Melbourne Stays Unbeaten at 6-0 Despite Gall's Injury
Melbourne have the ladder to themselves and a headache they didn’t want.
The Demons became the AFLW’s last unbeaten side after six rounds with a commanding 34-point win over Carlton at a windswept Casey Fields, 8.10 (58) to 3.6 (24). The performance screamed premiership intent. The sight of Georgia Gall limping from the ground did the opposite.
The star forward rolled her ankle in the third quarter, just as Melbourne were tearing the game away from the Blues. She took no further part, turning a statement victory into a nervous wait.
Demons flex after early arm wrestle
Coming off Hawthorn’s shock win over defending premiers North Melbourne the night before, Melbourne ran out knowing exactly what was on the line: beat Carlton and go clear on top at 6-0.
Carlton didn’t roll over. The Blues brought heat and discipline in the first half, hanging in and asking questions of the Demons’ ball movement. At 4-2 and with top-four ambitions of their own, they played like a side that understood the stakes.
Then the dam burst.
Melbourne piled on four unanswered goals in a blistering third term, ripping the contest open and silencing any thought of a Blues boilover. Olivia Purcell drove the surge, racking up 26 disposals and nailing two goals as she took control around the contest and then hurt Carlton on the scoreboard.
Tyla Hanks was everywhere. Her 32 disposals and a goal underlined the Demons’ midfield dominance, her work rate and clean hands keeping the ball locked in Melbourne’s half as the pressure mounted.
The night had a softer moment too. In the final quarter, Jorja Livingstone capped her debut with a goal, a bright note in a side already humming with confidence.
Carlton’s resistance faded as the Demons’ class and depth took over. Claudia Whitfort kept fighting, collecting 24 disposals and driving the Blues forward whenever she could, but the visitors were outgunned. Two straight losses now leave their top-four push wobbling.
Melbourne, though, walk away perfect on paper. Six wins from six. Percentage healthy. Game style humming. All eyes now turn to the medical room and the verdict on Gall.
Cats explode after Magpies scare
Across town, Geelong turned a nervous afternoon into a celebration.
The Cats claimed their fifth win on the trot with a 14.6 (90) to 7.7 (49) dismantling of Collingwood at Victoria Park, a result that strengthens their grip on a top-eight spot and keeps them firmly in the conversation as a contender.
It didn’t always look that way.
With Geelong chasing a win to shore up their finals position and Collingwood still searching for their first victory of the season, the script seemed obvious. The Magpies ripped it up straight after half-time, levelling the scores and jolting the Cats into action.
Geelong’s response was ruthless.
They flicked the switch in an electrifying third quarter, slamming on six goals to storm to a 31-point lead at the final change. The ball lived in their front half, the midfield took complete control, and Collingwood simply couldn’t stem the flow.
The standout moment belonged to Aishling Moloney. From around halfway, she launched a long kick that bounced, skidded, and somehow kept rolling, taking a series of favourable hops before tumbling through for a goal-of-the-year contender. It summed up the quarter: ambition, aggression, and everything falling Geelong’s way.
Moloney finished with three goals, while Chloe Scheer was just as damaging, bagging four majors as the Cats’ forward line feasted on the midfield’s work.
Nina Morrison (30 disposals) and Mikayla Bowen (29) racked up touches at will, while Georgie Prespakis bossed the stoppages with 12 clearances. Under that weight of supply, the Magpies cracked.
Geelong tightened the screws in the last term, keeping Collingwood goalless and closing out a professional, no-nonsense win that underlined their momentum heading into the back half of the season.
For Collingwood, the 0-6 start tells its own story, but there was at least one moment to savour. Half-forward Olivia Lewis, a late call-up on Saturday morning after Bri Davey fell ill, kicked a goal on AFLW debut. Just months after shifting from Super Netball’s Melbourne Mavericks to the Magpies, she had her first taste of the big stage and made it count.
Melbourne unbeaten. Geelong surging. Carlton wobbling. Collingwood searching. Six rounds down, and the shape of the AFLW season is starting to harden — but with form lines bending and injuries biting, who’s really ready to own September?
