Fremantle’s women have lifted their club as they surged into the AFLW top eight, while Collingwood broke through for its first win of the season.
The fast-starting Dockers outscored Adelaide 28-0 in the first quarter and led by as much as 45 on their way to a comfortable 9.6 (60) to 5.5 (35) victory over Adelaide at Unley Oval.
Adelaide (3-4) kicked three straight goals either side of three-quarter time, but never got the deficit below 25, as Fremantle (4-3) defended its advantage, unlike its male counterparts in Saturday’s AFL grand final.
It was the Dockers’ first win in their past seven AFLW encounters with Adelaide, who had a 9-1 record in the fixture before Sunday.
In the other early game on Sunday, Collingwood (1-6) outlasted GWS 4.10 (34) to 3.7 (25) in a low-scoring arm wrestle at Victoria Park.
The Giants (1-6) led by margins of one, four and seven at the end of the first three quarters respectively, but Collingwood dominated the final term.
They finished with 18 more inside 50s and 16 more contested possessions.
In Sydney, the Lions fell short of a stirring comeback of their own in a 5.7 (37) to 3.5 (23) defeat to the Swans.
The victory held Sydney’s position in the top four and saw Brisbane’s record fall to a disappointing 2-5.
The Lions were second best for most of the afternoon but managed to stay in touch through three quarters, and were only a point behind at the final term.
But after Cynthia Hamilton goaled inside the first minute of the last quarter, the Swans didn’t look back, running out comfortable 12-point winners.
In the final game of round seven, Gold Coast took St Kilda another step closer to the wooden spoon by running out 10.9 (69) to 6.3 (39) winners.
The Saints led by 15 points at half-time but were gunned down by the home side after the break, conceding eight goals to one as the Suns moved to sixth place on the AFLW ladder.
ABC/AAP