Melbourne Demons Stay Unbeaten with 34-Point Win but Face Gall Injury

Melbourne have the competition to themselves now.

The Demons are the last unbeaten side in the AFLW after a commanding 34-point dismantling of Carlton at a windswept Casey Fields, winning 8.10 (58) to 3.6 (24) to storm to the top of the ladder.

It was exactly the statement they wanted. It came at a cost.

Star forward Georgia Gall limped off in the third term with an ankle injury, turning what had been a celebration of Melbourne’s power into an anxious watch on the bench.

The stakes were clear from the opening bounce. Hawthorn’s shock win over defending premiers North Melbourne the previous night had cracked the season wide open. Melbourne ran out knowing a victory would not only keep their perfect record intact, but also drag them clear in first with a 6-0 start.

Carlton arrived with their own ambitions. The Blues, 4-1 coming in, brought real edge in the first half and refused to be bullied around the ball. They scrapped, they pressured, they stayed in touch.

Then the dam burst.

Melbourne piled on four unanswered goals in a blistering third quarter that blew the game apart and underlined why they now sit alone at the top.

Olivia Purcell lit the fuse. The midfielder was everywhere, racking up 26 disposals and nailing two goals as the Demons ripped the contest from Carlton’s grasp. Tyla Hanks was just as influential, driving the ball forward relentlessly with 32 touches and a goal of her own.

The surge that thrilled the home crowd also brought the moment that silenced it. In the middle of Melbourne’s purple patch, Gall went down and hobbled from the field, her ankle heavily tested by medical staff as the Demons pressed on without her.

By the final term, the result was beyond doubt. Jorja Livingstone added a bright note for the future, kicking a goal on debut to cap the performance and underline the depth Melbourne are building.

For Carlton, it’s suddenly a wobble. Back-to-back defeats drop the Blues to 4-2 and put a dent in their top-four push. Claudia Whitfort kept fighting with 24 disposals and her usual work rate, but the visitors couldn’t match Melbourne’s third-quarter ferocity and never recovered.

Melbourne leave with the win, the ladder position, and the aura of a side gathering serious momentum. They also leave with a question hanging over one of their key forwards as the season tightens.

The rest of the competition will be watching that injury report just as closely as the ladder.

Cats catch fire as Moloney stunner headlines fifth straight win

Over in Victoria Park, Geelong flicked a switch of their own.

The Cats turned a nervous afternoon into a statement of their finals intent, overpowering Collingwood 14.6 (90) to 7.7 (49) to lock in a fifth consecutive win and strengthen their hold inside the top eight.

For a few minutes after half-time, though, it looked anything but comfortable.

The winless Magpies, desperate and defiant, dragged themselves level on the scoreboard just after the main break and jolted Geelong out of any sense of security. At 5-1 coming in, the Cats knew what was on the line. The response was ruthless.

Geelong exploded with six goals in a blistering third quarter, turning a deadlocked contest into a 31-point lead at the final change. Collingwood simply couldn’t go with them.

The moment everyone will remember came from Aishling Moloney.

From around halfway, Moloney launched a long, hopeful bomb that turned into something spectacular. The ball skidded, bounced, bobbled and somehow kept rolling, taking a series of kind bounces before trickling through for a goal-of-the-year contender that sent teammates surging towards her.

It wasn’t just a highlight; it was a gut punch to Collingwood’s resistance.

The Cats didn’t ease off. They tightened the screws in the last quarter, shutting the Magpies out and holding them goalless to close out a 41-point victory that looked far less certain earlier in the afternoon.

Geelong’s midfield ran the show. Nina Morrison collected 30 disposals, Mikayla Bowen added 29, and Georgie Prespakis dominated at the coalface with 12 clearances. Up forward, Moloney finished with three goals and Chloe Scheer bagged four, turning dominance in the middle into a scoreboard avalanche.

Collingwood’s season remains winless at 0-6, but there was at least one moment to savour.

Half-forward Olivia Lewis, a late call-up on Saturday morning after Bri Davey fell ill, capped her AFLW debut with a goal. Having crossed from Super Netball’s Melbourne Mavericks to chase a football dream, Lewis found her moment in black and white and gave the Magpies something to cling to on a tough day.

Geelong walk away with five wins on the bounce and an attack humming at the right time of year.

If this is the gear they can hit in September-like pressure, how far can the Cats push this run?