Sunday AFLW news and results from round 4

A selection shake-up might have been the wake-up call Geelong needed to kick their season into gear, a 31-point win over a previously undefeated Essendon getting the Cats off the mark after four rounds.

Coach Dan Lowther swung the axe on his captain and key defender Meghan McDonald in a statement that no-one was safe, and instead looked to blood first gamers Lexi Gregor and Sienna Tallariti in the backline.

And the Cats responded with their most complete performance against the Bombers, Georgie Prespakis continuing her blistering start to the year to drive their attack forward.

Living up to its name, both sides had to contend with blustery conditions at the iconic Windy Hill venue, though the Cats’ sheer number of forward 50 entries (+23) and the dominance and marking presence of key forward Jackie Parry and Aishling Moloney translated into a winning score.

STAR CAT’S RIPPING FORM

Georgie Prespakis will be eyeing her second All-Australian jacket this year, the 22-year-old the Cats’ clear standout in the opening month of games.

After a hamstring injury hampered her at times last year, Prespakis has played encumbered this season to supercharge the Cats’ forward assault - and on Sunday racked up remarkable numbers: 33 touches, seven clearances, seven inside 50s, 578 metres gained and two goals - including one after the final siren - in 100 per cent game time.

CATS’ STRONG START

Desperate to kick start their season with a win after a bitter 0-3 start, the Cats domination at Windy Hill was set from the opening bounce, controlling possession (+37), clearances (+6) and inside 50s (+10), though missed a couple chance meant they were up by just 11 at quarter time.

For all her good work around the ground, Mikalya Bowen (11 touches and four intercepts in the first quarter) was left rueing two posters from close range - one on the run and the other from a set shot.

DUAL FORWARDS FIRE

She kicked 0.3 last week, but Jackie Parry atoned for her sins against Essendon with three goals.

The marking target kicked the Cats’ first and got a must-needed second goal before half-time to keep the Bombers at by three goals.

In a one-two punch Parry and Moloney dominated the air with a combined 14 marks - including four contested from the latter.

DEBUTANTS PRODUCE IN DEFENCE

The Cats chose to bring in 180cm tall Lexi Gregor and rebounding defender Sienna Tallariti for their first games at the expense of experienced talls Meghan McDonald and Mel Bragg.

But both showed positive signs in their first games in hoops,

Gregor with the key match up on Sophie Alexander while Tallariit showed her strength on the ball.

After the late omission of Claudia Gunjaca (toe), it seemed the Cats might have lacked clear leadership in the backline.

But they were rock solid behind the ball in their set up, Georgie Rankin continuing her strong start to the year with a composed performance after being on the edge of their best 21 at times in 2024.

SCOREBOARD ESSENDON 1.0, 2.0, 3.3, 4.3 (27)GEELONG 2.5, 4.7, 6.8, 8.10 (58)GOALS:Bombers: Gee 2, Belloni, M. Prespakis.Cats: Parry 3, Moloney 2, G. Prespakis 2, MorrisonBEST:Bombers: Gee, Adams, M. Prespakis, Nanscawen, Wales.Cats: G. Prespakis, Moloney, Parry, Morrison, Bowen, Rankin.Injuries:Bombers: Walker (knee), Cain (ankle).Cats: Gunjaca (late out, toe, replaced by Fowler).Meg Saultry’s votes3- Prespaskis (GEEL)2- Moloney (GEEL)1- Parry (GEEL)

RECORD-BREAKING ROOS DESTROY PIES

North Melbourne’s quest to become the first AFLW side to win back-to-back premierships continued to gather momentum on Sunday after they comfortably brushed Collingwood aside by 45 points at Arden Street.

The 8.10 (58) to 2.1 (13) result saw the Kangaroos extend their record winning streak to 16 consecutive games, and they are now unbeaten in their last 18 matches. North’s average winning margin in 2025 is 62 points.

It’s been 645 days since North last tasted defeat and, thanks to their monstrous percentage (492.1), they sit on top of the logjam at the top of the ladder which features four undefeated sides.

As for the Magpies, their hopes of finals footy are already fading, given they’ll most likely have to win six of their last eight matches to qualify.

COLLINGWOOD’S UNWANTED FIRST

After a sluggish start in blustery conditions, the Kangaroos kicked into gear, killing off the contest with six of the first seven goals, while holding Collingwood to their first ever scoreless first half after 87 matches and 10 seasons in the competition.

The Magpies had to wait until the seven-minute mark of the third quarter for their first score and goal.

MAGPIES HAVE NO ANSWERS

The hosts had Collingwood covered in all key aspects of the game, owning the ball with 100 more disposals (334-234), towelling up the Magpies on the inside with a massive advantage in contested touches (134-95), and also on the outside with a huge buffer in uncontested possessions (198-137).

Their clearance dominance (30-20) also helped them almost double Collingwood for inside 50s (48-25), and the final margin could have been much bigger considering North had six times the scoring shots (18-3).

NO GARNER, NO WORRIES

North might have been with out Jasmine Garner for the first time due to an ankle injury, but it mattered little, because Ash Riddell continued her sensational start to the campaign, racking up 36 disposals (16 contested), eight clearances and seven tackles. She is now averaging 37 touches for the season.

Mia King also stood out for North with 26 touches (14), seven tackles, seven clearances and a goal, while Ruby Tripodi had a day out as well, registering 29 possessions (11) and a goal.

WALL, BOGUE COMBINE

North Melbourne produced one of the team goals of the year in the second term as Vikki Wall burst through the congestion in the middle of the ground, emerged with the ball with speed, took a bounce up the guts, engaged in a one-two with Blathin Bogue and, after evading a pair of Collingwood players along the way, gave it back to Bogue, who strolled into the goal square for the six-pointer.

PIES WILT UNDER NORTH HEAT

The Kangaroos’ forward pressure was a feature all game, and the tone was set in the first term when Collingwood’s Lauren Butler panicked in defence and handballed it to teammate Sarah Rowe in a terrible position. Under pressure from North duo Erika O’Shea and Amy Smith, Rowe coughed up the ball and allowed King to kick truly from 35m out. In the third term, Alice O’Loughlin’s sensational snap from 40m out on sharp angle was set up by a bone-crunching Wall tackle.

NEW ROO’S FIRST BLEMISH

Bogue has made a sensational start to her AFLW career, with her first eight scores all goals, but unfortunately for the 25-year-old, her accurate run came to an end late in the final quarter when her snap from a sharp angle in the pocket went the wrong side of the post.

SCOREBOARD

NORTH MELB. 1.2, 3.4, 6.8, 8.10 (58)

COLLINGWOOD 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 2.1 (13)

RONNY LERNER’S BEST

Kangaroos: Riddell, M.King, Tripodi, Sheerin, Kearney, Wall, O’Shea.

Magpies: White, Bonnici, Rowe, Schleicher, Runnalls.

GOALS

Kangaroos: Randall 2, M.King, Bogue, Eddey, O’Loughlin, Tripodi, Wall.

Magpies: Howarth, Centra.

LATE CHANGE Tessa Boyd (back) replaced in North Melbourne’s selected side by Ariana Hetherington.

UMPIRES Chamberlain, Lyon, Dundon

TBC at Arden Street

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

RONNY LERNER’S VOTES

3 Ash Riddell (NM)

2 Mia King (NM)

1 Ruby Tripodi (NM)

SWANS’ SENSATIONAL SIX-MINUTE BURST SINKS THE DOCKERS

The Sydney Surge is on full display in 2025 as the Swans continued their undefeated start to the AFLW season on the back of a sensational third-quarter burst against the Dockers.

Walyalup (Fremantle) were looking to start fast after conceding 100 points in each of their past matches, and three quick goals opened up a 12-point lead for the visitors in the first term.

However, the Swans got themselves back into the arm wrestle thanks to their ability to control territory, and while the scoreboard didn’t entirely reflect their work, they turned it on in the second half.

Four goals in a six-minute patch broke the game open, with Sydney’s speed off the back of the stoppage tearing the Dockers apart.

Sarah Grunden, Cynthia Hamilton and Holly Cooper all got on the end of some fast ball movement, before co-captain Chloe Molloy kicked her second of the game and opened up a 30-point lead. In the blink of an eye, the Swans had taken the game away from the Dockers and had all but locked in their fourth victory of the year.

“Freo definitely bring the contest, so it was good we could get the win,” Swans midfielder Laura Gardiner said.

“We wanted to come into the game and start fast, and we probably didn’t do that. So, it was working our way back into the game, and I thought we really did that in the middle.

“We have so many players that can go through the midfield, so if it’s not working, we can put different players in there, get the ball forward and look at different aspects of the game.

“Scotty (Gowans) spoke at half time that we were a bit reactive and we were watching the ball. Once we switched our mindset to attack the footy if there’s a loose ball, it really worked for us.”

Gardiner was yet again one of the Swans’ best as she finished the game with a game-high 35 disposals, 22 contested possessions, five clearances, five score involvements and nine tackles.

The 22-year-old got through a mountain of work, but Gowans was most pleased that the Swans were yet again able to fight their way through a tough period to get on top of the game.

“(Laura’s) very important and she’s as fit as she’s ever been,” Gowans said. “I know her efficiencies can be up and down a bit, but you’d rather get the ball forward and have to deal with it in your forward half.

“We played nine players through the midfield today, and that is important to get the mix right. Once the game was open and we got the game on our terms, that’s the advantage of getting the ball to the outside and go with speed.

“You always want to chain the ball as much as you can, but if you go with speed and you get the decision wrong or the execution of the skill wrong, at least you’re defending it in your forward 50.”

A cornerstone of the Swans’ success this year has been their ability to capitalise on momentum and put multiple goals on in quick succession. Despite trailing early against Geelong last weekend, a period of intense pressure trapped the ball in their forward half and helped turn a 20-point deficit into a 7-point lead in the second term.

While it’s not necessarily the long-term plan for the Swans, it’s a sign of their development that they’re finding ways to win when things are going against them. And for the first time in their history, Sydney is 4-0 to start an AFLW season and have the perfect platform to return to finals.

“I think we had a good challenge last week where we got jumped at the start and were able to work our way back into the game,” Gardiner said.

“We were a bit slow to react again today. I think we need to sharpen that up, but it’s good to know that we can actually come back from that.

“4-0 is a really positive start for us, but I think it’s just focusing on each week at a time. Next week, we have Collingwood. It’s not jumping too far ahead, we’ve only won four, there’s still another eight to come.”