[REVISION HISTORY]

2026 AFLW season developments

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What changed

2026-09-05 04:56 UTC → 2026-09-11 23:17 UTC · added ~~removed~~

2026 AFLW season ~~commencement~~ developments

The 2026 AFLW season commenced with North Melbourne beginning its premiership defence against Geelong at Marvel Stadium. Heading into the opening round, North Melbourne held a 27-game winning streak, while Geelong entered the season under new leadership with coach Mick Stinear. Other early season storylines included Richmond entering a new era under coach Jarrad Donders and Collingwood fielding approximately a dozen new players. Following the initial matchups, North Melbourne established itself as the competition benchmark after securing a 73-point victory over Geelong. Other early season highlights included Melbourne’s Mia Austin scoring four goals in her club debut and St Kilda’s Tyanna Smith receiving attention for her performance against Carlton. ~~Rival players suggested~~ North ~~Melbourne’s dominance serves as a standard for the rest of the league. North~~ Melbourne recently extended its winning streak to 29 games following an 11-point victory over the Brisbane Lions in Ipswich. In this grand final rematch, the Kangaroos secured a 44 to 33 win, led by Ash Riddell, who recorded 42 disposals, five clearances, and 467 meters gained. While the Lions mounted a third-quarter comeback to narrow the margin to three points, North Melbourne held on to maintain its status as defending premiers. In round three, North Melbourne extended its winning streak to 30 consecutive matches following a 47-point victory over the Western Bulldogs in Launceston. ~~The win was driven by multi-goal performances from Blaithin Bogue, Alice O'Loughlin, and Kate Shierlaw.~~ Held during the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Rounds, the match was marked by a significant jumper clash where both teams wore predominantly blue and white guernseys. Commentator Kelli Underwood described the confusion as a “farcical jumper clash.” ~~While~~ Following round three, the AFL began reviewing its kit approval process, considering the introduction of different colored shorts to prevent future visibility issues. As round four approached, North Melbourne ~~manages injuries to Mia King~~ strengthened its lineup with the returns of Erika O'Shea and Eilish Sheerin, ~~the Western Bulldogs named Elisabeth Georgostathis~~ while Geelong utilized top-up players due to an injury list including Zali Friswell, Emma Kilpatrick, Piper Dunlop, and Priya Bowering. Meanwhile, Collingwood has faced mounting struggles, suffering a 39-point loss to undefeated Carlton. Captain Ruby Schleicher accounted for ~~her first game~~ 100 per cent of her team’s total score during the ~~season.~~ match, scoring three goals and four behinds.

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