Richmond star Monique Conti was on fire in the Tigers’ big win over St Kilda last week. Photo: AFL MEDIA

Just when you thought round one of the AFLW season had taken a dramatic toll, medically speaking, with already three stars out for the season, the ramifications of that opening continue.

Last weekend, the game lost Collingwood’s Brianna Davey, Brisbane’s grand final best-on-ground Kate Lutkins and Western Bulldog key forward Isabel Huntington, all with serious knee injuries. And now the surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant has forced the cancellation of a pair of round two matches.

Neither reigning premier Brisbane nor the Western Bulldogs will suit up this weekend, with positive test results and confirmed cases having left both clubs without enough eligible players.

Their affected respective opponents, Carlton and Geelong, will instead now face off against each other, with the league still to sort out exactly when the Lions and Dogs can compete against each other instead.

Meanwhile, Fremantle and West Coast have flown to Victoria to begin a weeks-long campaign, which will include “home” games, before they hope to return to Western Australia once its borders reopen to the rest of the country.

After the abruptly-cancelled 2020 season called off during finals, this latest chaotically unfolding situation must be doing the top brass’s heads in. But, as it’s famously said in the world of stage productions, the show must go on. And those sides who can play this weekend, are facing important on-field tests.

RICHMOND v MELBOURNE (Friday 7.10 pm, Swinburne Centre)
The developing Tigers played the best match in their three-year existence last weekend in a demolition of the Saints, one which featured sublime ball movement and near flawless accuracy (10.1) in front of the sticks. Midfield star Mon Conti brought her own football and four Richmond players, including captain Katie Brennan and forward Courtney Wakefield, kicked two goals apiece. Make no mistake, this encounter with premiership fancy Melbourne will represent their biggest challenge yet. Conti’s silky skills will be up against the Dees’ Karen Paxman’s hardness. And Melbourne’s forwards Kate Hore and star recruit Tayla Harris will present a handful for the Tigers’ backline. Richmond may well end up the competition’s biggest improver, but Melbourne’s experience gives it the edge.
GIL TIPS: Melbourne

COLLINGWOOD v ST KILDA (Saturday 3.10 pm, Victoria Park)
While Davey’s injury is devastating, in Jaimee Lambert, Steph Chiocci and Britt Bonnici, the Pies have the personnel in the middle of the ground to cover for her season-long absence. Collingwood’s spine boasts an embarrassment of riches, and perhaps Davey’s predicament will inspire her teammates to overachieve. One could argue that rather than the Pies winning, their opponent Carlton beat itself last week, the Blues gifting Collingwood four goals, but, conversely the Pies are too good a side not to take full advantage of those gifts. St Kilda’s attack, meanwhile, continues to look anaemic. Caitlin Greiser remains the only viable conduit to goals, and without Georgia Patrikios (COVID-19 inactive list) unable to deliver the ball to her, it continues to make the Saints vulnerable.
GIL TIPS: Collingwood

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GEELONG v CARLTON (Saturday 7.10pm, GMHBA Stadium)
One year after Geelong’s women won just a single match and narrowly avoided the wooden spoon, first-year Cat Georgie Prespakis last weekend offered a glimpse of a hopeful future. She became as instantly recognizable for her curly blonde locks and long-sleeved jumper as she did for winning clearances out of the middle, her bursts of speed and long kicks, establishing herself as the early Rising Star favourite. With talented players like All-Australian defender Meghan McDonald and midfielders Amy McDonald and Nina Morrison around her, Geelong will likely improve this season. The Cats made finalists North Melbourne earn its victory last week, while the charitable Blues conceded three 50-metre penalties and made a costly skill error in defence that gifted Collingwood a total of four goals. Blues’ superstar Darcy Vescio has shown they can carry their entire side on their back when playing against lesser opposition, as they did last year in an almighty smashing of Gold Coast. Vescio will be eager to atone for a quiet match and it’s a good bet their teammates this round will show far more discipline on and off the ball.
GIL TIPS: Carlton

WEST COAST v GOLD COAST (Sunday 12:40 pm, Victoria University Whitten Oval)
Last year, these two sides battled to the final seconds of an absolute ripper — in fact, one of 2021’s best AFLW matches — which saw the Eagles win by a solitary point. Mikayla Bowen had a performance for the ages for West Coast, while Lauren Ahrens paced the Suns. These two sides are very evenly matched, but Gold Coast has the far shorter trip to make for this match. It also comes off a more impressive round one showing, and still carries in its craw the heartbreaking loss to West Coast and its finish as wooden spooner last season. Look for the Suns to be highly motivated to get an early win.
GIL TIPS: Gold Coast

ADELAIDE v NORTH MELBOURNE (Sunday, 3.10 pm, Norwood Oval)
After a slow first term last week against the Lions, the Crows were back to their best form for the remaining three quarters, taking chances through the corridor and setting up attacks with long kicks. They’re at home again this week, taking on North Melbourne, which can match it through the midfield with stars like Ashleigh Riddell (who last week had an AFLW equal-high 35 touches), Jasmine Garner, and Jenna Bruton, but lacks the Crows’ goalkicking firepower of Erin Phillips and Ash Woodland, who last week were a wrecking crew. Adelaide looks to be on a mission for another flag, and when that happens, all opponents become prey.
GIL TIPS: Adelaide

FREMANTLE v GWS (Sunday 5:10 pm, Victoria University Whitten Oval)
Last week could have been a danger game for Freo, blooding six debutants, playing under the leadership of a new captain (Hayley Miller), deploying a depleted forward line, trying to shake off a litany of sleepy first term starts, and wrestling with a crosstown rival eager to prove itself. Ebony Antonio, though, took the game by the scruff of its neck, shaking her side out of an early scoring slumber with an early Goal of the Year contender, then adding two other important majors, and 2021 AFLW co-best-and-fairest Kiara “Turbo” Bowers was at her prolific ball-winning and ferocious tackling best in what turned out to be a comfortable victory. GWS’s 40-year-old power forward Cora Staunton continues to make like pop diva Cher and turn back time, leading her side’s round one attack against Gold Coast with two goals, and talented mids Alyce Parker and Alicia Eva won plenty of the ball. But the two Giants’ aces may be over-matched against their more experienced, battle-hardened competition.
GIL TIPS: Fremantle