THE FULL 10-round fixture for the 2022 NAB AFLW season has now been released, with action set to kick off in just over a month.
Now the final round has been released as part of the Footy Festival across the men's and women's competition in Victoria, womens.afl has done all the heavy lifting for you in analysing the fixture.
>> CHECK OUT THE 2022 NAB AFLW FIXTURE HERE
BLOCKBUSTERS
Hampson-Hardeman Cup, round one
The Western Bulldogs will host Melbourne for the annual Hampson-Hardeman Cup, which was first played for as part of the exhibition match series prior to the AFLW. It celebrates two pioneers of women's footy in Victoria, Barb Hampson and Lisa Hardeman, who developed the first women's national championships in 1998. There have been a few quirky results thrown up over the years, and both teams love to hit the scoreboard.
Carlton v Collingwood, round one
Usually the season-opener, this has been shifted to Sunday afternoon due to a lack of broadcast lights as Ikon Park undergoes redevelopment. The Blues will be stinging after being comprehensively outplayed by the Magpies last year, with the latter coming off a preliminary final loss.
Q-Clash, round three
After the first official AFLW match between Brisbane and Gold Coast resulted in a draw, the Lions completely routed the Suns in 2021, winning by 63 points and holding their little sisters to a record-low two behinds.
Brisbane v Collingwood, round five
These two sides played a scintillating preliminary final in 2021, with Brisbane triumphing by just four points. The Lions also delivered the Pies their first loss for the year in round six, which was another close-fought affair.
North Melbourne v Collingwood, round seven
Launceston will have front-row seats to a fast-developing rivalry in round seven. After North Melbourne just squeezed over the line against Collingwood in a 2020 semi-final, the tables were turned in 2021, with the Roos coughing up three last-quarter goals to zip.
Western Derby, round eight
Fremantle and West Coast will face off for the third time in two years, after a COVID fixture shuffle in 2021 saw the Dockers triumph twice over the Eagles. In their two seasons in the competition, West Coast has gotten better as the season has progressed, meaning this could be a close affair than if it was played in round one.
Grand Final rematch, round eight
Adelaide and Brisbane will have to wait till round eight to write the next chapter in their fascinating rivalry, which will be played at Norwood Oval. The Lions took out the 2021 flag by 18 points, while the Crows won the 2017 edition. Their home-and-away battles have been just as interesting, with the two sides bringing the best out of each other.
Melbourne v Carlton, round 10
It was the move of the off-season, with star forward Tayla Harris agreeing to part ways with Carlton and moving to one of the premiership fancies in Melbourne. With the Blues also expected to be once again pushing for top six, this final-round match could have a bearing on the top six.
WHO DOESN'T YOUR TEAM PLAY?
Fourteen teams do not comfortably fit into a 10-round season.
In an attempt to make the fixture as fair as possible, the AFL has allocated a minimum of four and a maximum of six top-seven opponents (based on the 2021 ladder), and the same allocation with bottom-seven opponents.
Adelaide: Geelong, Gold Coast, Richmond
Brisbane: Fremantle, GWS, Western Bulldogs
Carlton: Geelong, Richmond, West Coast
Collingwood: GWS, Melbourne, Richmond
Fremantle: Brisbane, Gold Coast, St Kilda
Geelong: Adelaide, Carlton, Melbourne
Gold Coast: Adelaide, Fremantle, North Melbourne
GWS: Brisbane, Collingwood, West Coast
Melbourne: Collingwood, Geelong, West Coast
North Melbourne: Gold Coast, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs
Richmond: Adelaide, Carlton, Collingwood
St Kilda: Fremantle, North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs
West Coast: Carlton, GWS, Melbourne
Western Bulldogs: Brisbane, North Melbourne, St Kilda
NEW GROUNDS
As previously reported by womens.afl, a few factors – including refurbishments and cricket clashes – have combined to restrict the number of grounds available for the season.
St Kilda will return to RSEA Park in round nine, but are one of a few teams to have several home games at grounds which haven't yet seen AFLW action:
- Sky Bus Stadium (Frankston, two St Kilda home games)
- Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval (Sandringham, one St Kilda home game)
- Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex (all Brisbane home games)
- Henson Park (Marrickville, two GWS home games)
- Fankhauser Reserve (Southport, one Gold Coast home game)
One-off games:
- Great Barrier Reef Arena (Mackay, Gold Coast v GWS)
- North Hobart Oval (North Melbourne v Fremantle)
- UTAS Stadium (Launceston, North Melbourne v Collingwood)
- Manuka Oval (Canberra, GWS v Carlton)
- Mars Stadium (Ballarat, Western Bulldogs v Fremantle)