This season of AFLW continues to break records week upon week, and in Round 7 it was St Kilda who delivered.
The Saints managed to make history by recording the biggest ever three-quarter time comeback in the AFLW's 10-year history.
At three-quarter time on Sunday, the Saints trailed 2.3 (15) to Port Adelaide's 6.6 (42). They had remained scoreless in the third quarter and, by AFLW standards, looked to be heading towards certain defeat.
But their fourth quarter performance was something we haven't seen in the competition before; The Saints showed a grit and tenacity that propelled them to a famous victory, and into the history books.
Just a few short weeks after their men's side did the same against the Demons in an epic display, the women's side took flight after the final break and slotted 6.2 (38) to a scoreless Port with thanks to star forward Jesse Wardlaw's three consecutive majors within the space of five minutes.
They finished dominant on the outside, having 66 more uncontested possessions, 55 more handballs receives, and 15 more uncontested marks, but the real winner was the league in general, tapping into a wider trend reshaping the AFLW.
Once upon a time, a two or three-goal deficit was a death sentence. Scores were lower, defences tighter, and momentum swings far rarer. But as the Saints proved, the landscape has changed.
Having already seen a number of huge upsets this season, this comeback showed that no game is safe, and neither is the top eight, as the Saints momentarily broke into finals contention before slipping back to ninth on the ladder by the completion of the round.
The Saints' performance wasn't built on luck. It was forged through midfield dominance, relentless tackling pressure, and a willingness to take the game on when it mattered most. For a club still building its identity in the AFLW, it was the kind of result that can galvanise a group and energise its supporter base.
But zoom out, and their comeback is part of a bigger picture.
Champion Data tells us that in the AFLW's inaugural season (2017), just 17% of matches where a team fell two goals behind at any time ended in a comeback win.
Three-goal deficits were even harder to overcome, with only one side managing this across 29 games (3.4%).
Fast forward to 2025, and the numbers have shifted. This season, 22.2% of games have featured teams clawing back from two goals down, and 8% of matches have seen three-goal deficits overturned -- both all-time highs.
In raw terms, it means 14 of the 63 games played this year have been won by sides that were trailing by at least two goals at some stage.
Compare that with just four such turnarounds across the entire 2022 season, and the contrast is stark.
The fact is that the top eight remains unwritten at this point of the season is a positive turn of events for the league in general.
The upsets are frequent, margins don't mean a done deal, and despite it being a short season, many teams can't rule themselves out of the finals series just yet.
The result is a competition where no team can afford to relax, and fans are being treated to contests that remain alive deep into the final quarter.
For the league, this trend is nothing but positive. Predictability has long been one of the AFLW's challenges, with dominant clubs like Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne often dictating the pace, and although reigning premier North Melbourne looks to be clear frontrunners this season, two seasons ago they were still hunting their first flag.
St Kilda's stirring victory will be remembered as one of the defining moments of the 2025 season. But beyond the result, it shines a light on how the AFLW is evolving. This isn't the competition of 2017, where two goals meant curtains. Today, resilience and belief can turn the tide in minutes.
And safe margins might just be in our rear-view mirror.