With Round 5 of the AFLW season in the record books, we officially head into the second half of the season with premiership favourites dominating and some expansion teams floundering.

Round 5 was full of breakthrough wins and historic margins, leaving plenty to think about heading into next weekend.

Here are four thoughts from Round 5 of the AFLW season.

The league missed the mark with grand final footballย 

Richmond's four-point win over Brisbane on Saturday was a cracking match, delivering the rampaging Lions their first taste of defeat so far this season, but it was seemingly overshadowed by the men's grand final scheduled hours later on the same day.

The match was knocked from Fox Footy's main channel in favour of pre-game build up, and while plenty packed through the gates of Punt Road, it seems the league could have done more to highlight the women's league on a weekend already overshadowed by the biggest game on the men's calendar.

Winless Swans face an uphill battleย 

The Swans currently claim the unwanted title of being the only remaining winless team in the league, sitting last on the ladder with a percentage of just 34.2%.

The club's heaviest defeat came at the hands of fellow expansion team Port Adelaide, who ran out 66-point winners in Round 4. In that match, the Swans failed to kick a single major, ending the day with just two points on the board.

Friday's match against Hawthorn, an eventual four-point loss, loomed as Sydney's opportunity to get that elusive win on the board after putting on a competitive show all evening, but the young side failed to claim the four points.

Their run home doesn't look exceptionally better, facing North Melbourne, Gold Coast and Essendon in the coming weeks, all teams hovering around the middle of the table.

The gap between the best and worst has never been clearer

Sunday afternoon's clash between Adelaide and GWS was one for the history books, but not one for the neutral viewer settling in for a competitive match. The Crows ran out winners to the tune of 96 points, in what was the biggest win in AFLW history.

The loss resigned the Giants to their fourth loss of the season, now sitting 16th on the ladder with a percentage of just 54%, somehow more lofty than that of the Hawks and Swans.

The Crows were systematic on Sunday, kicking 15 goals from 45 inside 50's throughout the dominant win. Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard ran rampant, while eight different players managed to score majors.

The second placed Crows are now heading into Round 6 with a cushy percentage of 201.9% and four wins on the board, primed to make another run at the premiership cup, while those in the bottom four face an uphill battle to keep their percentage near the 50% mark heading into the second half of the season.

 

Middle of the table fight is starting to heat upย 

At the halfway mark of the season, we have five teams tied on 16 points sitting at the top of the table, making for some interesting matches heading forward. But it's in the middle of the table that could provide plenty of entertainment heading into the pointy end of the season.

Four teams (Geelong, North, Richmond and Gold Coast) sit equal with three wins to their name, with just percentage keeping the Suns outside of the eight. While Gold Coast have plenty of percentage to make up (48%, to be exact) should the teams remain level, they do have a run home that could see them make their way upwards, with games against Sydney, Carlton and the Giants still to come.

The Suns, with their in-form forward duo of Tara Bohanna (three goals) and Jac Dupuy (two goals) providing targets inside 50, can continue to do enough to keep them in touch with the top eight and keep the competition on it's toes heading into the final weeks.