Dees Punch Finals Ticket With No-Fuss Demolition of Tigers

Pride Round delivered exactly what everyone hoped for off the field, and on it Melbourne delivered a statement that the rest of the competition would’ve heard loud and clear. The Dees didn’t just beat Richmond on the weekend, they dismantled them, and in doing so locked in their spot in the AFLW finals series with something to spare.

If you’re a footy fan who still thinks the women’s comp is some kind of afterthought, this is the game you needed to watch. Melbourne were clinical, composed and honestly a bit scary in patches. No notes from me on how they went about it.

A statement win in the best round of the year

Pride Round always hits different. The guernseys, the messaging, the genuine sense that this game means something bigger than four quarters of footy — it’s one of my favourite weekends on the AFLW calendar, full stop. And Melbourne made sure the footy matched the occasion.

From the opening bounce the Dees looked like a side that knew exactly what was on the line. Richmond have had some genuinely gutsy moments this season and nobody should be writing them off as a club on the rise, but this was not their day. Melbourne’s pressure around the contest was relentless, and the Tigers just couldn’t find any time or space to work with.

That’s the mark of a team playing finals-calibre footy. You don’t accidentally put a result like this together in Pride Round, under lights, with everyone watching. You do it because the system is humming.

Midfield brigade setting the tone

Melbourne’s engine room has been quietly one of the best units in the comp all year and this performance just confirmed it. They were first to every contest, won the clearances comfortably and gave their forwards first use more often than not. When your midfield brigade is dictating terms like that, the scoreboard tends to take care of itself.

What I love about this Melbourne midfield is there’s no single superstar carrying the load. It’s a genuine collective effort — multiple players stepping up on different days, sharing it around, making it incredibly hard for opposition coaches to tag or nullify. That depth is exactly what you want heading into September, or whenever the AFLW grand final slot actually lands on the calendar these days (still getting used to that one).

Richmond’s reality check

I don’t want to pile on the Tigers here because footy’s hard and every club is building something, but this one will sting. Richmond have shown flashes this year that suggest the list is heading in the right direction, and nobody at Punt Road should be panicking off the back of one lopsided Pride Round loss.

That said, the gap on display was real. Melbourne’s forward line created scoring chances with ease while Richmond struggled to generate much going the other way, and when you’re chasing the game for three quarters against a side with Melbourne’s class, it gets away from you fast. The margin told the story, but honestly the contest told it even more clearly.

Credit to the Tigers playing group for fronting up and competing regardless. Pride Round isn’t about the scoreline for every club involved, and Richmond’s commitment to the occasion deserves recognition even in a tough week on the park.

Why this Melbourne side is legit finals material

Let’s talk premiership credentials for a second, because that’s what this result buys the Dees the right to do. Melbourne have built their season on a foundaton of defensive pressure and midfield dominance, and when those two things are clicking together like they were against Richmond, they’re a genuinely scary outfit for anyone drawn against them in September.

It’s not just about this one performance either. Locking in a finals berth this early in Pride Round gives Melbourne something most clubs would kill for — the chance to manage bodies, rest up a few niggles, and go into the pointy end of the season fresh rather than running on fumes. That’s a massive advantage in a competition where travel and short turnarounds can absolutely wreck a club’s finals campaign.

• Dominant midfield clearance numbers all season long
• Forward line depth that doesn’t rely on one or two names
• Defensive unit that’s hard to score against consistently
• Finals spot locked in with games to spare, meaning list management flexibility

Put all that together and you’ve got a club that isn’t just making up the numbers in September. The Dees look like genuine flag contenders, and after a performance like this one, I reckon plenty of neutral fans will start taking notice too.

The bigger picture for AFLW

As someone who’s always banging on about growing this game, especially up here in Queensland where the Lions and the Suns are fighting for hearts and minds every single week, performances like Melbourne’s against Richmond matter more than just the ladder implications. This is the kind of footy that gets casual viewers hooked. Fast, skilful, physical, genuinely entertaining from end to end.

The AFLW deserves to be covered with the same seriousness as the men’s competition, and nights like Pride Round prove exactly why. The standard keeps climbing year on year, the depth of talent across clubs keeps improving, and results like this Melbourne masterclass show what’s possible when a program gets the build right.

Up in Brisbane we’re obviously biased toward our own finals push, and I’ll be keeping half an eye on how the ladder shakes out from a Lions perspective. But full credit has to go where it’s due, and right now Melbourne are playing some of the most complete footy in the competition. Richmond will regroup, there’s zero shame in a tough loss during a season that’s still building toward something, but the Dees have put the rest of the comp on notice.

What’s next for both clubs

For Melbourne, it’s now about managing the run home smartly. Finals footy is a different beast and the sides that go deep are usually the ones who peak at the right time rather than burning everything in the home and away season. Expect their coaching staff to use these final rounds to fine-tune combinations and keep key players ticking over without unnecessary risk.

For Richmond, the job is simpler but no less important: regroup, review what went wrong defensively, and make sure performances like this don’t become a pattern. There’s real talent on that list and one bad night against a finals-bound Melbourne outfit shouldn’t define their season.

Either way, Pride Round gave us genuine, meaningful AFLW action, and Melbourne’s dismantling of the Tigers was the headline act. Finals are locked in for the Dees, and on this form, nobody should be surprised if they’re still playing deep into September.