AFL

Samantha Lane

Samantha Lane joined The Age in 2005 and has specialised in the coverage of Australian Rules football, cycling, Olympic sports and drugs in sport. A Quill award winner and part of the Fairfax team that won a Walkley award in 2014 for its coverage of the AFL’s doping scandal, Sam has rich multimedia experience. She is part of the Seven network’s Saturday night AFL television coverage and was previously a panellist on network Ten's Before the Game. Sam was The Age’s Olympics reporter for the 2012 London Olympics, and covered the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games for Fairfax. Her work has won awards from the Australian Sports Commission, the Victorian Institute of Sport, the AFL Players Association and the AFL Coaches Association.

 Bec Goddard with the Crows.

Love letters from an AFLW coach

On the eve of the first AFL women’s grand final Samantha Lane reveals the love letters that have bonded Adelaide’s history-making team.

Brisbane Lions AFLW captain and all-Australian squad selection Emma Zielke.

AFLW's brightest stars selected

The myth-busting dominance of Brisbane, undefeated AFLW grand finalists despite a lowly pre-season rating, has continued at the All Australian selection table.

There will be time on for out of bounds and behinds for the first time all season.

Late rule change for AFLW grand final

The AFL has imposed a significant rule change for the inaugural women's grand final, mandating time-on after points and for out of bounds for the first time all season.

Good cause: Melbourne's Melissa Hickey is working as a mentor for charity Ladder.

AFLW players make grand gesture for charity

AFLW players are to ask for something the AFL has strategically – and somewhat contentiously – resisted to date: for fans, in the countdown to the first women's grand final, to show them the money.