AFLW Round 10: North stay top, Giants win thriller
North Melbourne stayed on top of the AFLW ladder with a 12.13 (85) to 5.3 (33) win over Essendon at Windy Hill on October 18. The 52-point Round 10 victory kept the Kangaroos at 9-1 with two home-and-away games left. ABC
Essendon made them earn it early. North led only 29-20 at half-time before kicking eight goals to two in the second half to break the game open. ABC The Round 10 clash at Windy Hill in Melbourne was part of the 2026 NAB AFLW Season. AFL
Ash Riddell drove the midfield with 32 disposals, six clearances and two goal assists. A disposal is a kick or handball, and a clearance is a clean win from a stoppage. Jasmine Garner added 27 disposals and two goals, while Eilish Sheerin had 25 disposals and a goal.
Tahlia Randall kicked three goals as the key target inside 50. North shared the load and kept running. That spread proved too much for Essendon after the main break.
Essendon kept fighting through Madison Prespakis, who collected 32 disposals. Bonnie Toogood kicked two goals from 18 possessions. Ruck Stephanie Wales had 23 hit-outs, which are taps from the ruck contest, plus 13 disposals and four clearances.
The result leaves North in control of the minor premiership, awarded to the team that finishes first after the home-and-away season. Wins over Adelaide and Richmond in the final two rounds will secure it. Essendon slipped to 1-9.
Elsewhere, Greater Western Sydney edged Hawthorn 7.13 (55) to 7.12 (54) at Henson Park in Sydney. It was decided by a point. Jacqueline Dupuy kicked a goal with two minutes left to cut Hawthorn's lead to two points, then Hawthorn forward Aine McDonagh missed a snap with 18 seconds remaining.
The win gave midfielder Tilly Lucas-Rodd a victory in her 100th match. Hawthorn fell to 5-5 and slipped to ninth. GWS moved to 2-8 and sit 15th.
Sydney also won big, beating Collingwood 12.8 (80) to 4.5 (29) by 51 points. Chloe Molloy, Cynthia Hamilton and Taylor Smith each kicked three goals. Sydney moved to 7-3 and sit seventh on the ladder.
For fans, this means the top is still North's to lose. The Kangaroos found space after half-time and ran in numbers. That is hard to stop in October.
