Sydney Swans star Chloe Molloy has produced a goalkicking masterclass to drive her team to a thrilling one-point win against Fremantle on Sunday, becoming the AFLW's leading goalkicker in 2026 with a bag of four at Cockburn ARC Oval. 

Molloy, who set a new AFLW record with 27 goals for the year, kicked all but one of her team's five goals and then pushed into defence to take a game-saving mark late in the fourth quarter after the Dockers made a charge after reviving 'Wharfie Time'. 

The mercurial Molloy kicked goals from tight angles and long set shots in a best afield performance, with her team winning a club record ninth game and securing its first-ever home AFLW final against the Western Bulldogs next week. 

The 5.7 (37) to 5.6 (36) win came at a cost, however, with Swans tall Caitlin Reid heading to hospital during the game for assessment on her jaw after a jarring head clash with Hayley Miller late in the first quarter.  

Sydney led by eight points early in the fourth term after Molloy snapped the best of her four goals, before Noa McNaughton and Holly Cooper exchanged goals. 

When Hayley Miller kicked her third, the Dockers were charging and played 'Wharfie Time' for the first time since their AFL Grand Final defeat, with the crowd responding before Molloy's late mark sealed the result. 

Sydney's stars came to play, with Molloy well supported by Zippy Fish (26 disposals and seven marks) and Tanya Kennedy (25 and seven tackles) who had an entertaining match-up with Kiara Bowers, with that trip driving a lot of the Swans' play. 

For Fremantle, Miller was excellent in attack, while ruck Mim Strom (27 and nine clearances) led the midfield superbly. Ash Brazill was instrumental in defence in her last game, alongside interceptor Emma O'Driscoll in her 75th.  

Fremantle looked dangerous early and created several opportunities when kicking into the wind, with Miller taking a strong mark and converting for the first goal. 

At the other end, Molloy was proving a handful for the Freo defenders, and it was only a matter of time until she struck, bursting onto a loose ball and dribbling through the Swans' first.

It was an otherwise scrappy start as both teams applied pressure, with Swans midfielder Kennedy doing a terrific job in containing Bowers, who had just four disposals in the opening term. 

The Freo midfielders lifted in the second term and capitalised on the wind advantage, giving their team an 11-6 advantage in forward entries as Miller again marked on the lead and converted from a long set shot.  

Small forward revelation McNaughton danced around opponents to kick a classy goal, but Molloy was keeping the Swans in the contest with her ability to turn half chances into goals, with the Dockers leading by five points at the main break. 

The third quarter was a deadlock until the final minute when Molloy used her forward craft again to earn a set shot, steering it through with skill to set a new AFLW goalkicking record with her 27th for the season. 

Her fourth for the game came early in the final term, snapping brilliantly from the pocket to give the Swans an eight-point lead, but there was late drama to come as the Dockers made the Swans work to the end. 

Jarring head clash ends Swan's day 
There was concern for Caitlin Reid late in the first quarter after the Sydney tall suffered a head clash with Fremantle forward Hayley Miller on the last line of defence and went down in pain. It took almost 10 minutes for the 29-year-old to leave the ground under an abundance of caution, with play stopping as she was assessed by doctors before leaving on a stretcher and heading to hospital for assessment. It was cruel timing for Reid, who suffered a broken nose earlier this season and was playing her first game without a protective face mask. 

Next up 
Sydney could only move from sixth place if it lost heavily to Fremantle and dropped 5.4 per cent. As it turned out, it remained in sixth spot and will host the Western Bulldogs in a home elimination final. It is the first home final in the club's AFLW history. Fremantle misses finals for the second straight season and will rue a disappointing end to its year, losing four of its last five games.

FREMANTLE                 1.0   3.3   3.5   5.6  (36)
SYDNEY                        1.3   2.4   3.7   5.7  (37)

GOALS
Fremantle: Miller 3, McNaughton 2 
Sydney: Molloy 4, Cooper 

BEST
Fremantle: Strom, Miller, McNaughton, McCarthy, O'Driscoll, Brazill 
Sydney: Molloy, Kennedy, Fish, Gardiner, Hamilton, Smith  

INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil 
Sydney: Reid (head clash)

Crowd: TBC at Cockburn ARC Oval