As we enter the final round of the regular home and away season, the AFLW ladder and positions in finals are yet to be locked in. 

While North Melbourne has all but sewn up the minor premiership, given its healthy percentage, teams from second to seventh can all move up and down, and four teams remain in the mix for the last finals position.

We look at our possible permutations heading into Round 12.

Where the red and white finals campaign starts and ends will be unmissable.

The season so far

Under senior coach Colin O’Riordan’s leadership, the Swans enter the final round of the regular home and away season currently in seventh position, with an eight to three win-loss record. 

On 32 points, the Swans have the same amount of wins as fourth placed Gold Coast Suns but are in seventh on percentage.

Dealt with adversity throughout the entire season, including long-term injuries to Sofia Hurley, Alice Mitchell, Ally Morphett, Aly Neyland and Brenna Tarrant which saw the four miss majority of the season, young stars Cynthia Hamilton, Montana Ham, Zippy Fish, Laura Gardiner and Tanya Kennedy have continued to impress in their development. 

Draftee and QBE Sydney Swans Academy graduate Maddie Quinn has shown her versatility in the forward line and as a ruck in her debut season, while fellow Academy graduate Emma Juneja has made the most of her late signing as a replacement player, featuring in eight games this year.

Key forward Taylor Smith has also shone in her first year, proving a dominant force in the forward line with 11 goals from her nine games this season. Smith has also shown her adaptability in the ruck in Morphett’s absence.

Where could the Swans finish?

As we enter the final week of the regular home and away season, the red and white’s finals campaign is still yet to be determined. 

Currently: Seventh, 32 points, 115.9 per cent
Highest position: Fourth
Lowest position: Seventh
Likely position: Fifth to seventh

The side’s lower percentage sees the team sitting in seventh currently, but losses this week to Gold Coast, Carlton and the Western Bulldogs could spectacularly see Sydney overtake them and secure a double chance if victorious this week.

Gold Coast travel to face the 15th placed GWS Giants on Sunday afternoon, Carlton head to face the twelfth placed Brisbane at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday afternoon while the Western Bulldogs will travel to GMHBA to face the second placed Geelong on Friday night.

Sydney will face Fremantle on the road in the final game of the round, meaning the side will know exactly their permutations heading into the clash – all likely to depend on percentage. 

A double Carlton-Western Bulldogs loss is a live option, which would pave the way for fifth, and a percentage battle for fourth.

Potential milestones and records

Star Chloe Molloy has been instrumental in 2027, putting the competition on notice as in arguable career-best form. 

With 24 goals this season (the most to date in a single year in her career), she brings her career tally to 100 goals. 

The AFLW record for most goals in a regular home and away season is held by Port Adelaide’s Indy Tahau, with 25 goals in the 2025 season. Molloy requires just one goal in the red and white’s Round 12 fixture to equal this record. 

Throughout the finals, Zippy Fish is on track to play her 25th AFLW match while Lulu Pullar, Ash Van Loon and Montana Ham are all approaching their 50th AFLW game.

Read the AFL.com.au full look at finals permutations for all teams in contention.