Round 9 Talking Points, fixture problems emerge in finals for Geelong Cats and Gold Coast Suns, Maddy Prespakis form, Nick Dal Santo and St Kilda Saints part ways

The key calls, recruits and academy investment behind 2025 wooden spoon side Gold Coast’s stunning AFLW turnaround. But they’re one of two teams facing a finals headache.

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THE BOLD CALLS BEHIND GOLD COAST’S STUNNING SURGE

One of the great fairytale surges in AFLW history gathered further steam on the weekend as Gold Coast produced the biggest win of its eight-season existence.

And you sense Rhyce Shaw’s side has a few more punches to throw in 2026 come November.

After claiming the 2025 wooden spoon, the Suns sit fourth on the AFLW ladder with three rounds left with a club-record seven home and away wins.

They won their sixth straight game on Saturday night, defeating second-placed Melbourne by 22 points after kicking seven goals to three after quarter-time.

Granted it was their first win over a top-eight team this year – and the Demons were missing a few stars like captain Kate Hore and leading goalkicker Mia Austin – but the Suns’ efforts can’t be denied.

“It’s probably one of the biggest wins in their entire time in the AFLW competition – and it probably puts a note out there to the rest of the competition to say: ‘We are the real deal, we’re here and beating some top teams,’” Bulldogs champion Ellie Blackburn told Fox Footy post-game.

The Suns had genuinely set themselves for a big performance against Melbourne. Shaw said in the lead-up to the game the Suns were “hitting this last month in as good a space as we’ve been all year”, while co-captain Lucy Single declared “every week has been a building block for us and it’s been a building block to play Melbourne”.

Speaking to Fox Footy post-match, Single said the significance of beating a team like Melbourne wasn’t lost on her.

“It’s been a long few years for us. We’ve been slowly building every year, so to get that win under our belts is so awesome and it’s really boosted our confidence going in,” she said.

Shaw added in his post-match presser: “The hallmark of our team this year is we’ll continue to come. We’re not just going to lie down.

“I think the girls did a really good job of that (against Melbourne). I was really proud of them to dig deep early, keep fighting then open the game up when we needed to and attack them. It was pretty cool to watch that third and final quarter.”

So how have the Suns risen so quickly while remaining the competition’s youngest side by age and experience?

Put simply, they’re scoring more and defending far better under Shaw.

The Suns rank fifth for scoring, averaging 48.9 points per game. Six of the eight highest scores in their AFLW history have come this season.

But their biggest improvement has come defensively. They rank second in the competition for fewest points conceded, a remarkable turnaround from finishing last in that category in 2025.

“Our brand of footy is team footy and defensive efforts are something we really care about. That’s the stuff we celebrate,” Single said.

“Yeah, the goals are great, but they always come from great defensive efforts.”

There’s been a lot of natural individual improvement, too.

Star midfielder Charlie Rowbottom has become a more complete player this season and is a genuine chance to win the AFLW best and fairest. Close friend Daisy D’Arcy and forward Havana Harris are also in All-Australian contention, while co-captains Single and Niamh McLaughlin, ruck Darcie Davies and midfielder Maddy Brancatisano are all enjoying career-best seasons.

Their decision to go all-in on their star-studded 2025 academy crop has also paid off big time.

They made sweeping list changes at the end of last season, delisting seven players and trading another three – Lauren Bella, Claudia Whitfort and Jac Dupuy – to rival clubs. But it allowed them to take a whopping eight academy graduates in the AFLW draft, including six in the top 15. Three of them – Ava Usher, Sunny Lappin and Georjia Davies – have played all nine games in 2026 to date, while Usher, Alannah Welsh and Dekota Baron have all been nominated for the Rising Star award.

As the Suns’ academy director of coaching as well, Shaw had already helped prepare players such as Usher, Lappin, Davies and Baron for AFLW football. By the time they joined the senior list, they were familiar with his style and philosophy.

The Suns also have important role players. Replacement recruit Paige Price has supported Davies in the ruck, while pre-season draft pick Lily Quigley has added speed and defensive pressure across half-forward. Experienced duo Clara Fitzpatrick and Meara Girvan have also helped contain opposition key forwards.

So there’s more depth on the Suns’ list than ever before. It means the likes of Jamie Stanton, Katie Lynch and even Lily Mithen last week have been left out of the selected side.

But arguably Gold Coast’s most significant additions have been triple premiership Crow Anne Hatchard and football boss Erin Phillips, whose appointment as women’s football general manager last November signalled a greater commitment to the program.

Hatchard has brought much-needed experience, class and toughness to the young group in a high half-forward role. While her average of 20.6 disposals is not a career high, she is arguably having more influence on games than ever, averaging career-best figures for score involvements (5.9, ranked ninth in the competition) and forward-50 tackles (1.6).

Phillips, meanwhile, helped bring Hatchard to the club, restock the medical department and inject fresh energy into a program that had struggled to make a splash since 2020.

There’s rarely been greater optimism around Gold Coast’s AFLW program. With Adelaide (10th), Richmond (13th) and GWS (15th) still to come, the Suns have a genuine opportunity to turn their remarkable rise into a maiden top-four finish.

‘IT’S DISGRACEFUL’: FINALS DILEMMA EMERGES AS CONTENDERS SCRAMBLE FOR SOLUTION

A finals headache, however, looms for Gold Coasy.

With three rounds to play in the home-and-away season, the focus is already shifting to the first week of finals in early November — for the wrong reasons.

Home venues for some clubs set to qualify for finals are still yet to be confirmed, with the second-placed Geelong affected more than any.

The Cats are undefeated from four matches at GMHBA Stadium this season, with an eye-watering average winning margin of nine goals at home this season.

They won’t, however, be playing there in November due to the venue being “pre-booked”.

“There could be a big headache for the AFL when it comes to venues for the first week of the finals,” Fox Footy commentator Kelli Underwood said on The W Debrief.

“If the top four remain the same, North Melbourne will host the Gold Coast at Ikon Park, now the Cats … (they) deserve to be at GMHBA, but it’s already been pre-booked. It’s been rented out to trucks and cars, some sort of issue (or) event they’ve got on there, so that Cats are going to have to host the Demons either at Ikon Park or Whitten Oval.”

That booking is the AUSX Open for Supercross riding at GMHBA Stadium on November 7, which involves the placement of a large track build and associated logistics.

Essendon star Maddy Prespakis summed up the player and supporter frustration behind the decision which now leaves the Cats in the dark over a potential home qualifying final.

“If I was a Geelong player, you’d be a little bit angry, you’d be frustrated. Obviously that’s their home ground and we’ve seen how good they do play at GMHBA. We played them there and they play the ground incredibly well … It is their fortress,” Prespakis said.

“They actually haven’t played at Whitten Oval this year either, so if they played there, you’re a little unsure about the ground.”

Forcing the Cats to host at Ikon Park or Whitten Oval obviously removes the Cats’ hard-earned home advantage, but even there, the venue complications aren’t just restricted to Victoria.

“Let’s look at the Suns. If they lose that first game they will then host a final the week after, it’d be the first time they’ve ever hosted — they’ve only played two finals and lost both,” Underwood explained.

“But, Carrara is booked out already for the cricket, and they’ll have the cricket pitch in so they’re going to have to play not at the Gabba, not at Southport, but at Brighton Homes Arena — the Brisbane Lions’ home ground at Ipswich.

“It’s disgraceful, fans aren’t going to make that trip let’s face it.”

A T20 International between Australia and England is locked and loaded for the night of November 24 at People First Stadium, which leaves the Suns potentially playing a “home” final at their cross-town rival’s home ground.

Former Port Adelaide head coach Lauren Arnell added: “You would be absolutely filthy.”

‘HONEST CONVERSATIONS’: STAR OPENS UP ON RETURN TO BEST

The second coming of AFLW star Maddy Prespakis has well and truly arrived in 2026, with the Essendon midfielder opening up on her return to top-tier form.

Prespakis, who is the youngest-ever winner of the AFLW Best and Fairest Award back in her Carlton playing days, has been a ball-winning magnet of late to average 31.8 disposals a game this season.

When asked on Fox Footy’s The W Debrief what may be behind her career-best year, the 25-year-old noted multiple changes both on and off-field.

“It’s probably a mixture of things, the last couple of years I probably haven’t been where I’ve needed to be as a competitive person but also just an athlete in general,” Prespakis said on Sunday evening.

“I play in the midfield so obviously covering a bit of ground and the game’s getting faster as we know. Last year I had some honest conversations with my head coach, my club, my manager, and set out goals I wanted to achieve this year personally.

“But also on-field, one of those things was to get fitter, and I knew that after last year I just needed to cover the ground better.

“I remember Woody (Natalie Wood, Essendon AFLW Head Coach) saying ‘let’s come back a better runner’ and I just remember walking away thinking ‘I’m going to do that.’

“For the first time in a long time I can comfortably say that I love the way that I look and it’s always been a tough topic to talk about, but I’m proud of myself. When you feel confident and happy in yourself, you have performances like I have.”

Prespakis is averaging nearly six disposals more a game, and at the end of Round 9, is also averaging more score involvements than ever before — despite having only won once in 2026.

“I just remember as soon as that siren went, people yelling out on the bench. It was five seconds to go and the ball was about to be thrown in, and I kind of just stood there like: ‘Thank God’, and many other words going through my mind,” Prespakis said of their Round 8 come-from-behind win over GWS.

“We all know that it’s a disappointing season. We probably aren’t absolutely where we want to be and we all feel that. Me, as a player and a competitive person, I absolutely feel it at the moment.

“Physically and mentally, you’re a little bit tired.”

WHY SAINTS MUST CHANGE AFTER PARTING WAYS WITH CLUB GREAT

It was far from a fairytale ending for Nick Dal Santo at the helm for St Kilda on the weekend, but the ending of an 11-game losing streak was a positive way for the club great to leave Moorabbin.

Now, however, it’s time for the Saints to get serious with their next head coach.

Dal Santo was hired as a part-time coach by the club, yet had worked full-time hours in the role. His replacement for the remainder of the season will be Head of Development and Midfield assistant coach Matthew Brewer, but the Saints simply can’t continue to expect better output on-field with their current structure.

“You hear stories around being part time, and the support staff around him. We know their list has huge gaps in it, and so for him, he’s working part time as a senior coach,” Lauren Arnell said on Fox Footy’s The W Debrief.

“Nearly every other coach in the competition, if not all … I think Craig Starcevich (Brisbane) is part time but works full-time. How can you expect the same from that investment when other clubs are more greatly invested in what they do? That’s a huge challenge.

“You can’t expect results from that level of investment.”

After scoring just one singular point less than a fortnight ago against the Western Bulldogs and last on the ladder comfortably by percentage, it looks to be a long, long road back for the Saints.

One thing’s for sure though, is their attitude towards the AFLW program must change. Promptly.