With the latest Covid lockdown behind us in Victoria, VFLW football returns for the final two rounds of the season. The original round 14 match ups now make up the fixture for the upcoming round which features plenty of exciting games.

THE RUN HOME What your club needs to do to play finals

Hawthorn v Geelong at Box Hill City Oval

• Geelong's seven match winning streak came to an end in round 12, so the Cats will be looking to bounce back against the Hawks. Hawthorn notched its fourth win of the season against Williamstown before the break and will try to keep its slim finals chance alive with a win. The two sides are yet to meet this season, which makes for an exciting match up for two teams looking to finish the season strongly.
• One of the stories of round 12 was an injury to Cats young gun Olivia Barber, who looked to go down with a dreaded ACL tear. Thankfully for Barber she escaped with a PCL injury and will aim to join her teammates for the AFLW preseason. This, however, leaves the Cats without their main target up forward, so they may need to move the magnets to create a strong forward presence.

Collingwood v Western Bulldogs at Holden Centre

• It was an eventful round 12 for both Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs before the lockdown in Victoria. Collingwood shored up the minor premiership for the third year in a row, while the Bulldogs jumped back into the top six with a come from behind win against the Southern Saints. The Dogs need to win at least one game to hold onto their finals spot and saluting against the Pies would be a big statement. However, the last time these teams met the Bulldogs were dominated and didn’t register an inside 50 for the whole second half. Hopefully they can turn it around to keep their place in the top six.
• The Bulldogs have fielded one of the youngest sides in the competition and Isabelle Pritchard is one of the young pups improving with every game. She had her best output of the year in the must-win game against the Saints, finishing with 25 disposals and six tackles.

Williamstown v Essendon at Downer Oval

• This match shapes as another must-win game in round 13, with Essendon needing a victory to hold onto its spot in fifth. At one point in the season the Bombers sat third on the ladder, but things went awry and they only have a single win since beating Williamstown in round seven. The last time these sides met Essendon came out 30-point winners and it will be confident of keeping its season alive against the 11th placed Seagulls.
• Essendon has bolstered its line-up with the return of Gold Coast Suns 2021 Club Champion Lauren Ahrens. The defender played with the Bombers in 2019 before heading home to the Gold Coast. In her round 12 return Ahrens had 19 disposals, two marks and four tackles.

Casey Demons v Darebin at Casey Fields

• Round 13 is an opportunity for Casey to shore up its spot in the finals against the last-place Falcons. The Demons’ spot in fourth is not guaranteed and so a win against Darebin would give them some certainty heading into the final round with a few teams snapping at their heels. These sides have not met yet this season, but the Demons will be heading in as favourites over a Falcons side that has not won a game since round six.
• Casey Demon’s Imogen Milford currently sits in equal first for the goalkicking this season, with 17 majors in 12 games. Milford has been the Demons’ main target up forward and they will be counting on her to hit the scoreboard to help them finish the season strongly.

Carlton v Southern Saints at IKON Park

• This shapes up as one of the games of the round given how much the result could affect the makeup of the top six. Both teams sit a game outside finals contention with the winner keeping their finals hopes alive. Carlton and the Southern Saints have not played each other this season, but the Blues will be feeling confident, having taken the two big scalps of Casey and Geelong before the break.
• The inclusion of Grace Egan and Abbie McKay in the final rounds has added some extra grunt to the Carlton midfield. Both were instrumental against Geelong, collecting plenty of the football and creating opportunities for their teammates.

Port Melbourne v North Melbourne at ETU Stadium

• After dominating the early parts of the 2021 season many began to doubt Port Melbourne when its unbeaten streak came to an end. However, the Borough showed they are still one of the teams to beat with an emphatic win over Casey in round 12. Port can make a statement with a victory against a North Melbourne side going into this round knowing it has to win for a chance at finals.
• North’s Meagan Kiely, Sarah Skinner and Molly Eastman have been some of the most consistent performers this VFLW season, as shown by being the league’s top three possession winners.