BRISBANE and Hawthorn are locked in a thrilling battle for the McClelland Trophy as the race for the $1 million prize looks set to go down to the wire.
The Lions and Hawks recorded strong wins in the NAB AFL Women's season in week seven to remain in a fight for the McClelland Trophy.
Brisbane (114 points) is just ahead of Hawthorn (112) with three games remaining in the AFLW season.
Port Adelaide (96) and Fremantle (90) are further back but remain, just, within striking distance.
The McClelland Trophy offers a prize of $1 million to the best-performed team across the AFL men's and women's competitions, with wins weighted differently in each competition to account for the different numbers of home and away matches.
There won't be a decisive game in the race for the crown this year, with the Lions and Hawks not facing each other in the AFLW in 2024.
Of their remaining three games, both the Lions and Hawks face one current top-eight team, and there is a chance the race comes down to the final week.
Brisbane and Hawthorn are due to face the top-eight sides in week 10, with the Lions meeting St Kilda and the Hawks taking on Richmond.
The Dockers loomed as the biggest threat to the top two before suffering a surprise loss to Carlton on Saturday.
That has left Fremantle back in fourth with a friendly run home still to come, against West Coast (10th), Greater Western Sydney (16th) and the Western Bulldogs (15th).
