AFLW round eight: Giant slayers: Bombers win their first game of the season after stunning comeback

Updated October 3, 2026 — 2:54pm,first published October 1, 2026 — 10:07pm

Essendon have dragged themselves off the bottom of the AFLW ladder with an inspiring, comeback seven-point win over GWS in Sydney on Saturday afternoon.

The Dons came into the match as one of two winless sides this season, and they trailed by 24 points at half-time against the Giants, who have only won one game in 2026.

Daria Bannister’s snap for goal put the Dons ahead with 11 minutes to play, and Emily Gough’s major with seven minutes to go extended the lead to seven points.

Essendon’s win is the club’s first at either AFL or AFLW level since July 19 when the men’s side also defeated the Giants.

Dons star midfielder Madison Prespakis battled through an apparent calf problem, posting a game-high 35 disposals, along with four tackles while featuring prominently in the last quarter.

St Kilda, who also play on Saturday, are the only winless side left this season.

Georgie Prespakis and Nina Morrison set them up then Chloe Scheer kicked them home as Geelong bounced back from a scrappy first half to comfortably beat Richmond by 34 points at Ikon Park on Friday night.

Few fans turned up for the clash despite both clubs featuring some of the AFLW’s elite players as heavy rain in the lead up and possibly the neutral venue contributed to tiny turnout, it was so quiet at times loud supporters could be heard from across the other side of the ground.

Prespakis had a game-high 28 disposals and overcame some poor touches early to be much more influential in the second half while Morrison was a constant contributor with 26 disposals, seven tackles and a goal - more impressively the Cats kept the Tigers scoreless in the second half.

“Georgie is such a hard worker and you know exactly what you are going to get,” Cats coach Mick Stinear said.

A late surge from Geelong has given the Cats the lead following a scrappy first half against Richmond at a quiet Ikon Park tonight.

Jasmine Stewart’s goal after the siren took the Cats to a 4.3 (27) to 3.2 (20) lead in front of a particularly sparse crowd as the predicted heavy rain and neutral venue appears to have kept many fans at home.

Cats midfielder Nina Morrison had a stellar second term, kicking a classy running goal and accumulating 16 possessions, while Georgie Prespakis had 17 disposals but struggled to use the ball well in a heavily contested match.

Tigers debutante Ana Mulholland ran in a circle to evade multiple defenders before snapping a goal in her first AFLW game, while first-year forward Olivia Wolmarans has kicked a goal and set up another for Gabby Seymour.

If the Tigers could get more fast ball to Wolmarans, they could win this match, but that looks unlikely based on the first half.

Melbourne skipper Kate Hore is out with a neck injury, and the Demons are unsure how long she will be on the sidelines.

Hore is among the outs for her side this week ahead of their clash with Collingwood on Sunday, along with Shelley Heath-Barker who injured her calf in last week’s loss to North Melbourne.

But Hore’s injury was a surprise as she completed the game before reporting discomfort in her neck.

Demons general manager of AFLW Katrina Gill said the team would know more about how long Hore would be out once the injury settles.

Carlton have weathered wet and wild conditions to leap into the AFLW’s top four with a 12-point win over Hawthorn at Ikon Park, 5.6 (36) to 3.6 (24).

On a day when profiting from key moments would define the clash, four minutes of first-quarter magic set the Blues up for victory.

Carlton fired three scintillating goals in unrelenting rain while keeping the Hawks scoreless until midway through the second term. Ominously, the Hawks’ pre-game banner was destroyed by the weather before they could even run through it.

But the visitors suddenly found themselves firmly in the contest when forward Poppy Stockwell and midfielder Kaitlyn Ashmore kicked back-to-back third quarter majors to level the scores.

THURSDAY
Carlton v Hawthorn, Ikon Park, 7.15pm (AEST)

FRIDAY
Richmond v Geelong, Ikon Park, 7.15pm (AEST)

SATURDAY
GWS v Essendon, Henson Park, 1.05pm (AEST)
Western Bulldogs v St Kilda, Mars Stadium, 3.05pm (AEST)
Brisbane Lions v Gold Coast, Brighton Homes Arena, 5.05pm (AEST)
Port Adelaide v Adelaide, Alberton Oval, 7.15pm (AEST)

SUNDAY
North Melbourne v Sydney, Arden Street Oval, 1.05pm (AEDT)
Collingwood v Melbourne, Victoria Park, 3.05pm (AEDT)
West Coast v Fremantle, Sullivan Logistics Stadium, 5.05pm (AEDT)

Hello everyone, and welcome to our AFLW live blog for round eight.

We will house game stories, AFLW news and other developments for the round right here in this blog.