Game Review

Dees take top spot with strong win against Blues. Melbourne's undefeated start to the season has continued against Carlton, lifting the Demons above North Melbourne on the ladder. - By Lincoln Tracy at Casey Fields.

Melbourne has continued its unbeaten run in 2026, with a dominant third term the key to setting up the 34-point victory against Carlton at Casey Fields on Saturday. The Demons, playing against the Blues for the first time since 2022, kicked four goals to one in ‘the premiership quarter’ to take the game away from their opponents en route to winning 8.10 (58) to 3.6 (24). Tyla Hanks was everywhere, collecting a game-high 32 possessions and a goal, getting strong support from Olivia Purcell (26 and two). Claudia Whitfort battled hard for Carlton (24 disposals, 10 tackles, and six clearances) but the Blues struggled in the afternoon sunshine. Melbourne dominated disposals (+49), inside 50s (+18), and contested possessions (+24) to hand Carlton a second consecutive defeat. It was challenging to move the ball early, with a swirling breeze causing headaches for both sides. Poppy Scholz had the opportunity to put the Blues in front early, getting on the end of a Whitfort kick inside 50, but missed to the left. Demon Hanks managed the conditions better, slotting the opening goal from a tight angle after receiving a free kick. Melbourne, kicking with the wind in the second, used the conditions well with a series of long kicks early in the quarter to send the ball inside 50. Former Blue Mia Austin found herself on the end of one such kick and goaled from close range, while Tayla Harris, another former Blue, found space and marked a long ball but failed to convert. Irish duo Dayna Finn and Erone Fitzpatrick got busy for Carlton in the second, combining for 15 disposals, nine contested possessions, five inside 50s, three tackles, three clearances, and two important goals to keep their side in touch.

"They're high calibre players in the competition now, which is credit to them and the work they put in the background with our coaches," said Blues coach Matthew Buck after the game. "Erone's got a real turn of pace which can separate games at different times, and she managed to have a great second quarter. And then Dayna's a winger that plays really high minutes for us. Her ability to get up the ground is really strong, she's tough in the contest, and loves a goal as well." The Blues also lifted their game at stoppages after the first break, winning five clearances to the Demons’ six after trailing six to two at quarter-time. New ruck combo Jess Good and Lauren Bella fought hard against Georgia Campbell and Harris, with Bella (on club debut and on return from a calf injury) on managed minutes. Buck said the getting the balance right between Good and recruit Bella would be something the club would continue to experiment with over the coming weeks. "I didn't mind the combination to begin with. 'Goody' has been playing really high minutes for us over the first few weeks, so having Lauren in the side gave the opportunity to have a bit more of a spell," he said. Most of the third quarter was an arm wrestle, before Molly O’Hehir and Maggie Mahony goaled in quick succession to give Melbourne a bit of breathing space. The Demons supporters had hearts in their mouths when Georgia Gall left the field in the hands of trainers partway through the third. But Melbourne pushed on, with Olivia Purcell bagging two in quick succession to push the lead out to 29 points. Gall completed a fitness test during the final change and returned to the field after the break. Melbourne didn't let up their pressure in the final term, holding Carlton scoreless to ensure it remained unbeaten in fourth quarters for 2026. Demons debutant Jorja Livingstone kicked the only goal of the term, sparking celebrations from her teammates. Melbourne senior coach Tom Wilson was proud of how the group were able to execute what had been worked on during the week. "We knew going into the game that Carlton's contest was a real strength of theirs, [as well as] their ability to defend the ball in their defensive half and generate ball movement from there. I felt our ability to nullify what they wanted the game to look like was really strong," Wilson said post match. "We want to be a team that is really hard to play against, and we want to be a team that no matter where we are, we turn up and perform. Part of that is owning your moments. "I felt as though today in that second quarter we probably lost more moments than we would have liked. But we also wanted to make sure that we didn't get too dialled up in what Carlton wanted to do, and make sure that we brought our strengths too." Georgia Campbell copped a whack in the dying stages of the quarter and appeared in some discomfort as she was assisted from the field. Wilson said Campbell, who vomited prior to leaving the field, had a sore throat from the knock and would be monitored over the coming days. The Demons enjoy a 34-point win over the Blues to send them to the top of the AFLW ladder. They dominated for large portions of the match, with consistent strong contest dominance with 24 more contested possessions and five more clearances. 63% of the match was spent in their forward half, which allowed them to launch 5.8 (38) from this zone. A tale of two halves for the Blues. A four point half time margin was blown out to 34 points in the end, with them having 18 fewer entries, as well as only scoring a goal from 12% of their entries. They had 20 fewer groundball gets, as well as 32 fewer uncontested possessions, showing their struggle to win the ball on the inside and effectively getting the ball to the outside.

Contested possession dominance.
The Demons were the No.1-rated contested possession team heading into Round 6 (+17.6) compared to their opponents, while Carlton was rated second (+14.2). But you wouldn't have guessed it, with Melbourne dominating the contest to finish with 24 more contested possessions than the Blues. Hanks (19) and Purcell (15) led from the front, with Kate Hore and Tayla Harris (11 each) also contributing.

Up next
Both teams feature in the IKON Park double-header on the AFL Grand Final eve public holiday next Friday. Carlton will look to get back on the winners list when it hosts Richmond in the 4pm game. After that, Melbourne and North Melbourne face off in the inaugural ‘Craic in at the W’ game – the AFLW version of Jim’s Game, which celebrates the life and legacy of former Dees champion Jim Stynes – in what should be a mouthwatering encounter between two of the form teams this season.

Best: C. Whitford, E. Fitzpatrick, A.McKay.

Buck, Blues chasing improvement after Dees defeat.
Mathew Buck's post-Round 6 press conference. - By Carlton Media.

Getting to work.
AFLW Senior Coach Mathew Buck lamented elements of Carlton’s game in the trip to Casey Fields, with the Blues falling to a second straight defeat against the undefeated Melbourne. Well and truly in the game at half time, the home side kicked away in the third term, with the Blues unable to generate their usual offensive game going in the 34-point defeat. Speaking post-match, here’s what Buck had to say.

On the game as a whole:
“It wasn’t the result we wanted, we’re pretty disappointed with our performance. It felt like we couldn’t connect our ball movement throughout the day. Melbourne did a great job in taking the game away from us, and we went into our shell a little bit with our ball movement - that’ll be something we address. “We go to the third quarter and they kick four in a row, which separates the game going into the last. You look to go after the game and it opens up a little bit. We’ve got plenty to work on off the back of that one.”

On where the Blues fell short:
“I thought our transition all day could’ve been better. We got out of our defensive 50 really well, but played a little slow between the arcs than what we’d prefer. Melbourne held us up really well, and we only had 26 inside 50s for the day - it’s hard to connect if you’re only having that many. “Our ability to play a front-half game wasn’t quite where we’d like it to be.”

On the message to the midfield at quarter time:
“It wasn’t a specific message, we’ve got a pretty proud midfield group and they got to work. Jess Good through the ruck, Claudia Whitfort was consistent right throughout the day and played a really solid game. “I felt like they got to work and met Melbourne at the contest, particularly in the second and third quarters to give us a chance in the game.”

On Lauren Bella’s debut and partnering Jess Good:
“I didn’t mind the combination to begin with. ‘Goody’ has been playing really high minutes for us in the first few weeks, having Lauren in the side gave her the opportunity to give her a bit more of a spell. “’Goody’s’ form has been red hot, so finding that right combination of time on ground for both of them is something we’ll play with over the next few weeks. I thought the combination worked pretty well.”

On Sophie McKay’s return:
“She’s done really well where she got herself to the point to play today. We’ll look to make sure we get plenty of training into her over the next few weeks to build her form. She applied herself really well today, it’ll take her a few weeks to grow into her very best footy.”

On what the team is looking to bring next week:
“A little bit of Irish flare is what we’re looking to bring to that game, that’s the theme of the double header. There’s a few Irish players in our team. Síofra O’Connell I thought probably had her best game for Carlton, which was really nice to see. “Dayna Finn and Erone Fitzpatrick keep turning up for us every single week. We’ll see that against the Tigers next week, it’ll be about how we respond which will be really important. “If we can take anything from our Irish players, it’s dig in and make sure we get the job done. That’s what we’ll be looking to take to the Tigers next week at IKON Park.”

On the impact of Erone Fitzpatrick and Dayna Finn:
“They’re really high-calibre players in the competition now, which is a credit to them and the work they put in. It’s also a credit to our coaches. “’Ronnie’ has a real turn of pace which can separate games at certain times, she had a great second quarter and was pretty consistent over the course of the game. Dayna is that winger who plays really high minutes for us, her ability to get up and down the ground is really strong, she’s tough in the contest and loves a goal. “They’re really important players for us who were consistent today.”

In: Lauren Bella, Sophie McKay, Keeley Sherar.
Out: Gabriella Pound (concussion), Aisling Reidy (Omitted), Brooke Boileau (foot).

Umpires

Chris Brackenrig, Emma Stark, Michael Willcox.

Milestones

Debut (Carlton): Lauren Bella

AFLW Coaches Votes

9 - Maeve Chaplin (MELB)
7 - Olivia Purcell (MELB)
7 - Tyla Hanks (MELB)
3 - Claudia Whitfort (CARL)
2 - Kate Hore (MELB)
1 - Dayna Finn (CARL)
1 - Tayla Harris (MELB)

AFLW Best and Fairest Votes

Club Best and Fairest Votes

Match Highlights