JUST like that, finals are upon us. For the first time in AFLW history a top eight from a single ladder has progressed to the post-season and will follow a traditional finals structure.
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We'll see last season's grand finalists go head-to-head once again, Brisbane get another crack at the only side to have beaten them this season, 2019 expansion sides Geelong and North Melbourne face off, and inaugural finals teams Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs play off in a do-or-die final.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Melbourne v Adelaide at Ikon Park, 7.10pm AEDT
Head-to-head history
Melbourne and Adelaide have faced off eight times in AFLW history, starting back in 2017 as inaugural sides. The ledger is even, with both sides snagging four wins against the other, although in finals Adelaide has the advantage winning both of their post-season matches.
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Last time they met
The Demons had the shortest off-season in competition history to prepare for a round one Grand Final rematch, but it was enough as they travelled to Glenelg Oval in South Australia and claimed a three-goal victory over the reigning premiers.
They caught Adelaide out with a well-executed handball game around the contest, moving away from congestion expertly before using powerful runners and pinpoint kicking to deliver the ball inside 50 to a strong forward line.
Importantly, Daisy Pearce played a defensive forward role on three-time All-Australian Sarah Allan to limit the latter's intercepting game and, therefore, Adelaide's ability to propel the ball out of defence.
Eliza West led the field for disposals with 25, while Ashleigh Woodland kicked three of Adelaide's four goals for the evening.
Key matchup
Each midfield's one-two punch going up against one another will be vital to this game's result. For Melbourne it's Olivia Purcell and Eliza West, while for Adelaide it's Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard.
Marinoff's pressure game will become even more important in this one, as the Crows will be looking to shut down West's neat handballs to outside runners. If Marinoff can quell West's impact in close, that will go a long way to breaking down the Demons at the source.
Meanwhile Hatchard and Purcell provide similar things to their respective sides; strength at the contest but an added ability to move to the outside and gain ground with their disposal.
The state of play
A key question for Melbourne coach Mick Stinear will be whether specific tactics used in round one match will work again, or if they would fall flat if used a second time. Will Sarah Allan be prepared for Pearce this time around? Has Chelsea Biddell's growth made her Adelaide's more dangerous interceptor?
For Adelaide, bringing intense pressure around the ball to force less efficient handballs from the Demons will be vital to shutting down the latter's dominant style of play. A concern for Melbourne may just be that its run into finals has been against lower ranked teams, and against a Crows side that will bring the heat right from the opening siren, may get caught on the back foot.
Up forward Adelaide is still heavily reliant on Woodland to hit the scoreboard, but Danielle Ponter's recent form has helped to spread that load. Meanwhile Melbourne has had three separate players kick 10 or more goals (Kate Hore, Eden Zanker and Tayla Harris) making its forward line particularly dangerous.
Tip: It will be the tightest result between the two since their very first matchup. Melbourne by two points.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Brisbane v Richmond at Metricon Stadium, 3.10pm AEST
Head-to-head history
These two teams have played each other twice with each taking a win in the process. Given this is Richmond's first ever final, this will be the first time they will meet in a final, and the first time the Lions will host the matchup.
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Last time they met
Richmond became the first team to beat Brisbane in a tense, down-to-the-wire result on the morning of the men's Grand Final. While it felt like it came down to one dramatic smother from Gabby Seymour, that moment in fact typified the Tigers' season as a whole.
In creating a difficult, chaotic game, Richmond took away any chance for Brisbane to discover the control it had been so used to in the weeks prior. The Tigers forced poorer ball use from fewer disposals, and as a result held Brisbane to just 14 points - particularly impressive given the Lions' average of 59 points in their other nine games.
Richmond defender Maddie Shevlin was immense with her 24 disposals and 658m gained, while Belle Dawes won 24 disposals of her own through the middle for Brisbane. Courtney Wakefield kicked the Tigers' two goals for the game to put them in a winning position.
Key matchup
Last time they played, Richmond's defence held up without important key defender Bec Miller, while Brisbane was without competition leading goalkicker Jesse Wardlaw. Coming into this finals match both will be out on the park, and likely lining up against one another.
Both are tall, athletic players who are adept both in the air and at ground level and have the potential to have a big say in the result. Whoever can win this matchup will dictate the eventual winner of the game.
The state of play
Mentally Brisbane will be better prepared heading into this game than it was last time around, knowing that it has all the tools to beat any side in the competition. Richmond, meanwhile, is flying into its first finals series with plenty of momentum.
The biggest challenge for the Lions will be breaking through Richmond's relentless defensive unit, which is conceding a goal from just 10.7 per cent of opposition inside 50 entries, but with Brisbane's impressive spread of goalkickers - including midfielders and wingers pushing forward to hit the scoreboard - this will be the toughest task for that Tigers backline yet. Although they have regained Miller, they are now without Shevlin who was arguably their most important player in their round four battle.
Ellie McKenzie is another Tiger in a rich vein of form, using her athleticism outside the contest to connect the midfield and forward line, so it would be a thrill to see powerful Brisbane stopper Cathy Svarc go to McKenzie throughout the game. Svarc is one of the few players in the competition who can match McKenzie for size, speed, and power.
Tip: The Lions will be hell-bent on atoning for their only blemish this season. Brisbane by 10 points.
Geelong v North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium, 7.10pm AEDT
Head-to-head history
Despite joining the competition at the same time as the first ever expansion sides, North Melbourne has had the advantage over Geelong since the pair first met. In four matches the Cats have been unable to beat the Roos, losing by an average of 32 points in those games.
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Last time they met
When these two teams played off in round four, it proved to be a turning point for both sides. For Geelong it preceded a switch to the attacking, high scoring side that we know now, while for the Kangaroos it was the win that kickstarted their season after a tough start.
Geelong won the clearance count by 10 and registered 78 intercepts but struggled to find the scoreboard which was ultimately its downfall. While at the other end of the ground North Melbourne's Irish recruit Vikki Wall broke through for two goals - the final margin - and star quartet Ash Riddell, Jenna Bruton, Jasmine Garner and Emma Kearney each won 20 or more disposals.
It was a breakout game for young star Georgie Prespakis who won a game-high 32 disposals, used it at 81.3 per cent efficiency, gained 464m, laid nine tackles and registered 10 intercepts in one of the most complete performances ever seen in the AFLW.
Key matchup
This season Tahlia Randall has taken the third-most marks inside 50 in competition history with 20, becoming the true key target for North Melbourne in attack. Leading her side for goals kicked with 10, Randall has the potential to break the game open for the visitors, so it is likely Geelong coach Dan Lowther will send competitive one-on-one defender Claudia Gunjaca to prevent that.
Gunjaca, who started her AFLW career last season as a forward, but has since become an impressive, stingy key defender and is third at the Cats for intercepts with 43. Often tasked with the most dangerous opposing tall forward this season, Gunjaca plays with a relentless, never say die attitude that bodes well for a crack at Randall.
The state of play
Since these sides last played, Geelong has gone on a high scoring tear averaging 52.5 points per game since round five. That confidence and attacking mindset is something North Melbourne must be very conscious of, particularly coming out of stoppages.
Geelong's quartet of Chloe Scheer, Shelley Scott, Jackie Parry, and Kate Darby ahead of the ball, all very adept at contested marking, can really expose defenders if caught in one-on-ones, so the faster the Kangaroos allow the Cats to move into attack, the more vulnerable they will be in those situations.
Geelong is using the ball better than any other side this season, which is an interesting shift given North Melbourne has consistently registered the best disposal efficiency of any side since entering the competition. The Roos are now better equipped to generate scores through messier, less than perfect footy so making the game messy, tough, and contested may just be the best way for North Melbourne to maintain its perfect record against the Cats.
Tip: North Melbourne has the stars, but the Cats have the momentum. Geelong by five points.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Collingwood v Western Bulldogs at Victoria Park, 3.10pm AEDT
Head-to-head history
As another pairing of inaugural AFLW teams, Collingwood has claimed victory in four of their five matches. Not only this, but the Pies have won their last three over the Bulldogs by an average of 31 points, the last two of which have been at their home of Victoria Park.
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Last time they met
The only finals opponents yet to meet this season, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs last played in round eight last season in what was ultimately a death knell for the Dogs' surge toward finals.
Set at Victoria Park, Collingwood piled on its highest ever score, and broke past the 60-point mark for the first time in its AFLW history, while the Dogs worked hard but an exhausting run of seven games in 30 days started to show.
Jaimee Lambert starred for Collingwood with 22 disposals and three goals, earning the three competition best and fairest votes, meanwhile Kirsty Lamb used her 21 disposals at 81 per cent efficiency as she willed her team on.
Key matchup
Hard nuts Ellie Blackburn and Lambert are likely going to be the main play makers out of the middle for each side, often doing the tough stuff that lifts their respective team. Both are not only strong in the contest, but know how to move into attack and hit the scoreboard in key moments - as Blackburn showed last week.
While they will not have direct roles on one another, Lambert will not be tasked with a tag on Blackburn or vice versa, but they will likely spend much of the game going head-to-head by virtue of their role within their side and assets they possess.
Both have the potential to shift momentum in the game toward their own side, and are very good at bringing teammates into the game, so will be important players in the clutches of an elimination final.
The state of play
While both Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have qualified for finals, neither side has had the season it would have liked so far, and this is a final opportunity to stake their claim as one of the best teams in the competition.
The Pies' defensive line has been its strongest for several seasons now, setting up a strong wall and almost willing opponents to kick long toward interceptors like Stacey Livingstone and Lauren Butler. To combat this, the Dogs need to find speed out the back, and get it over the back of that Magpie wall to the advantage of players like Sarah Hartwig and Rylie Wilcox. That ground level speed is the Western Bulldogs' chance to catch Collingwood's backline off guard.
It will be similar for the Pies when going into attack. They have looked strongest when the likes of Chloe Molloy and Ruby Schleicher have burst out of stoppages and run the ball forward, rather than kicking long and high. Sabrina Frederick's contested marking is a huge asset, but against a Bulldogs defence that boasts Katie Lynch and Issy Grant, that aerial game does become harder to win.
Tip: The Bulldogs will ride the momentum of Blackburn's heroics. Western Bulldogs by three points.
