FOUR blockbusters dominate the round seven NAB AFLW fixture, with the top eight teams set to face off against each other.

Brisbane v Collingwood looks to be the pick of the bunch, while at the other end of the table, Geelong has a chance to break its duck against West Coast.

Friday, March 12

Gold Coast v Richmond at Metricon Stadium, 6.40pm AEST

• The Suns will be thrilled to be back on their own home deck for the first time since round one, having had games in Brisbane, Sydney, two in Perth and last week in Adelaide. Jamie Stanton (fractured ankle) is a huge loss, but Maddy Levi (knee) should add some flexibility in the ruck and up forward.
• The Tigers were completely blown out of the water in the first half against North Melbourne, but held them much better in the second. The return of Mon Conti (hamstring tightness) will be a huge boost for the team, and they've got steady bookends in Courtney Wakefield and Harriet Cordner.
• Tip: Richmond blew a golden chance to record its first ever win when these two teams met, back in round two last year. They won't let a victory slip again. Tigers by 23 points.

WATCH IT LIVE Suns v Tigers

Saturday, March 13

St Kilda v Greater Western Sydney at RSEA Park, 3.10pm AEDT

• All four of St Kilda's wins over the past two seasons have come at their training base of RSEA Park. The Saints know the ground (and the tricky wind) inside and out. St Kilda averages the second-most marks, but tellingly, the rest of the top eight occupy top eight slots on the ladder. Balancing with some run-and-carry should help.
• The Giants made a statement at selection last week, dropping senior faces Lou Stephenson and Bec Privitelli. Despite being blown off the park in the first half against Brisbane, the Giants did well to stem the flow, conceding just 1.2 after the main break. Bulldog Ellie Blackburn made an interesting point in commentary, saying she found their stoppage structures to be fairly predictable when she played against them the previous week.
• Tip: A real coin toss. The winner will still hang on to the faintest of finals hopes, and while the Saints have a home-ground advantage, the Giants might just have the edge here. GWS by eight points. 

WATCH IT LIVE Saints v Giants

North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at North Hobart Oval, 5.10pm AEDT

• North Melbourne is well and truly back on the winners' list after consecutive victories over Carlton and Richmond. Against the Tigers, the Roos dominated play for the first half, absolutely controlling the footy through a strong kick-mark game. They had 80 more disposals and 22 more inside 50s.
• The Bulldogs managed to stick with Collingwood for a half, holding them up around stoppages and not letting them settle into their controlled ball movement. But the young Dogs wilted in the heat, and couldn't maintain the intensity, and with Izzy Huntington and Bonnie Toogood well held, kicked just two goals
• Tip: This will be a tough ask for the Bulldogs, who have been impressive this season but don't quite have the firepower yet to match it with the top sides. Roos by 26 points.

WATCH IT LIVE Kangaroos v Bulldogs

Melbourne v Adelaide at Casey Fields, 7.10pm AEDT

• More than any other team, Melbourne demonstrate the cliché "good kicking is good football". The Dees were much more accurate in front of goal last week, and got the win over a disappointing St Kilda. It'll be interesting to see if Daisy Pearce once again features up forward, or considering Adelaide's firepower, is sent back to defence.
• Adelaide is very much a death by a thousand cuts team, wearing opponents down under an extraordinary weight of inside 50s. They'll be without Nikki Gore in defence, after the youngster fractured her ankle. Fellow defender Najwa Allen has slipped under the radar somewhat this year, now averaging a career-high 12.3 disposals in a rebounding role.
• Tip: The Demons have a horror run home and will find the going tough against a multi-pronged Adelaide attack. Crows by 19 points.

WATCH IT LIVE Demons v Crows

Sunday, March 14

Carlton v Fremantle at Ikon Park, 1.10pm AEDT

• Carlton looked much more like the Blues of old last week against Geelong, finally shaking off its first-quarter horror starts and winning comfortably. Mimi Hill (ACL) will be a loss to a young midfield, while Grace Egan is gradually working her way into her top form after a relatively slow start to the season.
• Fremantle bounced back in style after its first loss in 12 games, tearing apart a hapless West Coast. Once again, the sheer number of forward threats coupled with a fierce defensive game (the Dockers average the most tackles in the competition) looks to be a winning formula for Trent Cooper.
• Tip: These sides have a history of brutal encounters and will meet for the first time since the 2019 preliminary final, which Fremantle will be keen to avenge. Dockers by 15 points.

WATCH IT LIVE Blues v Dockers

Brisbane v Collingwood at Hickey Park, 2.10pm AEST

• Brisbane just keep on keeping on, jumping out to a commanding lead against GWS in the first half to record its fifth win for the season. As has been the case for the last few years, the Lions are very much a high kicking team, averaging second for kicks but ninth for handballs.
• Collingwood is yet to taste defeat in 2021, winning six straight and even notching up a practice match victory. Stacey Livingstone and Ruby Schleicher have garnered plenty of attention for their strong work in defence, but Lauren Butler has performed admirably as the second key tall.
• Tip: Both these teams have very, very strong defences, so it'll be a matter of who breaks first. This is every chance to be quite a low-scoring affair, but the Lions might just have the edge. Brisbane by four points. 

WATCH IT LIVE Lions v Magpies

Monday, March 15

West Coast v Geelong at Mineral Resources Park, 2.10pm AWST

• This game has been pushed back to Monday due to WA border restrictions and will be played in the afternoon to allow the Cats to return home that night.
• West Coast were blown off the park against Fremantle and will be much happier facing a team around its own level of development. The club's first draftee last year, Bella Lewis, is growing in confidence by the week, recording a career-high 17 disposals against an experienced Dockers midfield.
• It's been a nightmare year for Geelong, but at least the Cats recorded what was comfortably their highest score for the season last week (31 points). Concerningly for a side who is yet to win a game, the Cats average the fourth-fewest tackles in the competition.
• Tip: This should be a closely fought affair. The Eagles have the home ground advantage, but the Cats are building. Geelong by four points.

WATCH IT LIVE Eagles v Cats

Did you head to the footy over the weekend? Tell us your thoughts! Take the survey now

BRISBANE has clung on in a tense final term to inflict Collingwood's first defeat of the season, and in the process catapult into genuine premiership contention.

After finding out less than 24 hours before bounce-down they would be on a flight to Melbourne, the Lions mastered the windy conditions at Whitten Oval to hold on to win 4.11 (35) to 4.8 (32).

LIONS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

They join the Magpies and Fremantle with a 6-1 win-loss record but sit second on percentage behind the Dockers.

Brisbane attacked from the outset, using its suffocating pressure to lead by 13 points at quarter-time, 10 at the half and 16 at the final change. 

With Jordyn Allen (ankle) and Lauren Butler (hamstring) both off for the entire second half, Collingwood rallied with the wind at their back in the final term, but fell just short.

Maddie Shevlin had two chances in the final minute to snatch victory, but her soccered attempt from close range and difficult set shots both went wide.

Ally Anderson (26 disposals) led the way for Brisbane, but it was a total team effort, as its pressure all over the ground rattled the Magpies.

Cathy Svarc kept Bri Davey to just 14 disposals, while and Bree Koenen had the clamps on the dangerous Chloe Molloy, keeping her to just five.

Brit Bonnici was magnificent in defeat, racking up a game-high 28 disposals.

Did you see that?
Joanna Lin was having an 'almost' day until she produced a leg-break Shane Warne would have been proud of midway through the final term. The young Collingwood small forward was bobbing up here, there and everywhere and not quite getting the reward before she pounced on a loose ball just inside the 50m arc, flung it on her boot and watched it clear a pack of players before taking an extraordinary bounce to the left and scooting through the goals.

The moment
After keeping Collingwood star Bri Davey quiet for most of the day, it was fitting Cathy Svarc would produce the game's most telling moment. Unable to crack the Pies late in the third term, Svarc claimed a mark 55m from goal, immediately took off, steadied from 40m and banged home a goal. It gave Brisbane a sizeable lead ahead of an into-the-wind final quarter – a lead they clung to.

The hero
It's hard to pick one, but Bree Koenen's performance typified the Lions' defensive unit. After its first quarter domination of territory, Brisbane lost the inside 50 count 26-11 the rest of the way. Koenen was largely responsible for defending the competition's leading goalkicker Chloe Molloy, and kept her to a miserly five disposals. Shannon Campbell, Kate Lutkins and impressive Indy Tahau also held up well.

Say what?
"The last 24 hours were a bit hectic. The players and coaches were immediately into "let's do this. It's a bit of a setback, but let's go and prove everyone wrong". It was a great motivating force in the end. I don't think historically, I can't remember, certainly not in AFLW, a team travelling three weeks in a row and getting three wins." - Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich

"It's pretty hard to go through a whole season winning every single game and we played against a really good team today. We still can't quite put four quarters together ... in the past we've probably got away with it but today (Brisbane) made us pay. They showed today they've got some spirit, they won't lay down ... they'll never quit." - Collingwood coach Steve Symonds

What's next?
Brisbane is set for history next Saturday night when it plays its first match at the Gabba, hosting North Melbourne at 4.10pm (AEST). The match will precede the Brisbane-Sydney round one men's game. Collingwood will remain in Melbourne, returning to Victoria Park to play St Kilda earlier on the same afternoon (3.10pm AEDT).

BRISBANE                 2.8       3.8       4.10     4.11 (35)
COLLINGWOOD        1.1       2.4       2.4       4.8 (32)

GOALS
Brisbane: Hodder, Campbell, Wuetschner, Svarc
Collingwood: Sheridan 2, Alexander, Lin

BEST 
Brisbane: Anderson, Conway, Bates, Svarc, Lutkins
Collingwood: Bonnici, Norder, Schleicher, Lambert, Chiocci

INJURIES 
Brisbane: Bodey (head)
Collingwood: Allen (ankle), Butler (hamstring)

Reports: Nil 

Did you head to the footy over the weekend? Tell us your thoughts! Take the survey now