Magpies beat Demons to go top of AFLW ladder, Crows thrash Saints by 53 points

Collingwood has stamped itself as AFLW premiership favourites after disposing of a wayward Melbourne by 35 points.

The Magpies, who went top of the ladder as the league’s only unbeaten team, destroyed the Demons by running out 7.7 (49) to 1.8 (14) winners in the Indigenous Round match.

Earlier on Sunday, star performances from Ebony Marinoff and Erin Phillips propelled Adelaide to a crushing 53-point win over St Kilda at Norwood Oval.

And West Coast broke through for its first win of the season, posting a pulsating one-point victory over Gold Coast in Perth.

Collingwood kept Melbourne goalless until late in the third quarter in a commanding all-round display in front of 2,931 spectators at the Magpies’ spiritual home of Victoria Park.

Dynamite forward Chloe Molloy produced another electric display with three goals to take her to equal top of the league goal-kicking list alongside Phillips and Western Bulldogs ace Isabel Huntington.

But there were late concerns for Molloy as the Magpies star went off the field in the final term clutching her shoulder.

Collingwood also lost Jordan Membrey to a knee injury in the third quarter.

Magpies ball magnets Brittany Bonnici and Jamiee Lambert had days out with a dominant displays in the midfield.

After struggling through their first three AFLW seasons, the Magpies have emerged as surprise flag threats under coach Steve Symonds.

Fremantle’s shock defeat to the Brisbane Lions on Saturday means Collingwood is a match clear on top of the standings with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record.

The Demons, who were unbeaten after three rounds, have endured back-to-back horror defeats to kick a combined total of 3.20 in two weekends after booting 2.12 against the Bulldogs in round four.

Crows run rampant against Saints

The high-flying Crows held the Saints scoreless until late in the third term on their way to an 8.13 (61) to 1.2 (8) win, their first victory at their home ground since round two last season.

It was a disappointing day for the Saints, who recorded their lowest score and heaviest defeat in their short AFLW history.

Marinoff (23 possessions and nine tackles) and Phillips (21 disposals and a goal) were the standouts for the Crows, who had winners across every line.

Both defensive units held sway in the first quarter, with the only goal for the term coming off the boot of Phillips, who converted a free kick after the siren to give her side a nine-point lead.

But while the Crows were able to keep the defensive clamps firmly tightened in the second quarter, they were also able to find their feet offensively.

Chelsea Randall continued her fine run of form in attack to boot Adelaide’s second major and back-to-back goals from Teah Charlton blew the margin out to 30 points at the main break.

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The scoreboard at half-time told a grim tale for the visitors, but even more damning was the lopsided 29-2 inside 50 count.

The Saints did not manage to go inside their attacking 50 once in the second term and could not conjure a single possession inside forward 50 for the half.

Danielle Ponter and Ash Woodland hit the scoreboard to deepen St Kilda’s woes after the break before Kate Shierlaw ran onto a loose ball in the goal square to open the visitors’ account with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Jessica Sedunary kicked her first goal since returning to Adelaide from a stint with the Saints after the restart and Justine Mules kicked the first goal of her AFLW career as the Crows cruised to a percentage-boosting win.

Eagles sneak home in the west

Remarkably, West Coast led 25-11 early in the third quarter despite the inside 50s count reading 22-5 in favour of Gold Coast.

The Eagles still led by eight points with just over two minutes remaining in the match.

But in a thrilling finish in front of 1,119 spectators, Suns forward Kalinda Howarth kicked truly to close the margin to two points before a Jamie Stanton snap reduced the gap to one point after rolling just wide.

The Suns were handed a free kick 60 metres out from goal with more than a minute remaining when an Eagles runner got in the way of play, but West Coast bravely repelled the attack to hold on for the 5.4 (34) to 4.9 (33) win.

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Eagles defender Mikayla Bowen tallied 21 disposals and a crucial final-quarter goal in a superb display, while Maddy Collier and Emma Swanson were also crucial.

Gold Coast was made to pay dearly for a series of early misses from forward Maddison Levi, who ended the first term with three behinds to her name.

Her worst shank came when she missed a set shot from 15 metres out on a slight angle.

The Eagles, in contrast, registered four scoring shots from their four inside 50s for the term.

Three of those resulted in goals, including one to late inclusion Kate Orme, who was on the end of a beautiful series of passes.

The Eagles led by 15 points at quarter time, but worryingly they were fast losing players.

Defender Tayla Bresland limped off late in the first quarter with a match-ending right hamstring injury, while forward Imahra Cameron was helped off by two trainers on half-time with what looked to be a painful leg injury.

The Suns dominated play for most of the opening quarter and they finally broke through for their first goal when Sarah Perkins took a solid pack mark and duly converted.

Perkins limped off a short time later with a knee injury when West Coast’s Maddy Collier clattered into her in clumsy fashion, ruling her out for the rest of the match.

The Eagles did not enter their forward 50 at all in the second term, but they still clung to a 19-11 lead at the long break.

Gold Coast’s horror display in front of goal was summed up in the third quarter when Hannah Dunn kicked into the person on the mark when taking her set shot directly in front.

In the end, all those missed opportunities came back to haunt them, leaving the Suns winless after five rounds.

AAP/ABC