Melbourne Demons Stay Unbeaten with 6-0 Record Despite Gall Injury

Melbourne stand alone at the top of the AFLW after six rounds, the last unbeaten side and looking every bit a premiership force. The price of that status, though, could be steep.

At windswept Casey Fields, the Demons dismantled Carlton by 34 points, winning 8.10 (58) to 3.6 (24) and flexing exactly when it mattered. They knew what was on the line after Hawthorn’s shock win over defending premiers North Melbourne the night before. Beat the Blues, and top spot was theirs. They didn’t blink.

The only real concern came late in the third term, when star forward Georgia Gall limped from the field with an ankle injury, cutting short what had been another polished Melbourne performance. The sight of Gall on the bench put a shadow over a dominant afternoon.

Carlton brought heat early and refused to roll over in the first half. Their pressure kept the contest tight and their intensity hinted at an upset. Then the dam wall burst.

Melbourne piled on four unanswered goals in a blistering third-quarter surge that ripped the game away. The Demons’ midfield took control, their ball movement sharpened, and Carlton simply couldn’t hold on.

Olivia Purcell drove that surge, racking up 26 disposals and nailing two goals in the space of a few minutes as Melbourne broke the game open. Tyla Hanks was everywhere with 32 disposals and a goal of her own, her workrate and composure turning repeated contests into Demon attacks.

The party continued into the last quarter when Jorja Livingstone capped her debut with a goal, a neat finish on a day that underlined Melbourne’s depth as much as their polish.

For Carlton, the loss stings. Two defeats on the bounce drop the Blues to 4-2 and put a dent in their top-four push just as the season starts to tighten. Claudia Whitfort battled hard with 24 disposals, typically busy and combative around the ball, but she couldn’t drag her side back into the contest once Melbourne found top gear.

Melbourne walk away 6-0, clear on top, their system humming. The only question now: how serious is Gall’s ankle, and will it slow a side that suddenly looks unstoppable?

Cats catch fire as Moloney stunner headlines fifth straight win

Over at Victoria Park, Geelong produced a different kind of statement – one built on resilience, a third-quarter explosion, and a goal that will be replayed for months.

The Cats beat Collingwood 14.6 (90) to 7.7 (49), a 41-point win that locked them firmly inside the top eight at 5-1 and extended their winning streak to five. The scoreline looks comfortable. It didn’t always feel that way.

The winless Magpies, desperate and defiant, landed a punch straight after half-time. Minutes after the main break, they dragged the scores level and suddenly the pressure swung onto Geelong. For a brief moment, Victoria Park stirred with belief.

Then the Cats flicked the switch.

In an electrifying third quarter, Geelong slammed on six goals and turned a contest into a procession. They went from level to 31 points clear by the final change, slicing through Collingwood with clean hands and ruthless finishing.

The highlight belonged to Aishling Moloney. Stationed around halfway, she launched a long, hopeful bomb that turned into something spectacular. The ball skidded, bounced, and kept bouncing, a chain of favourable hops carrying it all the way through for a goal-of-the-year contender. It summed up Geelong’s momentum: bold, relentless, and suddenly unstoppable.

Moloney finished with three goals, while Chloe Scheer was deadly in attack with four majors. Behind them, the Cats’ midfield took over the game.

Nina Morrison gathered 30 disposals, Mikayla Bowen added 29, and Georgie Prespakis dominated the stoppages with 12 clearances. Every time Collingwood tried to surge, one of that trio was there to turn the ball back Geelong’s way.

The Cats didn’t ease off late, either. They tightened the screws in the final term, holding the Magpies goalless and closing out the result with the authority of a team that expects to play finals – and expects to do damage when they get there.

For Collingwood, the ledger reads 0-6, and the pain of another defeat is real. Still, there was one bright spark. Half-forward Olivia Lewis, a late call-up on Saturday morning after Bri Davey fell ill, kicked a goal on her AFLW debut. Only months ago she was with Super Netball’s Melbourne Mavericks. Now she has her first major in black and white.

Geelong leave Victoria Park with five wins on the trot, a booming percentage, and a midfield in red-hot form. If this is them in October, what might they look like when the stakes rise again at season’s end?