AFLW Round 4 recap

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 early Premiership contenders, while Collingwood struggles with their fourth consecutive defeat.

Kate Surman celebrating with her team during Round 4 match against Essendon (Photo: Getty

Standouts from Carlton included Mimi Hill, who rounded up 31 disposals; Harriet Cordner with 10 marks, and Lila Keck, who booted three goals for the Blues.

Over at Mission Whitten Oval, the Western Bulldogs also announced themselves as premiership contenders, breaking Sydney’s undefeated streak with a 27-point win. Swans player Chloe Molloy was a standout, kicking three goals from 14 disposals, despite the defeat.

Reigning Premiers North Melbourne produced the most dominant performance of the weekend, dismantling St Kilda by 92 points at RSEA Park and the 99–7 victory by the Roos extends their historic unbeaten streak to 29 matches.

Carlton players celebrate after their win over Collingwood at IKON Park in R4. Picture: AFL Photos

A much tighter contest played out at Alberton Oval, with the Gold Coast Suns edging out Port Adelaide by just three points, 17–14, after the final siren.

Brisbane recorded a comfortable win over GWS in Ipswich, finishing 55–24, while Fremantle defeated Richmond 60–35 at IKON Park. 

The fourth round also saw Adelaide overcome Hawthorn 67–39, Geelong continued their strong start to the season with a 83–51 victory over Essendon at GMHBA Stadium and Melbourne triumphed with an 81–44 win over West Coast.

Round 4 also marked the second week of the AFLW Indigenous Round, with clubs celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture throughout the weekend. With several sides already establishing themselves as early contenders, Round 5 will deliver another test of who can maintain their momentum in the competition. 

AFLW Indigenous Round launch at Sir Doug Nicholls Sporting Complex in Melbourne August 26 . Photo: AFLW

Round 4 in numbers

92

The biggest winning margin, as North Melbourne demolished St Kilda.

29

North Melbourne’s unbeaten streak.

27

The Bulldogs’ winning margin over Sydney.

9

Goals between Tahlia Randall and Kate Shierlaw for North Melbourne 

83

Geelong’s winning score against Essendon. 

3

Points between Gold Coast and Port Adelaide in the round’s closest game.

Reported by Aoife Cunningham