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AAP
AAP
Sport
Adrian Warren and Nicholas Zorbas

Suns, Power win derbies as winless Saints flop again

For the first time in their AFLW history, Gold Coast have enjoyed a win over the Brisbane Lions. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Gold Coast have achieved their first QClash win in the AFLW, Port won their Adelaide derby against the Crows and St Kilda kicked their lowest score ever in a loss to the Western Bulldogs.

The Suns scored 22 unanswered points in the final quarter at Brighton Homes Arena to score a famous 5.10 (40) to 3.2 (20) victory and secure a fifth-straight win.

Gold Coast (6-2) drew their first AFLW clash with Brisbane (2-6), but lost the last seven meetings.

They moved up to fourth, while the Lions' fourth successive loss left them in danger of missing the finals for just the third time in ten seasons.

(L-R) Lucy Single and Niamh McLaughlin.
Lucy Single (left) and Niamh McLaughlin celebrate a first Suns QClash triumph. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Port Adelaide ended a four-match losing run by winning the Showdown against Adelaide in front of a record crowd at Alberton Oval.

The Power joined the Crows on 12 competition points thanks to a 5.6 (36) to 2.10 (22) victory.

Port (3-5) had five different goalkickers in the opening three quarters to open up a 34-7 advantage, but failed to hit the target in the fourth.

After going goalless for three terms, Caitlin Gould and Teah Charlton kicked straight for some respectability on the scoreboard for Adelaide (3-5).

(L-R) Abbey Dowrick and Shineah Goody.
Abbey Dowrick (left) and Shineah Goody were two of the Power's goalkickers in the win over Adelaide. (Matt Turner/AAP PHOTOS)

Earlier on Saturday in Ballarat, St Kilda (0-8) narrowly avoided becoming the first AFLW side not to score a point in a match, losing 3.13 (31) to 0.1 (1) to the Bulldogs.

The Saints still posted the lowest score in club history and became the fifth AFLW side to notch just a behind.

The Dogs (6-2) shored up their top-eight status with a third-straight win, struggling to find forward-50 targets after halftime and registering just four behinds.

Midfielder Isabelle Pritchard was the standout player with game-high tallies of 35 disposals, 20 contested possessions, eight clearances, eight inside 50s, six score involvements and 474 metres gained.

Isabelle Pritchard.
Isabelle Pritchard had plenty of ball and made five tackles in the win over St Kilda. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)

In Springfield, Gold Coast gathered 28 more contested possessions and 22 more inside 50s, but only broke away from Brisbane in the last quarter.

Lily Postlethwaite and Orla O'Dwyer goaled to set up an early 10-point lead for the Lions against the run of play, but the visitors kicked the only goal of the second term for a two-point halftime advantage.

Suns co-captain Lucy Single kicked a contender for goal of the season, fending off Sophie Conway and finishing a curving run with a superb kick from near the boundary.

Gold Coast had eight more inside 50s in the third, but found themselves two points down at three-quarter time after Conway converted a set shot for the only goal of the term.

Havana Harris, who signed a contract extension to 2029 earlier in the week, kicked two goals and player of the match Charlie Rowbottom a third as Brisbane's previously strong defensive wall cracked.

Midfielder Rowbottom was the Suns driving force with 36 possessions and nine clearances, both game-best tallies.

At Mars Stadium, the Bulldogs kicked all three of their goals in the first half in windy conditions, with rain also falling for part of that period.

Cleo Buttifant punished an opening-quarter error with a fine snap, before Sarah Hartwig and Rylie Wilcox each finished off good ball movements.

They racked up 43 more contested possessions and 19 more inside 50s and their tackle pressure stymied almost all of the Saints' attacking efforts.

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