Brisbane has advanced to its sixth straight Preliminary Final, claiming a 13-point victory over Melbourne on Sunday while Adelaide demolished St Kilda.
It’s third time lucky for the Lions who have been unable to claim victory over the Demons in their past two finals meetings.
Melbourne’s path has become all the more challenging too, with star forward Eden Zanker controversially ruled out of the contest on the eve of half time despite passing a SCAT6 test.
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It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Lions, with alarm bells ringing early as three of Melbourne’s first four scoring chances stemming from their lackadaisical defence.
Conversely, Melbourne’s own defence was impassable with 12 forward half intercepts to three in the first term alone.
Tayla Harris was the first to capitalise, with a late handball from Shelley Heath exposing Brisbane to seal her side’s first goal of the afternoon.
Megan Fitzsimon and Kate Hore were shortly afforded chances in a similar fashion, and it was Hore who converted, marking her 100th AFLW goal.
Craig Starcevich urged his side not to “overuse the ball” and move it forward at all costs.
A scoreless first quarter for Brisbane loomed large but it was no bad omen as they heeded his advice, claiming an +31 uncontested possession advantage which served as the catalyst for a second quarter domination.
Dakota Davidson – who had kicked 1.6 across the past two weeks – took her moment when it mattered to open the floodgates.
She has kicked more goals against Melbourne than any other player.
A Cathy Svarc tag on Hore flipped the contest, allowing Ally Anderson and Belle Dawes to begin to assert their dominance.
Ultimately, the eventual 18-31 clearance differential proved too much for the Demons to overcome.
Whilst they recorded three more inside 50s, Brisbane was clinical with its entries and dictated the contest to lead the disposal count by 36.
Brisbane was the side which came into today sweating its accuracy, but after rueing missed opportunities in their last meeting, it was Melbourne who left goals on the table.
The Demons fought back late, but a quick reply through Anderson all but sealed victory for the Lions.
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Anderson starred with two goals and 28 disposals while Jade Ellenger’s 16 disposals and five tackles were influential after she was well held in their last meeting.
Hore (one goal, 31 disposals) remained far and away the best afield despite Melbourne’s loss.
They will now have to take the difficult route if they want to add more silverware to their collection, with a loss meaning they sit on North Melbourne’s side of the fixture.
Meanwhile, at Norwood Oval, the class of Adelaide shone bright with the returning Chelsea Randall and Ebony Marinoff running riot to secure a 44-point win, knocking the Saints out of the finals race.
The clash marked St Kila’s first ever finals appearance, but they were no match for Adelaide, who are pushing to win their fourth flag in 10 seasons.
Marinoff had a team-high 27 touches, while both India Rasheed and Caitlin Gould kicked two for the Crows.
Randall got through her first game since Round 5, proving to be a huge boost in Adelaide’s title bid, with their win locking in the second week of the 2025 AFLW finals series.
Both finals games will be played at Ikon Park, setting up a finals double header next weekend.
FINALS SCHEDULE – WEEK TWO
Second Semi Final – Saturday 15 November at 1:05pm AEDT
Melbourne vs Adelaide Crows
IKON Park
First Semi Final – Saturday 15 November at 7:15pm AEDT
Hawthorn vs Carlton
IKON Park
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