Win-loss: 5-0
Ladder position: 1st
A genuine powerhouse of the competition, with two premierships and a further grand final appearance from four completed seasons (Covid saw the 2020 season cut short), the Crows again look the team to beat at the half-way stage. Not only are they unbeaten in five games, but they’ve recorded wins over Brisbane, North Melbourne and Melbourne - along with Adelaide they occupy four of the top five spots on the ladder, and each team’s only defeat thus far has come at the hands of the Crows. You’d expect them to win at home this week to the one-win Bulldogs and away the week after against two-win GWS, before arguably their biggest test of the season against second-placed Fremantle in Perth - if there’s a knock on the Crows, it’s that their wins against the Lions, Kangaroos and Demons all came at home. That said, their average winning margin outside of South Australia is 36 points!
Grade: A
They can’t have done much more - the A+ will come if they finish the season off and add a third AFLW premiership.
Win-loss: 3-1
Ladder position: 5th
Along with the Crows, the Lions are one of the powerhouses of the competition - last season’s premiership was a deserved breakthrough having previously lost two grand finals by a combined 13 points. Their premiership defence got off to a horror start, humbled by the Crows to the tune of 30 points having lost veteran Kate Luskins - best on ground in last year’s grand final - to a season-ending ACL injury in the opening minutes. They recovered from the unideal start to the season well however with a three-match unbeaten run, and sit fifth on the ladder with a game in hand over the teams above them. Two of those wins came against Carlton and Geelong, who have won just two games between them this season, but the win at the weekend over Collingwood showed the Lions are back to something near their best. A big positive is that, on paper, Brisbane have a favourable run home - while they face fellow contenders Melbourne and North Melbourne, four of their six remaining games are against St Kilda (0-4 so far this season), West Coast (1-4), Richmond (1-4) and the Western Bulldogs (1-3).
Grade: B+
It was a shaky start but they’ve since gone undefeated and look on track to defend their premiership.
Win-loss: 1-4
Ladder position: 13th
An unfavourable fixture and an ineffective forward line has seen the Blues off to a rocky start. However, the Blues’ losses have come at the hands of the competition's top sides, having fallen to Collingwood, Brisbane, North Melbourne, and Adelaide. The absence of a tall forward has been detrimental to the Blues - their plan to have a smaller and more mobile forward line has not yet been effective. Some tough luck saw their fixture changed at the last minute in Rounds 2 and 3, resulting in a short turnaround between games. Most of the highlights have come through individual performances, such as captain Kerryn Harrington’s perfect defensive performance against the Cats in Round 2 as well as Mimi Hill’s dazzling return from an ACL injury last weekend. Aside from Carlton’s Round 2 win against the Cats where Maddy Prespakis faced off with her younger sister Georgie, there has not been much to smile about. With teams being able to turn the Blues inside out, attack through the corridor and pressure Carlton’s defence with repeat forward 50 entries, the Blues have received some beltings. Daniel Harford will have to tighten the reins in the second half of the season to see any success.
Grade: D+
A tough fixture and some individual highlights but the Blues will have to do more as a team to round out the season.
Win-loss: 3-2
Ladder position: 6th
The season started off in brilliant fashion for the Pies, winning their first three games - against Carlton, St. Kilda and Geelong - by 19, 27 and 11 points respectively. The reality is though that those three teams have combined for just two wins between them to this stage of the season, and the Pies copped a severe reality check over the subsequent fortnight - they were beaten 31 points by Fremantle and 24 points by Brisbane. The horror fortnight was compounded with news that star dual-code athlete Ash Brazill will miss the rest of the season to focus on netball with the aim of making the Australian Diamonds squad for this year’s Commonwealth Games, and midfield coach Scott Gowans leaving the club with immediate effect to become Sydney’s inaugural AFLW coach. The next three weeks will be crucial for the Pies - clashes with the West Coast Eagles and Western Bulldogs, who have both won just one game for the season, come either side of a battle with premiership fancy North Melbourne. Anything less than two wins over this period would be unacceptable, but two wins would put them in a commanding position.
Grade: B
A fortnight ago it would’ve been an A, and the next three weeks are crucial in the rest of their season.
Win-loss: 5-1
Ladder position: 2nd
Fremantle have had quite an impressive start to the season. Knocking off cross-town rivals West Coast in Round 1 by 28 points was just the beginning, remaining undefeated for five weeks until a 10-point loss to the Kangaroos ended the streak. Fremantle have had no issues hitting the scoreboard this season, kicking over five goals in four of their six matches. Down the other end of the ground the Dockers have looked impressive too, restricting their opponent to two or less goals in all but two matches. Currently sitting second on the ladder, they are well-positioned heading into the second half of the season with the second-best percentage on the board. That said, Fremantle have played one extra game than most other teams in the competition due to the reshuffled fixture, while they've played two more games than the last-placed Saints.
Grade: A
Couldn't have started the season much better and have a pretty favourable draw going forward.
Win-loss: 1-4
Ladder position: 10th
Geelong's season has been interesting in many ways. The 13th-placed side in 2021 weren't expected to set the competition on fire this season, and haven't marked up a pleasing win-loss tally, but have made significant improvements on the field compared to last year. The Cats were the second-least experienced side heading into 2022 and that has had an impact, losing tight matches against the Kangaroos (eight points) and Brisbane (two points). Their first win came against the 12th-placed Eagles in Round 5 by just three points, but remained level headed when faced with pressure from the West Coast side. Improving from last year, the Cats have shown more intensity and skill around the ground, particularly in areas of tackling and defence. With Gold Coast, Fremantle, Richmond, St Kilda and the Giants still to come this season, it's unlikely the Cats will be contending this finals series, but their efforts in 2022 have shown that they're a developing team with the talent and effort required to make significant improvements next season.
Grade: D+
The Cats have shown promise, but haven't been able to make it count in close matches.
Win-loss: 2-2
Ladder position: 7th
The Suns have been one of the competition's biggest improvers in the opening part of 2022. After a slow start, going down to the Giants in Round 1, the Suns kicked into gear with a come-from-behind win against the Eagles. Their Round 3 match was postponed due to AFL health and safety protocols but they picked up where they left off in Round 4 overcoming the Tigers in a five-point thriller. The Suns have stepped it up massively from 2021 where they didn’t win a game for the entire season. With young gun and 2021 #1 draft pick, Charlie Rowbottom, bringing energy, excitement, and footy smarts, she continues to prove exactly why she was worth the top pick. The emergence of Tara Bohanna is starting to become a huge threat to the opposition defence. As head coach Cameron Joyce navigates his first season in charge he has done a fantastic job to keep his side in touch with the top six and well within finals contention.
Grade: B+
Considering the remainder of the Suns fixture and the fact that they still have an extra match under their belt, the Suns can start dreaming about a finals debut.
Win-loss: 2-2
Ladder position: 8th
As yet another side who has played just four games due to ongoing Covid uncertainty, the Giants haven't been given a lot of opportunity to present themselves to the competition. In the four matches they have played, the Giants have won in convincing fashion against the Suns (15 points) and Bulldogs (21 points), while they have comprehensively faltered against two top-four teams in Fremantle (32 points) and the Kangaroos (27 points). One of the teams hit hardest by Covid unavailabilities, the Giants have had to be proactive and flexible with their squad as they look to the second half of the season, and six remaining games, to show their worth. Coming up the Giants face Melbourne in Melbourne before heading back to their home grounds to face Adelaide and Carlton to round out the month.
Grade: C
The Giants haven't shown enough to be in the mix as a solid finals side, but have enough time to turn their season around.
Win-loss: 4-1
Ladder position: 3rd
Melbourne got off to a blazing start to 2022, winning their first three matches in convincing style. Their off-season recruits have already shown their worth and their young talent is getting better each week. The Dees have been a high scoring team so far this season with Kate Hore, Tayla Harris and Daisy Pearce contributing heavily to the scoreboard. It’s no secret that Melbourne boasts one of the elite midfields in the competition, and they have risen to the occasion this year. Karen Paxman has been able to share the midfield load with Lily Mithen, Tyla Hanks and even Eden Zanker who has made a switch to the wing. Excellent leadership and unity amongst the playing group has been a major factor in the Dees' victorious start to the season. Ultimately, the Dees have delivered a well-rounded game across the board this season, which is no surprise given the standard of their list.
Grade: A
With just one blemish thus far there is no limit on what the Dees can achieve in 2022.
Win-loss: 4-1
Ladder position: 4th
If there's one thing to take out of an often uncertain start to the AFLW season, it's that North Melbourne have embraced an attacking style of football. In their opening five rounds, North hasn't hesitated to hit the scoreboard, kicking seven goals in two impressive wins. Throughout the year though, inaccuracy has dogged the club, kicking 3.8, 7.9 and 7.12 in their last three outings - nearly costing them a win against the previously undefeated Fremantle. North have yet to prove themselves against their potential finals rivals, only facing Fremantle (win) and Adelaide (loss) of the teams in the top six at the conclusion of Round 5. However, losing just one game to the undefeated Crows sets the club up well heading into the second half of the season with Richmond, Collingwood, Melbourne, Brisbane and West Coast still to come. Wins against the Tigers and Eagles will be crucial to maintain their top-four position heading into finals, while coming up against genuine flag contenders in Brisbane and Melbourne will be the test North need to see if they are really the real deal.
Grade: B+
Inconsistency in front of goal has cost the Kangaroos a coveted A mark, while their relatively easy draw so far leaves many questions to be answered about their form against contenders.
Win-loss: 1-4
Ladder position: 9th
The season started in promising fashion, with a 38 point drubbing over cellar-dwellers St Kilda. They've gone winless in four games since however, faltering to premiership contenders Melbourne (16 points) and Fremantle (30 points) before going down to the Gold Coast (five points) and Western Bulldogs (17 points). A decent run home - the Tigers play premiership contenders North Melbourne and Brisbane but have winnable games against West Coast, Geelong and GWS - has been made tougher with a horror run of injuries, and there are now genuine concerns the Tigers won't win another game.
Grade: D
It seems to have been all downhill after an excellent start, with form and injuries hitting the club hard.
Win-loss: 0-4
Ladder position: 14th
The Saints have found themselves in the position no club wants at the mid-point of the season - last, with no real optimism going forward. It always looked like it was going to be a tough season for the Saints, with their two star players in Georgia Patrikios (vaccination mandate) and Tyanna Smith (ACL) sidelined from the get-go. With a new coach at the helm in former Saint Nick Dal Santo, fans were cautiously optimistic that the side could improve on their 11th-placed finish in 2021. Still winless after four games, despite coming excruciatingly close against the Eagles, St Kilda don't seem to have answers for questions thrown at them by rival clubs. Saints skipper Hannah Priest has performed admirably all season, but it hasn't been enough to get her side over the line in four attempts. The bright side, if there is one for Saints fans, is that the club still has six games remaining to clear themselves of the wooden spoon and make some improvements on last year. Prior to their match against West Coast, the Saints hadn't played a game in 17 days, meaning that there should be some fresh legs to run out the season.
Grade: F
It's hard to give any other mark to a club sitting on the bottom of the ladder at the mid-point of the season. The Saints have had their fair share of injury trouble but look like they're in for a long season.
Win-loss: 1-4
Ladder position: 12th
The Eagles came into the season with just three wins from their first two years in the competition and 2022 began in a similar fashion, with drubbings at the hands of Fremantle and Adelaide sandwiching a 13 point defeat to the Gold Coast. They were much more competitive in their next two outings however, recording a nail-biting win over St Kilda - their first ever win outside of WA - before going down by less than a kick to Geelong. They haven't been helped by the fact they've been forced to 'hub' in Melbourne for a month, and now get to play their next three games at home - provided other clubs are able to fly in and fly out. Two wins for the season - equalling their best so far - would be a pass mark and three wins would be considered a success.
Grade: D+
We know they're coming from a long way back, with their first interstate win and the fact they've been 'hubbing' in Victoria saving them from an F.
Win-loss: 1-3
Ladder position: 11th
Season overview
‘Murphy’s Law’ might be renamed ‘Bulldogs’ Law’ given their luck so far this season - everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. They entered the season with injuries to key players Gabby Newton, Kirsten McLeod, Deanna Berry and Ellyse Gamble, then lost star forward Isabel Huntington to a season-ending ACL injury in their Round 1 defeat to Melbourne. They were then hit hard by Covid, with two games postponed before having to play three times in nine days. Their first game in this run was a disaster, going down to GWS by 21 points - a 46 point turnaround from their win over the Giants last season. However, they responded well, going down by just six points to second-placed Fremantle four days later before recording their first win of the seasons in a dominant performance against Richmond. Unlikely to play finals, the young Bulldogs finished 2021 with a 5-4 record and, given their injuries, a similar finish this season will be considered a pass mark.
Grade: C-
They’ve had some genuine excuses and they’ve been gutsy but, ultimately, this is a results-based industry.
SEE ALSO: “Oops I did it again” - Luckless Bulldog in high spirits after knee injury