AFLW round nine: Record-equalling low one week, victory the next – Saints send Dal Santo out on a high

Updated October 10, 2026 — 2:59pm,first published October 8, 2026 — 7:44pm

The Saints have galvanised, bidding farewell to departing coach, and club great, Nick Dal Santo in style – outlasting Collingwood by two points to snatch their first win of the season, thanks to an inspiring third-quarter effort.

On Friday, St Kilda announced they had parted ways with Dal Santo after eight consecutive losses – including last week’s defeat, in which they equalled the lowest score in AFLW history, 0.1 (1).

The Saints confirmed the former St Kilda and North Melbourne star would step down after Saturday’s game against Collingwood and said they would initiate an independent review of their AFLW program, to be led by former Blues footy boss Brad Lloyd.

Despite a last-minute scare from Collingwood’s Ash Centra, the Saints held on to win 5.9 (39) to 5.7 (37).

More to come

The Western Bulldogs brought a ruthless mentality to Pride Round, thrashing Essendon by 43 points on Friday night.

The 10.5 (65) to 2.10 (22) result was the Bulldogs’ seventh win for the season and sent a warning to the top eight sides on the cusp of finals.

It came despite their shaky start in front of a home crowd at Whitten Oval.

Essendon came out firing and Emily Gough kicked the first goal inside the first two minutes, spurring the Dons who played with high pressure and repeatedly locked the ball in their forward half.

The Bulldogs responded with five unanswered goals with the help of an unstoppable Isabelle Pritchard, who had 30 disposals and 10 clearances.

A decade ago, a fresh-faced Sabrina Frederick was quizzed about some people’s negative attitudes towards women’s sports, ahead of the inaugural AFLW season.

The 19-year-old marquee player was blunt and emphatic, telling Mamamia she wasn’t sure, but maybe “people were too scared to turn on the TV and realise we’re actually good”.

“But the people that don’t want to watch it, or won’t watch it, are definitely missing out. That’s all I can say – they’re missing out,” she said.

Now 29-years-old and on the cusp of playing her 100th game of AFLW, Fredrick bursts into laughter when reminded of the interview.

Aliesha Newman can’t have silence when she paints.

The former AFLW player says she’s notorious for playing music wherever she goes. The background noise helps her to zero in on whatever she’s creating.

“I hate the thought of listening to my own thoughts,” she says. “I’m very much a visual learner, and I need to visualise things before I can kind of put them on paper, a canvas or my iPad.”

Newman is the artist behind the design for this year’s ball for Pride Round, which kicks off on Friday with Western Bulldogs and Essendon at Whitten Oval, where the first Pride Round was held in 2018.

FRIDAY
Western Bulldogs v Essendon, Whitten Oval, 7.15pm (AEDT)

SATURDAY
St Kilda v Collingwood, RSEA Park, 1.05pm (AEDT)
Port Adelaide v West Coast, Alberton Oval, 3.05pm (AEDT)
Geelong v GWS, GMHBA Stadium, 5.05pm (AEDT)
Richmond v Adelaide, Ikon Park, 7.15pm (AEDT)
Gold Coast v Melbourne, Great Barrier Reef Arena, 8.15pm (AEDT)

SUNDAY
North Melbourne v Fremantle, Arden Street Oval, 12.35pm (AEDT)
Hawthorn v Brisbane Lions, Kennedy Community Centre, 1.05pm (AEDT)
Sydney v Carlton, Henson Park, 3.05pm (AEDT)

Hello everyone, and welcome to our coverage of round nine of the AFLW season.

Finals are only a few weeks away now and we’ll keep you covered for all the latest as clubs race toward the pointy end of the season.