference now is that we have real momentum."

With the winner to face the loser of the Melbourne and Geelong qualifying final, Molloy said Sydney was focused on shutting out external expectations and maintaining the approach that carried it into finals.

"What this team has been so good at this season is keeping external noise outside the four walls," she said.

"Especially considering how our whole year has unfolded, this group has really galvanised internally. Our energy is put back into our teammates, our program and the people within the club.

"Going outside the four walls is a waste of energy and cognitive load. Ignorance is bliss, and this team has been really good at looking at the person next to us rather than outside."

Sydney's improvement has coincided with some of Molloy's best football, with the star forward entering finals as the League's leading goalkicker after booting 28 goals during the home-and-away season.

She secured the award with four goals against Fremantle in round 12, the seventh time this season she had kicked at least three.

But Molloy said she had deliberately avoided focusing on the individual honour.

"It's funny how the more you hold onto something, the more you can suffocate it," she said.

"I just tried to play with more freedom, let things go, and enter a flow state where things start to align."

Her teammates' reaction to the achievement ultimately meant more to Molloy than the award itself.

"My favourite part of it was seeing how much my teammates got around me," she said.

"We watched the vision back from behind the goals, and being part of a team that celebrates individuals is special. The fact that they were so stoked for me meant more than anything."

Molloy also credited her development under first-year coach O'Riordan, and the selfless work of Sydney's other forwards for allowing her to have such an impact.

"My role isn’t just to kick goals," she said.

"Offensively I bring particular strengths, but there's no way I would have gotten as far as I did without players... playing selfless roles all the time. It's not lost on me that I get put in positions to do cool things only because they execute those selfless roles."

That support, she said, had also given her greater confidence to impose herself on games.

"There have been times in the past where I've gone a bit introverted or into my shell, but they encourage me not to do that," she said.

"We always talk about taking your moments or making a move that opens someone else up.

"You just need people in your corner to give you confidence. That support is what allows me to play with presence on the field."

Molloy was less forthcoming about her contract future, preferring to keep her focus on Sunday's elimination final, but reiterated how much she was enjoying her football at Sydney.

O'Riordan said a fortnight ago that discussions over an extension for the three-time All-Australian were progressing quietly behind the scenes. Molloy is approaching the final year of the five-year deal she signed when crossing from Collingwood ahead of the 2023 season.

"Contracts are always a fun narrative within footy storylines. Coming back to keeping your feet where they are, I am loving my football and enjoying it as much as I did when I was 18 years old. All those things sort themselves out eventually," Molloy said.

"We've got a major final this weekend, so not to dodge the question but we have something bigger to play for right now. Those details will happen in good time.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be than at Henson Park for an elimination final against the Western Bulldogs."