Melbourne Demons Seal AFLW Finals Spot with Dominant Win over Richmond

Melbourne has secured a spot in the AFLW finals series after dismantling Richmond with ease in Pride Round. Last night's 14.10 (94) to 5.2 (32) win was a return to form after the Demons' surprise first-ever AFLW loss to Gold Coast the previous week.

The Demons dominated at Melbourne's Princes Park, with coach Tom Wilson emphasizing the importance of contest and winning around the ball. "We understood last week was far from our best performance," Wilson said before the first bounce. "We thought around the ball we probably got a bit of a lesson in that space."

Richmond's Monique Conti returned to the field for the first time since an Achilles injury in round three and won the centre clearance for the Tigers within seconds of the first bounce. However, the Demons won the centre contest time and again through Olivia Purcell and Tyla Hanks, with each picking up more than 30 disposals and a combined 13 clearances.

Their dominance set up Melbourne's 47 inside-50s to Richmond's 18, and spelled a long night for the Tigers' defence. Ryleigh Wotherspoon kicked four goals to give the Demons some reassurance ahead of a finals series in which they may be without lead goal kicker Mia Austin, who has undergone throat surgery and does not yet have a set return date.

"We've got a lot of forwards that can kick goals, and even the mids can come through and kick goals, and so we're well supported and well balanced," Wotherspoon said after the game. "We're pretty unstoppable."

The Demons face the Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval next weekend.