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.
With the penultimate round of the AFLW home and away season locked away, we have some very interesting topics to sink our teeth into this week. Another sacked coach, a goal after almost 100 games without, and a shakeup to the upcoming draft. Let's get into it!
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New draft rules
The AFLW draft is about to get spicy, with clubs set to have more flexibility on draft night and fewer freebies when it comes to matching bids on the competition's best young talent.
From 2027, clubs will need to match bids using a selection within a specified range, while live draft-night trading will finally be introduced, giving recruiters the chance to wheel and deal as the picks unfold.
The AFL also announced this week that starting from the 2028 draft, the eligibility threshold for daughters of former AFL and AFLW players will rise from just one game to 100, in line with the AFL's father-son rule. It will make the future of AFLW look very different in years to come, and personally, I think it's a move the league will reap the benefits from.
Wood shown the door
Inaugural Essendon head coach Natalie Wood has told her players that this weekend will be her last game at the helm. Wood was told on Tuesday last week that the club wouldn't be renewing her contract for season 2027, but she held it close to her chest until after her side's defeat on Sunday. It has become clear Wood is unhappy about the decision, but told AFL.com she hopes the club uses it "as an opportunity to have a really good look at our structure".
"I thought itwas almost a little bit disrespectful... it's a lack of leadership from Essendon." Kate McCarthy and @joelbpeterson unpack the Bombers' 'disappointing' handling of coach Natalie Wood's departure on The Wrap, thanks to Head and Shoulders: https://t.co/Xo1u0L7PC1 https://t.co/CA6WLB9p0i
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) October 25, 2026
Kate McCarthy slammed the call, saying it was "disrespectful" of Essendon to make her discuss the loss of her job in the post-match press conference. "I think it was really tough on Natalie Wood... a lack of leadership from Essendon," she said.
Kayo Sport's Kelli Underwood also spoke on the issue, saying: "She's the first woman to coach into a fifth season, we know how difficult it is for the women who coach at the moment.
"We saw Lauren Arnell stand down at Fremantle because she just didn't have the support and I think Natalie Wood would agree with her to that point. She's done well with a clear lack of support from the club; I take my hat off to her a little bit... she's done it with one arm tied behind her back."
Concussion confusion
Odd scenes of confusion circled Gold Coast's Round 11 game when forward Dekota Baron was yo-yod on and off the field after a heavy collision. Baron went off during the side's clash against Richmond after a big hit in a contest against Montana McKinnon, and was assessed by club doctors and deemed fit to return to play.
The AFL intervened and requested that Baron undergo an official Head Injury Assessment (HIA), which she passed. She returned to the field and was then taken off again, with the ARC making a decision she should not play on.
"We assessed her and we cleared her to go back on, but the powers that be in the ARC have seen something different and they made the judgement call to take her off," head coach Rhyce Shaw said after the game.
"It's frustrating at different times, but we've got to do what's right for the wellbeing of the player and that's first and foremost what should be taken into account at the very beginning."
Quirky facts I liked this week
Brisbane's Natalie Grider finally got her name on the scoreboard after 95 games, and the celebration was electric. Grider booted her first career goal in her 96th AFLW appearance on Saturday against St Kilda, and the Lions fans roared.
Coming into the round, Grider was one of just three players in AFLW history to have played at least 75 games without kicking a goal. Sarah Allan remains goalless after 106 games, while Jasmine Ferguson now holds the second-longest streak, with 76 career games without a major.