Last year brought two AFLW seasons thanks to the league’s shift from summer to late August and it has made the wait for Friday night’s 2023 season opener feel that much longer. While there was no main draft this off-season given the intake between the last two seasons, there’s still been plenty of change. A tumultuous trade period gave way to a mature-age supplementary draft in April before the players settled in for pre-season at the end of May. It means there are a lot of unknowns.
St Kilda were perhaps the most proactive over the off-season, picking up the league’s leading goalkicker, Jesse Wardlaw, from Brisbane, along with Collingwood’s former captain Steph Chiocci and midfielder Jaimee Lambert. It will amp up the pressure on Nick Dal Santo’s team to take their performance to the next level, never having won more than three matches in a season.
Greater Western Sydney will also look very different, after being hampered by serious injuries last season. Giants fans will welcome the return of former Bulldog and rising star Izzy Huntington who spent last season recovering from an ACL rupture, with cult hero Pepa Randall (knee) and Chloe Dalton (hamstring) also returning to action.
It wouldn’t be an AFLW season without rule changes, the most noticeable this season being an interchange cap of 60 rotations, with clubs to use boards to communicate rotations and tactics as in the men’s competition. While it was initially speculated the rotation cap would hurt newer sides with fewer pre-seasons under their belt, top teams like Brisbane have honed tactical use of their bench and could also be disadvantaged.
Despite generous trade and draft provisions to rolling waves of expansion sides, three foundation teams have dominated AFLW since its inception. Adelaide, Brisbane, and last season’s premiers, Melbourne, have claimed five of the six premiership cups so far. Brisbane have suffered losses at the trade table over expansion periods, having previously weathered the storm with their depth of talent, the Lions should still challenge this season.
The recent Women’s World Cup was the first to expand the number of qualifying teams from 16 to 32, which some feared would result in extremely unbalanced score lines. Instead, football fans saw an evening of the playing field thanks to break-out performances from relative minnows. The AFLW will hope for a similar result in its second year of complete expansion and the fact that about 10% of players moved in the most recent trade period suggests players may begin to balance the league out.
North Melbourne, the other season seven preliminary finalist, presents a scary prospect for opponents. They have had significant player movement in the off-season but have managed to keep their core intact. That familiarity will bring a big advantage in this turbulent time. Former Saints forward Kate Shierlaw and draftee Ruby Tripodi, who will make her AFLW debut this weekend, should excite, though the balance of the Roos’ forward line may skew tall.
When it comes to potential best and fairest winners, it’s hard to go past household names like Richmond’s Monique Conti and North Melbourne’s Jasmine Garner. But considering the young talent lining up this season is a more interesting task. These players are enjoying more opportunities to hone their craft, which, along with the 10-game fixture giving some teams easier runs, may help to level the playing field across the league. The AFLW captains have named Hawthorn’s Jasmine Fleming, Gold Coast’s Alana Gee and Port Adelaide’s Matilda Scholz as their favourites for rising star. Another player to watch is Essendon’s first-ever draft pick, Amber Clarke, who has settled well into top-flight football.
The season opener has morphed over the years but has retained a certain excitementsince the inaugural match between Carlton and Collingwood at IKON Park in 2017 resulted in a lockout with a crowd of 25,000. There will be added anticipation on Friday evening to see last year’s winners Melbourne, who will unfurl their premiership flag. The Dees’ only loss from their premiership team was captain Daisy Pearce to retirement, and they’re now ably led by forward Kate Hore. It will be a big early test for Collingwood, who lost star Chloe Molloy to Sydney but will regain Brit Bonnici and captain Brianna Davey from serious knee injuries.
The South Australian Showdown between Adelaide and Port Adelaide at Norwood Oval on Saturday afternoon is sure to be a heated clash. Adelaide, a foundation AFLW team, made the preliminary final last year and have a strong midfield but have also had to adjust their forward line. The Power’s effort to raid the Crows, highlighted by captain Erin Phillips’ move to the club where her father, Greg, played, continued this off-season after they swiped key forward Ash Saint (nee Woodland).
Port’s recruits will complement their earlier draft hand, with rising star winner Hannah Ewings and Abbey Dowrick among the players to have instantly shown promise. With just one win and a draw in their first season, the team’s performance belied their talent, but there is growth in their list and time together can only help. This game could represent the beginning of a changing of the guard, sounding a warning to the competition and perhaps reflecting the surprises in store this AFLW season.
