By AFLW reporter Aoife Cunningham St Kilda has finally broken through for its first win of the 2026 AFLW season, and it came on the same weekend the club lost its coach. The Saints defeated Collingwood by two points (39–37) at RSEA Park on Saturday in what was Nick Dal Santo’s final game in charge. The Saints Hall of Famer announced his resignation on Friday following a 0-8 start, and his players responded, laying 19 tackles in the first quarter and winning the clearances 10-

Elke De Smet attended an exclusive panel discussion and screening of the new ABC docuseries exploring modern masculinity. The State of Man poster (Photo courtesy: ABC) “Have we left young men behind in the fight for gender equality?” This was one of the key questions framing the new ABC docuseries, The State of Man. A recent impact screening of clips from the three-hour documentary at Carlton’s Cinema Nova was followed by a lively panel discussion on how to support young men

Bombers break through as North returns to the top. Our AFLW reporter Aoife Cunningham recaps Round 8 Essendon finally broke through with their first victory of the AFLW season, and North Melbourne returned to the top of the ladder after a win over Sydney in some of the highlights of Round 8. Essendon defeated GWS Giants by eight points - 43–35 - at Henson Park on Saturday, after trailing by 24 points at half-time. The Bombers snatched their first win, piling on five goals in

Aoife Cunningham on North ending Melbourne’s unbeaten start, Carlton running riot at Ikon Park and more North Melbourne bounced back from their shock loss to Hawthorn, ending Melbourne’s undefeated start to the season with a convincing 31-point victory on Grand Final eve. The Kangaroos beat the Demons 65-34 at Ikon Park, responding strongly after their 32-game winning streak ended the previous week. The result handed Melbourne their first defeat of the season, while North ret

Aoife Cunningham recaps the latest round of AFLW. Hawthorn have pulled off one of the biggest upsets in AFLW history, ending North Melbourne’s 32-game winning streak with a seven-point victory in Cairns. The Hawks fought back from 10 points down at half-time to defeat the reigning premiers 32–25, bringing North’s remarkable run to an end after almost three years. The Kangaroos have not lost a match since the 2023 AFLW Grand Final against Brisbane, going undefeated through the

Aiofe Cunningham reports on why actress Sydney Sweeney’s new sports ad is making women angry American actress Sydney Sweeney has come under fire from female athletes over her new sports betting advertisement for Novig, with the campaign being accused of sexualising women. The Novig sports betting app campaign, titled ‘Just Sports’, features Sweeney posing almost naked while using basketballs, footballs, tennis racquets and ice hockey sticks to cover her body. After the compan

AFLW games have bigger venues and bigger crowds. Aiofe Cunningham asks can the league build an that growing popularity? AFLW have celebrated their biggest crowds in the opening two rounds of the 2026 season at major stadiums in four double-header games. A stunning 66,996 fans attended the games and the AFLW now face the challenge of turning increased exposure into a lasting audience. The season began in April, with four AFLW games played at major stadiums across Victoria and

Amelia Myles reports on H5 Bird flu in Victoria, and what the future holds for native Australian wildlife With 94 confirmed cases of Avian influenza found in the state since early July, concern is high for the future of Victoria's bird life. H5N1 Avian Influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a highly contagious and fatal illness that causes severe neurological problems and mortality in bird species. The virus has never been detected in Australia until July, 2026, and is now

By Aoife Cunningham Teams walk through the banner together for the Good Friday Appeal’s SuperClash (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images) North Melbourne have continued their dominant run through the 2026 AFLW season, handing Carlton their first defeat with a 33–23 victory at Arden Street Oval. The Blues entered the clash unbeaten after four rounds but faced their biggest test yet against the reigning premiers, who were looking to extend their remarkable winning streak. Carlton got

(Photo: ABC.net) By Abbie Gargett New research from Deakin University has found the education system still shows a bias towards white Christian perspectives. In a paper published January 5, 2026, two sociologists of religion - Dr Anna Halafoff and Dr Ruth Fitzpatrick - published a paper published called, "The myth of a white, Christian nation versus Australia’s diverse worldview reality: rectifying post-truth Christian privilege in the Australian curriculum." They analysed th

Aoife Cunningham kicks off a new weekly column rounding out the highlights ifrom each AFLW round. Round 4 of the 2026 AFLW Season saw a wide array of results around the weekend, a double-header at Princess Park resulted in wins from both Fremantle and Carlton, who continued their unbeaten run. Carlton have continued their impressive start to the season with a commanding 68–29 victory over Collingwood at IKON Park on Sunday, establishing themselves as one of the competition’s

By Lily Nicolitsopoulos Petition promotion (Photo: Richard Welch, MP website) After a year-long battle to scrap the Blackburn Station activity centre project, residents have been handed a partial win as amendments and budget-funding address their key concerns. Blackburn Station is one of 60 train and tram activity centres proposed by the State Government in 2025. Activity centres are a designated zone for increased development, centred around public transport activity hubs.