Each week of the 2026 AFLW season, ESPN's Sarah Burt takes a look at what's making news, raising questions, and catching the eye across the competition.
This week's W Files features the end of North Melbourne's historic winning streak, a worrying injury crisis at St Kilda, Melbourne's rise as the last undefeated team, and some bizarre Giants numbers.
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North Melbourne's 32-game reign is over
For the past few weeks, I have been solidly affirming that North Melbourne appear to be the impenetrable brick wall of the AFLW. Current reigning premiers and unbeaten in 32 games, this mantle fell last Friday night in Cairns. The Hawks went in without their skipper Emily Bates due to a season-ending knee injury, and midfield starter Laura Stone, and showed the rest of the league that the Roos can, in fact, be beaten.
The depth of the Hawthorn list was on show, and the pressure they applied on the Kangaroos was immense, laying 18 tackles inside 50, and winning that inside 50 battle 33 to 30. Now that the dream run is over, it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge just how impressive the North Melbourne AFLW program is. The longest winning streak in the history of all AFLW, AFL, VFL, and VFLW, and a true testament to the investment of full-time staff, experienced football minds, and a commitment to growing the women's game.
The Saints are in struggle town
I was at a very windy and hot RSEA Park on Sunday afternoon to see St Kilda take on West Coast, and I actually felt hopeful for the Saints for much of the game. We all know they're just not getting on the board this season but there were definitely glimmers of hope, particularly in such trying conditions.
As someone who works the boundary shift on the weekends, there are few teams who have had as much action on their bench as the Saints, and that's before you even consider Nick Dal Santo's tangible frustration levels rising with each loss.
Against the Eagles, Paige Trudgeon came off with an ankle concern, after a controversial umpiring decision saw her given a free kick which was then called play on. Carys D'Addario was ruled out of the game with a hip injury, and one of this season's debutants, Irishwoman Saoirse Lally, took a heavy fall and was assessed for concussion. With former captain Hannah Priest announcing her pregnancy last week and therefore out for the season, the only shining light is that Nicola Xenos has returned to the primary list after an ACL injury.
In a time where they just need to win a game, their list is growing increasingly more tattered, and it's hard to see where they can go from here.
Melbourne now stands alone
The finals race feels like it's been blown open with the Kangaroos loss, and it also means the Demons now remain the only team who haven't dropped one game this season. All eyes will be on them this coming week when they face North Melbourne, which will either solidify Melbourne's dominance or see the Kangaroos come for retribution.
Olivia Purcell booted two goals and had 26 disposals against the Blues in Round 6, and is also averaging 19.2 handballs per game, which puts her on track to break the record for a single season. Defeating a strong Carlton side by 34 points, who they hadn't played since 2022, their stars keep going from strength to strength with Tyla Hanks notching 33 disposals and captain Kate Hore doing what she does best.
In a bizarre scene, the first quarter was paused for an umpire to remove a rogue set of car keys from the ground, but that didn't stop the Demons from putting pedal to the metal and getting the job done.
My favourite stat of the week
This is both baffling and unfortunate for the Giants.
GWS launched an extraordinary comeback against Richmond on Sunday in Canberra, booting six goals in the third quarter to completely turn the game on its head. After trailing by 37 points at half time, the Giants found their spark after the main break, but even their stunning third-term blitz wasn't enough to keep the Tigers in their cage. They are the first AFLW team to lose a game after recording a six-goal quarter.