# 2024 VFL Women's season

The 2024 VFL Women's season was the eighth season of the VFL Women's (VFLW), the state-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season ran from 22 March to 21 July, comprising a home-and-away season, followed by a finals series featuring the top six clubs.
The season was contested by 12 clubs. It also included matches against New South Wales AFL Women's teams Greater Western Sydney and Sydney; the New South Wales teams were not premiership eligible, but there were premiership points available for the Victorian clubs in the matches. The NSW clubs each played five matches featuring many of their AFL Women's contracted players, with the two clubs using the VFLW competition to gain experience ahead of the 2024 AFL Women's season which began in August. The presence of the NSW clubs playing their AFLW-listed players differed from the Victorian clubs who chose not to play their AFLW-listed players in their VFLW programs citing the risk of injury. This resulted in some lop-sided results between the NSW teams and their opponents, with only Collingwood able to defeat Sydney, while the GWS Giants were undefeated in their matches.
Prior to the start of the season, there was speculation that Collingwood would affiliate with Williamstown for the 2024 VFLW season "as part of broader reviews from the AFL and the club into the direction of the VFLW". However, no affiliation agreement resulted from the reviews.
North Melbourne defeated Western Bulldogs in the Grand Final played at ETU Stadium, scoring a record high score of 10.8 (68) points against the Bulldogs 7.6 (48) to claim the club's first VFL Women's premiership.

## Coach appointments

| New coach | Club | Date of appointment | Previous coach |
| Lache Walker | Darebin | 14 September 2023 | Kate Tyndall |
| Michael Ericson | Box Hill | November 2023 | Cherie O'Neill |
| Brett Gourley | North Melbourne | 21 November 2023 | Steph Binder |
| Cherie O'Neill | Essendon | 31 January 2024 | Travis Cloke |

## Win/loss table

* Fixture list
* Home matches are in bold and opponents are listed above the margins.
Key :
| + | Win | | Draw |
| - | Loss | X | Bye |
| Team | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Home-and-away season | Finals series | Finals series | Finals series | Finals series |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | FW1 | FW2 | FW3 | GF |
| Box Hill | CAS +108 | GEE +96 | COL +34 | WIL +10 | NM +50 | SYD -63 | WB -25 | SS +11 | DAR -8 | CAR +60 | ESS -10 | GEE +90 | NM -9 | PM 0 | PM -18 | | | |
| Carlton | GEE +31 | NM -21 | GWS -8 | COL -17 | PM +8 | WB -18 | GEE +3 | DAR -25 | WIL -28 | BOX -60 | CAS -10 | ESS +24 | SS +75 | DAR -9 | | | | |
| Casey | BOX -108 | WB -21 | NM +3 | PM +23 | SYD -85 | SS +16 | WIL 0 | ESS -41 | GEE +13 | DAR -21 | CAR +10 | COL -15 | WB -33 | SS -16 | | | | |
| Collingwood | SS -8 | PM -40 | BOX -34 | CAR +17 | DAR +28 | ESS -17 | SYD +2 | GEE +42 | WB -30 | NM -5 | SS -4 | CAS +15 | DAR +9 | WIL -10 | | | | |
| Darebin | WIL -76 | SS -25 | ESS -30 | GEE -7 | COL -28 | WIL -38 | PM -8 | CAR +25 | BOX +8 | CAS +21 | NM -6 | WB +18 | COL -9 | CAR +9 | | | | |
| Essendon | PM -47 | WIL 0 | DAR +30 | WB -2 | SS +9 | COL +17 | GWS -47 | CAS +41 | NM -66 | PM +12 | BOX +10 | CAR -24 | WIL -18 | GEE +49 | NM -63 | | | |
| Geelong Cats | CAR -31 | BOX -96 | SS +18 | DAR +7 | GWS -85 | NM +24 | CAR -3 | COL -42 | CAS -13 | WIL -86 | WB -71 | BOX -90 | PM -47 | ESS -49 | | | | |
| Greater Western Sydney | X | X | CAR +8 | SS +62 | GEE +85 | PM +25 | ESS +47 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | | | | |
| North Melbourne | WB +22 | CAR +21 | CAS -3 | SYD -89 | BOX -50 | GEE -24 | SS +1 | WIL -4 | ESS +66 | COL +5 | DAR +6 | PM +11 | BOX +9 | WB -7 | ESS +63 | WIL +18 | X | WB +20 |
| Port Melbourne | ESS +47 | COL +40 | WIL +23 | CAS -23 | CAR -8 | GWS -25 | DAR +8 | WB -33 | SS +4 | ESS -12 | WIL -2 | NM -11 | GEE +47 | BOX 0 | BOX +18 | WB -12 | | |
| Southern Saints | COL +8 | DAR +25 | GEE -18 | GWS -62 | ESS -9 | CAS -16 | NM -1 | BOX -11 | PM -4 | WB -10 | COL +4 | WIL -30 | CAR -75 | CAS +16 | | | | |
| Sydney | X | X | WB +62 | NM +89 | CAS +85 | BOX +63 | COL -2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | | | | |
| Western Bulldogs | NM -22 | CAS +21 | SYD -62 | ESS +2 | WIL -21 | CAR +18 | BOX +25 | PM +33 | COL +30 | SS +10 | GEE +71 | DAR -18 | CAS +33 | NM +7 | WIL -18 | PM +12 | WIL +44 | NM -20 |
| Williamstown | DAR +76 | ESS 0 | PM -23 | BOX -10 | WB +21 | DAR +38 | CAS 0 | NM +4 | CAR +28 | GEE +86 | PM +2 | SS +30 | ESS +18 | COL +10 | WB +18 | NM -18 | WB -44 | |

## Ladder

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Williamstown | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 594 | 314 | 189.2 | 44 | Finals series |
| 2 | Western Bulldogs | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 619 | 492 | 125.8 | 40 | Finals series |
| 3 | Box Hill | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 734 | 390 | 188.2 | 34 | Finals series |
| 4 | North Melbourne (P) | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 519 | 555 | 93.5 | 32 | Finals series |
| 5 | Essendon | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 446 | 482 | 92.5 | 30 | Finals series |
| 6 | Port Melbourne | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 458 | 403 | 113.6 | 26 | Finals series |
| 7 | Collingwood | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 341 | 375 | 90.9 | 24 | |
| 8 | Casey | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 457 | 732 | 62.4 | 22 | |
| 9 | GWS Giants (E) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 299 | 72 | 415.3 | 20 | |
| 10 | Carlton | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 447 | 502 | 89.0 | 20 | |
| 11 | Darebin | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 341 | 487 | 70.0 | 20 | |
| 12 | Sydney Swans (E) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 418 | 121 | 345.5 | 16 | |
| 13 | Southern Saints | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 319 | 503 | 63.4 | 16 | |
| 14 | Geelong Cats | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 287 | 851 | 33.7 | 12 | |

### Progression by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Box Hill | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 28 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 34 |
| Carlton | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 20 |
| Casey | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| Collingwood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 24 |
| Darebin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 20 |
| Essendon | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 30 |
| Geelong Cats | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Greater Western Sydney | − | − | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | – | − | − | − | − | − | − |
| North Melbourne | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 32 |
| Port Melbourne | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 26 |
| Southern Saints | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
| Sydney | − | − | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 16 | − | − | − | − | − | − | − |
| Western Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 36 | 40 |
| Williamstown | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 36 | 40 | 44 |

## Finals series

Match-ups set using the second McIntyre final six system.
| Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 30 June, DSV Stadium | 30 June, DSV Stadium | 30 June, DSV Stadium | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Williamstown | 7.3 (45) | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Western Bulldogs | 4.3 (27) | 7 July, DSV Stadium | 7 July, DSV Stadium | 7 July, DSV Stadium | | | | 21 July, ETU Stadium | 21 July, ETU Stadium | 21 July, ETU Stadium |
| | | | Williamstown | Williamstown | 5.5 (35) | | | | North Melbourne | North Melbourne | 10.8 (68) |
| Elimination finals | Elimination finals | Elimination finals | North Melbourne | North Melbourne | 8.5 (53) | 14 July, ETU Stadium | 14 July, ETU Stadium | 14 July, ETU Stadium | Western Bulldogs | Western Bulldogs | 7.6 (48) |
| 29 June, Fenjiu Stadium | 29 June, Fenjiu Stadium | 29 June, Fenjiu Stadium | | | | Williamstown | Williamstown | 2.4 (16) | | | |
| 3 | Box Hill | 4.7 (31) | 6 July, Mission Whitten Oval | 6 July, Mission Whitten Oval | 6 July, Mission Whitten Oval | Western Bulldogs | Western Bulldogs | 9.6 (60) | | | |
| 6 | Port Melbourne | 7.7 (49) | Western Bulldogs | Western Bulldogs | 5.4 (34) | | | | | | |
| 30 June, Arden Street Oval | 30 June, Arden Street Oval | 30 June, Arden Street Oval | Port Melbourne | Port Melbourne | 3.4 (22) | | | | | | |
| 4 | North Melbourne | 12.4 (76) | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Essendon | 2.1 (13) | | | | | | | | | |

### Qualifying and elimination finals

| | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | Qualifying final | | |
| Sunday, 30 June (2:00 pm) | Williamstown 7.3 (45) | def. | Western Bulldogs 4.3 (27) | DSV Stadium | Report |
| | Elimination finals | Elimination finals | Elimination finals | | |
| Saturday, 29 June (11:30 am) | Box Hill 4.7 (31) | def. by | Port Melbourne 7.7 (49) | Fenjiu Stadium | Report |
| Sunday, 30 June (1:00 pm) | North Melbourne 12.4 (76) | def. | Essendon 2.1 (13) | Arden Street Oval | Report |

### Semi finals

| | Semi finals | Semi finals | Semi finals | | |
| Saturday, 6 July (1:00 pm) | Western Bulldogs 5.4 (34) | def. | Port Melbourne 3.4 (22) | Mission Whitten Oval | Report |
| Sunday, 7 July (2:00 pm) | Williamstown 5.5 (35) | def. by | North Melbourne 8.5 (53) | DSV Stadium | Report |

### Preliminary final

| | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | | |
| Sunday, 14 July (12:30 pm) | Williamstown 2.4 (16) | def. by | Western Bulldogs 9.6 (60) | ETU Stadium | Report |

### Grand Final

| | 2024 VFLW Grand Final | 2024 VFLW Grand Final | 2024 VFLW Grand Final | | |
| Sunday, 21 July (12:10 pm) | North Melbourne | def. | Western Bulldogs | ETU Stadium | Report |
| | 4.2 (26) 6.4 (40) 6.6 (42) 10.8 (68) | Q1 Q2 Q3 Final | 0.1 (1) 2.4 (16) 6.6 (42) 7.6 (48) | Umpires: G Devenish, A Bailes, N Walsh Lisa Hardeman Medal: Nyakoat Dojiok (North Melbourne) Television broadcast: Seven Network | Umpires: G Devenish, A Bailes, N Walsh Lisa Hardeman Medal: Nyakoat Dojiok (North Melbourne) Television broadcast: Seven Network |
| N. Dojiok 4 E. Paterno 2 A. Barba, M. Di Cosmo, G. Nicholas, A. Rhodes | N. Dojiok 4 E. Paterno 2 A. Barba, M. Di Cosmo, G. Nicholas, A. Rhodes | Goals | M. Clifford, R. Saulitis, M. McLeod, I. Milford, T. Pulcino, J. Tabb, K. Hardingham | M. Clifford, R. Saulitis, M. McLeod, I. Milford, T. Pulcino, J. Tabb, K. Hardingham |
| N. Dojiok, A. Rhodes, A. Barba, M. Di Cosmo, M. McSweeney, K. Reynolds, N. Hales | N. Dojiok, A. Rhodes, A. Barba, M. Di Cosmo, M. McSweeney, K. Reynolds, N. Hales | Best | D. Carbone, K. Hardingham, T. Hurst, C. Ugle, T. Pulcino, J. Tabb | D. Carbone, K. Hardingham, T. Hurst, C. Ugle, T. Pulcino, J. Tabb |
| North Melbourne won their first VFL Women's premiership, scoring a record high score in a VFLW Grand Final. North Melbourne had led by 32 points before the Western Bulldogs levelled the scores in the third quarter. Nyakoat Dojiok (North Melbourne) won the Lisa Hardeman Medal as best-on-ground, kicking three goals in the first half, adding a fourth in the final quarter. ||||||
* Grand Final gallery
* Captain Jess Jones (L) and coach Brett Gourley (R) celebrate with the premiership cup
* Lisa Hardeman (R) presented Nyakoat Dojiok (L) with the Lisa Hardeman Medal for best on field
* North Melbourne players celebrating their victory

## Awards

* Lambert–Pearce Medal (Best and Fairest): Dominique Carbone (Western Bulldogs) – 17 votes
* Rohenna Young Medal (Leading Goal kicker): Monique DeMatteo (Darebin) – 24 goals
* Debbie Lee Medal (Rising Star): Keeley Hardingham (Western Bulldogs)
* Coaches MVP: Ange Gogos (Darebin)
* Coach of the Year: Brett Gourley (North Melbourne)
* Lisa Hardeman Medal (Best on ground VFL Women's Grand Final): Nyakoat Dojiok (North Melbourne)
2024 VFL Women's Team of the Year :
| B: | Lori Stepnell (Williamstown) | Nicole Hales (North Melbourne) | |
| HB: | Meg MacDonald (Casey) | Tessa Boyd (Southern Saints) | Lauren Caruso (Port Melbourne) |
| C: | Caitlin Thorne (Box Hill) | Ange Gogos (Darebin) | Charlotte Ryan (Southern Saints) |
| HF: | Sharnie Whiting (Williamstown) | Monique DeMatteo (Darebin) | Jaimi Tabb (Western Bulldogs) |
| F: | Eliza Stratford (c) (Williamstown) | Nyakoat Dojiok (North Melbourne) | |
| Foll: | Keeley Hardingham (Western Bulldogs) | Dominique Carbone (Western Bulldogs) | Alana Barba (North Melbourne) |
| Int: | Maddie Di Cosmo (North Melbourne) | Maddison Ford (Essendon) | Tamara Luke (Box Hill) |
| Int: | Audrey Rhodes (North Melbourne) | Ava Seton (Port Melbourne) | |
| Coach: | Brett Gourley (North Melbourne) | Brett Gourley (North Melbourne) | Brett Gourley (North Melbourne) |

### Club best and fairest winners

| Club | Best & Fairest |
| Box Hill | Tamara Luke |
| Carlton | Eliza Wood |
| Casey | Meg Macdonald |
| Collingwood | Katie Day |
| Darebin | Ange Gogos |
| Essendon | El Chaston |
| Geelong Cats | Lily Jordan |
| North Melbourne | Maddie Di Cosmo |
| Port Melbourne | Ava Seton |
| Southern Saints | Charlotte Ryan |
| Western Bulldogs | Keeley Hardingham |
| Williamstown | Megan Williamson |
| Williamstown | Emily Eaves |