Nicole Hayes, Kirby Fenwick and Kate O'Halloran at the Wheeler Centre, with AFL photographer Michael Willson's shot of Tayla Harris projected behind them — Photo: Jon Tjhia

What's so great about AFLW? Apart from free entry, cheaper pies, and the fact that you can run onto the field and have a kick at the end of the match?

The AFLW has resuscitated the ailing suburban heart of Australian Rules football – pumping the stands of neglected neighbourhood ovals with boisterous fans of all ages and introducing Australians to a whole new raft of outstanding young athletes.

But the league is maturing and professionalising. As more matches are broadcast, as brands wise up to the sponsorship potential of the league, and as competition (both for draft picks and for the flag itself) intensifies, is the community spirit of the league at risk?

At our annual AFLW Season Wrap, our panel discusses all the thrills and spills of the season that was, previews the 2019 finals series, and looks at the changing tenor of the game.

For the final Fifth Estate of 2018 – and in the wake of the Victorian election and its recriminations – we look back at the year in Australian politics with series host Sally Warhaft and seasoned political observers George Megalogenis and Gabrielle Chan.

Our panellists unpack and reflect on the issues that have monopolised domestic headlines – from yet another leadership spill to the banking royal commission and the senate’s controversial ‘It’s OK to be white’ vote. They examine the major events that have attracted international attention, too: the suggested relocation of the Australian embassy in Israel, live animal export bans and damning reports of Resignation Syndrome in children on Nauru.

Of course, the year isn’t over just yet. Mark Latham has joined One Nation, the ScoMo Express has been out campaigning, and the NSW Labor party is grappling with a sexual harassment scandal ahead of the 2019 election. Join us as we examine the wild ride that was – is – 2018 in Australia … and ponder what may lie ahead in an election year.

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