With everything changing in the world of football in the last few weeks, it can be easy to forget all the impressive AFLW games that we were able to watch this year.

So what better time to catch up on the AFLW games that you missed, or to re-watch the ones you loved, than now, when there’s no footy on the TV and you’re stuck at home?

Below are the three games that you should start with. They exemplify the significant improvements showcased by the AFLW this season, especially with skill and scoring, as well as the passion of fans in the crowd, which we’re missing at the moment.

So, what are you waiting for? All the games are available on the AFLW website, and you should definitely start with the matches listed below:

Melbourne vs. North Melbourne – Round 1

Final score:
Melbourne: 22 (3.4)
North Melbourne: 20 (3.2)

This game was one of the highlights of Round 1. It was the first game that Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce played in almost two years due to her maternity leave and it was also the only game that North Melbourne lost this season, losing by only two points.

The game saw an impressive debut from North Melbourne’s Irish recruit Aileen Gilroy who made some spectacular tackles. We also saw standout games from veterans Kate Hore (Melbourne), who set her standard for the season scoring two goals and one behind, and North Melbourne’s Jasmine Garner who, in her typical form, racked up 18 disposals and 15 kicks.

The game is engaging from start to finish and is a great example of the AFLW’s increase in skill seen between two of the competition’s best teams. 

 Fremantle vs. Collingwood – Round 3

Final score:
Fremantle: 33 (5.3)
Collingwood: 30 (4.6)

The result of this game was contentious – was Collingwood more worthy of the win, and if so, is Fremantle really worthy of the undefeated title? While the final score leaves Fremantle the winner, as a team, Collingwood were more impressive. They had more inside-50s, kicks, handballs and contested possessions than Fremantle, but they struggled to convert onto the scoreboard.

The game shone a spotlight on underrated players like Fremantle’s Phillipa Seth and Jasmin Stewart and Collingwood’s Aishling Sheridan who all got more than 10 disposals.

Standout players from the game were Fremantle’s Kiara Bowers who achieved over 10 disposals and 14 tackles, and Collingwood’s Jaimee Lambert with an impressive 32 disposals, one goal and one behind. The game shows how the team that won may not always the best team in the game, as well as Collingwood’s improvement as they challenged the competition’s only undefeated team.

Geelong vs. Richmond – Round 4

Final score:
Geelong: 67 (10.7)
Richmond: 45 (7.3)

This game stands out firstly for its impressive score – it had the second highest number of goals in all games this season. It was also Richmond’s highest scoring game, allowing us to see their potential which was missed in other games in the season.

The game had many impressive goals, especially the ones by Geelong’s Kate Darby and Richmond’s Courtney Wakefield in the first two minutes of the game. We also saw Richelle ‘Rocky’ Cranston in her typical high-scoring form, with a goal in the last 10 seconds of the second quarter and one in the first minute of the third quarter.

With their great goal-scoring and overall play, standout players of the game were Geelong’s Rocky Cranston, with a total of 15 disposals, two goals and two behinds, and Richmond’s Courtney Wakefield with 10 disposals and three goals.

The game was possibly the best we saw of both teams for the season, and the energetic crowd in Bendigo acts as a reminder of the joy in getting together to watch a great game of footy which unfortunately can’t be seen right now.