Sydney and Hawthorn won the AFLW elimination finals on Sunday 8 November, the AFL reported, and Hawthorn’s 18-point win over Gold Coast was the first finals victory in the club’s AFLW history. Both now go through to a semi-final double on Saturday 14 November, Sydney against Geelong and Hawthorn against Carlton.
The Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast are out. The AFL’s ranking after the first week of finals has North Melbourne first, then Melbourne, Geelong, Carlton, Sydney and Hawthorn.
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Swans Win at Henson Park
Sydney beat the Western Bulldogs 7.4 (46) to 2.5 (17) in the second elimination final at Henson Park, a 29-point win that ended the Bulldogs’ season, according to the AFL.
The Swans struck almost at once. Lucy McEvoy kicked the opening goal after 19 seconds, equalling the fastest opening goal in an AFLW final, and Sydney led by 24 points at quarter-time, the AFL reported.
Sydney’s biggest call was made well before the first bounce. Chloe Molloy, the league’s leading goalkicker with a record 28 home-and-away goals, was moved into defence under a plan set at the start of the week, according to the AFL. She had 16 disposals, 14 contested possessions and 12 intercepts, then kicked a goal in the third quarter.
Sydney coach Colin O’Riordan described how it came about, as reported by the AFL.
“We came up with a plan at the start of the week as a coaching group to identify that, and if there’s a wind, what do we do?”
On Molloy, O’Riordan said: “She reads the game so well.”
Tanya Kennedy laid a game-high 17 tackles, while Ellie Blackburn had a game-high 29 disposals for the Bulldogs, the AFL reported.
Hawthorn’s First Finals Win
Hawthorn beat Gold Coast 8.9 (57) to 6.3 (39) at People First Stadium, according to the AFL. The Hawks trailed by three points at half-time, then kicked five goals to two.
The win ends a run of early exits. Hawthorn went out of the finals in straight sets in each of the two previous seasons, losing to Brisbane and Port Adelaide in 2024 and to North Melbourne and Carlton in 2025, the AFL reported.
Laura Stone kicked two goals from 21 disposals and Eliza West had 29 disposals and eight clearances, according to the AFL.
The Age noted that Hawthorn is the only team to beat North Melbourne in the 2026 season, in round six.
Coach Daniel Webster spoke to The Age after the win.
“Obviously, it’s a great feeling,” Webster said.
He also said: “We know our football can compete with and beat the best”.
For Gold Coast, the loss came at the end of a season in which the Suns won a club-record nine home-and-away games, the AFL reported.
Saturday 14 November
Week two of the finals sets the two elimination final winners against the two clubs that lost qualifying finals. Geelong lost to Melbourne and Carlton lost to North Melbourne in the first week, The Age reported.
Both semi-finals are on Saturday 14 November, according to the AFL’s fixture. The second semi-final, Geelong v Sydney, is at GMHBA Stadium at 4.05pm AEDT. The first semi-final, Carlton v Hawthorn, is at Ikon Park at 7.15pm AEDT.
Tickets went on sale through Ticketmaster on Monday 9 November, at 11am AEDT for club and AFL members and 1pm for the public, the AFL said. Adults pay $15 for week two and $20 for week three, and under-15s get in free. Grand final tickets are $35 for adults and $5 for juniors, with prices frozen for a third year.
The AFLW season ends with the grand final on Friday 27 November, hosted by the highest-ranked club, according to the AFL.
More football coverage is in our AFL archive.
Sources: AFL, “Semi-finals fixture: Venues, times, ticket details for week two”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1639630/semi-finals-fixture-venues-times-ticket-details-for-week-two); AFL, “Super Swans master conditions to end Dogs’ season”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1639628/super-sydney-swans-master-conditions-to-end-western-bulldogs-dogs-season); AFL, “Hawks break hoodoo as huge injury concern adds to Suns’ loss”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1639631/hawthorn-hawks-break-finals-hoodoo-as-huge-injury-concern-adds-to-gold-coast-suns-loss); AFL, “Swans’ decisive Molloy ploy a week in the planning”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1639629/sydney-swans-decisive-molloy-ploy-a-week-in-the-planning-against-western-bulldogs); The Age, “‘Compete with and beat the best’: Hawks nail first AFLW finals win and dare to dream big”, 8 November 2026 (https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/sydney-swans-secure-aflw-semi-final-spot-with-dominant-win-over-western-bulldogs-20261108-p61cdw.html)
Photo: Graeme Bartlett, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Henson Park in Marrickville, seen from the air in December 2012. Sydney played its elimination final against the Western Bulldogs there on 8 November 2026.
