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 a look at an upcoming finals fixture headache for the league, Nick Dal Santo's farewell, the tight race for the premiership, and the stat that stands out about one team in the top-eight hunt.
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Dal Santo waves goodbye
Nick Dal Santo has coached his last game with St Kilda after six years at the helm, stepping down last week. The Saints' dramatic first win of the season in his final game was a bittersweet send off and caused Dal Santo to joke in the broadcast coverage post-match that he "should have quit earlier".
It's reignited questions about the level of investment in the club's AFLW program, with Dal Santo highlighting the challenges of operating with limited resources, the demands of coaching part-time in a competition where almost all other rival clubs have a full-time head coach, greater resources, and staffing support.
On Fox Footy's W Debrief on Sunday night, former Port Adelaide coach Lauren Arnell said "you can't expect results from that level of investment".
"We know their list has huge gaps in it and so for him, he's working part time as a senior coach -- nearly every other coach in the competition, if not all ... I think Craig Starcevich is part time but works full time -- how can you expect the same from that investment when other clubs are more greatly invested in what they do, and that's a huge challenge," Arnell said.
Finals venues in flux
The benefit or earning a home-ground advantage in week one and two of the upcoming finals series could be void for some clubs, leaving question marks around the AFL's booking approach.
Several clubs including Geelong and Gold Coast could potentially be unable to play at their usual home grounds, should they earn that traditional right. If the ladder standings remain as is, Geelong could be forced to host Melbourne at either Ikon Park or Whitten Oval, with GMHBA Stadium reportedly unavailable due to a prior booking, despite the Cats' strong record at their home ground.
The Suns could also be caught out if they earn the right to host a final, for the first time mind you, with People First Stadium already booked for cricket, potentially forcing them to play at Brisbane's Brighton Homes Arena in Ipswich, a decent drive from the Gold Coast for fans and players alike.
This will play out over the next three rounds as we firm up finals places, but it could have an impact on the run to the premiership.
The locked-in ladder
The AFLW finals race is heating up, with five teams from ninth down separated only by percentage in the battle to break into the top eight with three rounds remaining.
Hawthorn currently occupies eighth spot on 20 points, while Fremantle, Adelaide, West Coast, Port Adelaide, and Richmond are all level on 16 points, sitting between ninth and 13th respectively. With just four points separating the Hawks from the chasing pack, the final rounds could completely reshape the bottom half of the eight.
Richmond faces a difficult run home, with Melbourne, Gold Coast, and North Melbourne still to come. Adelaide also has a challenging finish, facing Gold Coast, North Melbourne, and Melbourne across its remaining fixtures. Both sides will need to find some significant wins to keep their finals hopes alive.
There is some opportunity for the chasing teams, however. Port Adelaide has a more favourable run on paper, with upcoming matches against Brisbane, Collingwood, and St Kilda, while Hawthorn will be looking to consolidate its position with games against Greater Western Sydney, Essendon, and West Coast. Fremantle also has a chance to climb the ladder, but will need to turn its remaining opportunities into wins.
My favourite stat of the week
Port Adelaide finished with 21 more disposals and 37 more tackles than the Eagles. It is the first time this season, and just the 12th time overall where a team has won the disposal count by at least 20, while out-tackling their opposition by at least 30 tackles. It was Port Adelaide's best tackling differential they have ever recorded in a game.