Eliza James' last-gasp goal has secured Collingwood a two-point AFLW win over St Kilda at Moorabbin.

The Saints nearly pulled off a massive upset on Saturday, but the third-placed Magpies held them off in a fierce duel to win 4.12 (36) to 5.4 (34).

James celebrated her 19th birthday with a superb snap from an acute angle that bounced through, giving the Magpies the lead.

They held on grimly in a frantic last minute to register their fifth win of the season.

"I just threw it on the boot and watched it ... I was pretty lucky," James said.

Trailing by six points at the last change, the Saints kicked two goals and took a seven-point lead.

Nicola Stevens should have sealed the win with three minutes remaining, but she missed on the run from point-black range.

That left the door open for the Magpies and set the scene for James' match winner.

The Saints out-pressured Collingwood with 73 tackles to 60, but the Magpies had more poise and they held their nerve.

St Kilda's Hannah Stuart was best afield with 25 disposals and two goals, while their key position player Kate Shierlaw kicked a goal in the last term and was mighty with her marking and pressure.

Collingwood's Ruby Schleicher was their best with 20 possessions.

Cats hold off fast-finishing Bulldogs

Geelong have overcome the absence of suspended star Georgie Prespakis to boost their AFLW finals hopes with a thrilling one-point win over the Western Bulldogs.

Prespakis was hit with a two-match ban during the week for a dangerous tackle and watched from the sidelines in Ballarat on Saturday.

But Nina Morrison and Shelley Scott stepped up to help propel Dan Lowther's side to an important 5.7 (37) to 5.6 (36) victory.

Trailing by 19 points early in the final quarter, the Bulldogs kicked the last three goals of the match.

But they left their run too late, with the final major floating through as the siren sounded.

It was the Cats' first AFLW win over the Bulldogs and took them above their opponents on the ladder with a far superior percentage.

Both sides have 4-2 win-loss records. The result also kept the Cats in the top-four mix.

Morrison (21 disposals), Rebecca Webster (17) and Amy McDonald (15) found plenty of the ball for Geelong, while Scott (two goals) and Chloe Scheer (one) were dangerous in attack.

Bulldogs captain Ellie Blackburn (25 disposals) tried to lift her side and ruck Alice Edmonds fought hard against the tide..

The ball lived in the Bulldogs' front half for long periods of the opening term as they generated a 10-4 advantage in forward entries.

But the lead was just two points at quarter-time when former Cats star Richelle Cranston missed her set-shot after the siren.

Scheer found plenty of space inside-50 to put Geelong in front for the first time early in the second term.

And the Cats, who kept their opponents goalless in the second quarter, would have led by more than seven points at the main break if not for a string of wasted chances in front of goal.

Mia Skinner provided a highlight with a brilliant goal from the boundary line during the third quarter and Geelong looked home early in the fourth term when Julia Crockett-Grills extended the advantage to 19 points.

Rylie Wilcox and Deanna Berry kicked goals to help the Bulldogs fight their way back into the contest and Elle Bennetts' late shot floated through as the siren sounded.

Both teams lost players just before the bounce when the Bulldogs' Sarah Hartwig (neck spasms) and Geelong's Kate Darby (illness) withdrew.

Tigers keep winning streak alive

Richmond won a fourth straight match for the first time in the AFLW and surged into the top eight with a tense four-point victory over Gold Coast.

Emelia Yassir put the Tigers in front with less than two minutes left on the clock at Punt Road Oval when she took advantage from a teammate's free kick and slotted a goal.

There was more late drama to come when Maddie Shevlin fell awkwardly in a marking contest and was carried off the field with a leg injury.

Play was held up for several minutes before Richmond hung on for a 3.5 (23) to 3.1 (19) win, forcing a series of ball-ups in their back half during the final 42 seconds.

The result gave Richmond a 4-2 record and their highest season win tally since joining the women's competition in 2020.

Richmond has some cause for concern over a first-quarter incident that led to Kodi Jacques being reported over a front-on bump on Lauren Ahrens.

Ahrens fumbled when trying to take possession and was clumsily cannoned into by Jacques, who caught her opponent high.

Tigers captain Katie Brennan scored the opening goal on return from a week off but Gold Coast kicked the next three.

The visitors were three points in front at half-time after skipper Tara Bohanna took a great pack mark and converted, and they extended the lead through Shannon Danckert soon after the main break.

A controversial goal to Shevlin from outside 50 metres, which replays appeared to show was touched by Serene Watson in the goal square, gave the Tigers a sniff.

They finished full of running and got their rewards when teenager Yassir kicked the match-winning goal.

Monique Conti (23 disposals) and Grace Egan (16) were influential for Richmond and Jess Hosking laid a match-high 11 tackles.

Young Suns star Charlie Rowbottom continued her hot form with 24 disposals and eight tackles, while Vivien Saad (17 disposals) also impressed.

Giants take down Blues

GWS bounced back from a record AFLW thumping with a spirited 17-point triumph over Carlton at Henson Park in Sydney.

The Giants looked determined to make amends for their 95-point loss to Adelaide last week with a fast start against the Blues, before digging in late to hold on for a 4.5 (29) to 1.6 (12) victory.

The win was the Giants' first in six attempts against Carlton and was built on intense pressure and tackling as well as clever ball movement that has been a feature of their better displays this season.

Emily Pease ensured the Giants were rewarded for their early efforts with the opening goal of the match and followed up with a second shortly after, with the 20-year-old a threat in the forward-half throughout.

Key forward Cora Staunton added two more to split the points in an enthralling battle with Blues defender Mua Laloifi.

But it was gun midfielder Alyce Parker that led the way for the Giants, gathering 18 disposals that included 12 contested possessions even while being under close attention after the main break.

Parker at times played a lone hand against the Carlton on-ball brigade that included Mimi Hill (21 disposals, 11 contested) and Abbie McKay (21, 10) as GWS trailed 27-17 in clearances and 90-79 in contested disposals.

But while the Blues (1-2-3) relied heavily on their advantage at stoppages the Giants looked more likely to transition the ball quickly to set up cleaner forward 50 entries and scoring opportunities.

Tarni Evans (13 disposals) and Madison Brazendale (11) were solid for GWS throughout, while Georgia Garnett (17) added a spark after overcoming a hamstring injury.

Laloifi (16 disposals) copped a heavy knock from Staunton in the first term but recovered to patrol the Carlton defence and be among their best.

Kerryn Peterson (13 disposals) and Brooke Vickers (9) also battled hard but Lily Goss was missed after going down early with a shoulder injury.

AAP