A three-goal burst in the third quarter has seen the Western Bulldogs claim the 2018 AFLW premiership with a 6-point win over the Brisbane Lions.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Western Bulldogs 4.3 (27)
Brisbane Lions 3.3 (21)
A tightly-contested AFLW season has come down to this: the Western Bulldogs and the Brisbane Lions playing off in the 2018 AFLW Grand Final on Saturday afternoon at Ikon Park. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 12:35pm AEDT.
Just a week ago there were amazingly still five teams potentially in contention for the AFLW Grand Final due to the competition’s seven-week season that sees the top two teams automatically go through.
Brisbane and the Bulldogs both succeeded at the final hurdle but GWS, Adelaide and Melbourne were all defeated and fell short of grand final berths.
That means Adelaide’s premiership defence is over and Melbourne have failed two years in a row to make the big match despite being one of the more highly rated teams in the competition.
Fans of the Melbourne men’s team certainly can relate to the feeling of missing a finals cutoff by percentage alone.
Brisbane had to cross their fingers for other results to go their way and they did – they’ll enter this match very glad to know that they’ve got a chance to right the wrongs of last year’s loss.
The Bulldogs, on the other hand, have a had a tumultuous week. Katie Brennan returned from injury in their last match to help put them into this one, but has since been banned.
Despite taking her case to the tribunal, appeals board, and apparently next up the Australian Human Rights Commission, at time of writing she will not be available to play.
Despite seeming to get constantly hit with bad luck this AFLW season, the Bulldogs still look to be the stronger side on paper.
But will the media circus around Brennan’s ban – and the fact she will not be part of the team on Saturday – derail the Dogs’ mental focus?
Prediction
I reckon Brisbane will come into this one hungrier and more focused, and that will be the difference in a tight affair.
Brisbane Lions by 12.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 12:35pm AEDT.
JR Salazar
Guest
Brisbane is now the Buffalo Bills of AFL Women's. The day after this, the men got rekt.
Josh
Expert
Dogs AFLW team go the Bob Murphy, inviting Katie Brennan up on stage. That's nice.
Josh
Expert
Monique Conti named best on ground.
User
Roar Rookie
Enjoyable none the less
Josh
Expert
Some real twists and turns in that match, a close game befitting what was a great season of AFLW, the Bulldogs deserving premiers, the best team all year. Check out the full match report here.
Josh
Expert
Full Time That's the game! Western Bulldogs win the 2018 AFLW grand final!
Western Bulldogs: 4.3 (27) Brisbane Lions: 3.3 (21)
Josh
Expert
1:10 - Controversial umpiring decision there in some confusion, Bulldogs awarded a behind, Lions must kick a goal to take us to extra time.
Western Bulldogs: 4.3 (27) Brisbane Lions: 3.3 (21)
Josh
Expert
2:00 - Two minutes left, Dogs going forward. Brisbane must come up with something now.
Western Bulldogs: 4.2 (26) Brisbane Lions: 3.3 (21)
Josh
Expert
Goal 3:04 - Wuetschner is taken high, she nails the shot on goal! Her second of the term and all of a sudden the lead is just one kick away.
Western Bulldogs: 4.2 (26) Brisbane Lions: 3.3 (21)
Josh
Expert
Behind 3:38 - Emma Zielke has a shot but Lauren Spark knocks it through for a minor score.
Western Bulldogs: 4.2 (26) Brisbane Lions: 2.3 (15)
Josh
Expert
Goal 4:52 - SHE's GOT IT! That looks like a premiership-winning goal for the Western Bulldogs courtesy of Emma Kearney.
Western Bulldogs: 4.2 (26) Brisbane Lions: 2.2 (14)
Josh
Expert
5:24 - Emma Kearney wraps up Kaitlyn Ashmore and will now have a shot on goal.
Western Bulldogs: 3.2 (20) Brisbane Lions: 2.2 (14)
Josh
Expert
6:12 - Aasta O'Connor has a ping on goal, cleaned up by Leah Kaslar who is careful not to concede the behind.
Western Bulldogs: 3.2 (20) Brisbane Lions: 2.2 (14)
Aligee
Guest
shocking umpiring, hundreds of free kicks missed, not a great advertisement IMO for womens football makes it scrappier and scrappier.
Josh
Expert
6:48 - Hard tackle has Shannon Campbell colliding with the turf and she looks to be concussed. Play has stopped.
Western Bulldogs: 3.2 (20) Brisbane Lions: 2.2 (14)
Matto
Guest
Could be a handy point
Josh
Expert
Behind Oof. Sabrina Frederick-Traub has a set shot on goal from a really tough angle and can't quite do it.
Western Bulldogs: 3.2 (20) Brisbane Lions: 2.2 (14)
Josh
Expert
Goal Perfect start for Brisbane! Jess Wuetschner pounces on loose ball and rolls one through.
Western Bulldogs: 3.2 (20) Brisbane Lions: 2.1 (13)
Josh
Expert
Final term underway!
Josh
Expert
Three-Quarter Time Well, they call it the premiership quarter for a reason... three goals to none for the Bulldogs in that term, and they are 13 points up at the final break. One more quarter from glory.
Western Bulldogs: 3.2 (20) Brisbane Lions: 1.1 (7)