The final week of the 2025 AFLW home-and-away season is a dream for the league, with storylines aplenty shaping the run into finals.
The Kangaroos have claimed their second consecutive minor premiership, and the rest of the top four is locked away by Hawthorn, Melbourne, and the Brisbane Lions -- the latter two thanks to far superior percentages than those below them. But the results from the penultimate round means there are eight teams (mathematically more so than realistically) still fighting for the four spots that remain in the bottom half of the top eight.
Carlton, Adelaide, Sydney, Fremantle, St Kilda, and West Coast will all be fighting to the death, while there's still a very slight pulse for Port Adelaide and Geelong.
For the Saints and the Eagles, a maiden finals berth is on the line.
Both clubs have flirted with finals contention previously but never quite made it. Let's look at how they can make it happen.
West Coast are sitting on six wins, five losses, and a percentage of 118.1 %. They face a crucial final-round clash against Carlton, who sit two rungs above them on 113.3% and a game ahead. A win against the Blues would likely seal the deal. A loss? Could spell curtains on their campaign.
The Eagles bring a young list under the stewardship of coach and Demons premiership star Daisy Pearce, who has injected confidence and structure into an emerging side.
West Coast, in the AFLW competition since 2020, have hovered outside the top eight each year, building patiently, particularly in the last two years under Pearce's leadership.
The Eagles average 41.2 inside 50s per game and will need to focus on accuracy between the sticks to silence the Blues' defensive pressure.
For West Coast, the story this week is especially compelling, and a victory over Carlton will write a new chapter: fresh faces stepping into finals.
Eyes will also be on Pearce, who has her own story of yearning for another premiership.
Pearce captained the Demons when they narrowly missed finals in 2017, and again in 2018. Sitting out seasons 2019 and 2020 while pregnant with her twins and conditioning post birth, they played finals upon her return in 2021 but lost to Adelaide in the prelim -- a fate they repeated when they lost the Grand Final to them the next year. It wasn't until 2022 that she finally tasted success and clinched her first AFLW premiership.
To have a coach that knows just what it's like might serve in their favour, but while the Eagles' storyline centres on Pearce and her young list, St Kilda are building under Nick Dal Santo.
The Saints sit with seven wins, four losses and a percentage of 96.3%. They too are chasing a first finals berth, and their final match offers the opportunity to stamp their arrival.
They have grown steadily, recent seasons bringing closer calls.
From 2020 to 2022 St Kilda were building the program and were generally outside finals contention, but in 2023, were still relying on final-round permutations.
Last year they fell back and finished 11th on the ladder but looked to be close to contention throughout the season.
For St Kilda, though their percentage is slightly lower than that of West Coast, the extra win gives them not only a buffer, but strong momentum and a position of power heading into the deciding week. And a first finals spot would shift the club's identity and validate the list build.
This is their most promising campaign yet, and off the back of a loss to North Melbourne on the weekend, they'll be hoping to beat the 13th-placed Western Bulldogs by a solid margin to comfortably secure their place in the top eight.
In many ways, the story for both clubs is similar. New lists (or newly matured lists), emerging leaders, high expectations, and the feeling that they are on the brink of making history for their club.