Cassidy Davis is hopeful of playing a more advanced position as she eyes her eighth season with the Newcastle Jets.
Most W-League players sign five-month contracts season to season and Jets coach Ash Wilson is in the process of finalising her squad to start pre-season training mid-November.
Davis is yet to put pen to paper on a contract for 2020/21 but told the Newcastle Herald she was in discussions with the coach and club and keen to sign on for another campaign in her home town's colours.
The 26-year-old shared the captaincy last season with Gema Simon and Clare Wheeler and has played with the Jets since 2013. Her first few seasons were in midfield before being converted to a centre-back.
But the departure of Wheeler to Sydney and injury to Paige Kingston-Hogg could open the door for Davis to return to her preferred playing position.
"I've had a chat to Ash about what she potentially would want from me but I'd be hoping that I could be pushed up a little bit more this season," Davis said.
"That's something I've wanted to do for a long time but the players we've had in our teams in previous years hasn't allowed me to do that. But that's OK. I think I've played my part at centre-back. It gave me a challenge and something different to add to my game, which is a positive.
"If I had the chance to go up and play more of a defensive midfield role then I'll be more than happy to do that."
Davis, in defence, combined with long-serving Jets teammates Tara Andrews, up front, and Libby Copus-Brown, in the middle, to form the spine of a Manly team who beat premiers Sydney University 2-1 in the National Premier League NSW Women's grand final on October 11. It was Davis' first season in the NPL competition.
"It was a weird year," she said. "One minute we were set to play in a few weeks then next we weren't. It was all unknown. But I really enjoyed it and to go there for the first time and come away with the title was really good. And it was definitely more of a challenge for me in different ways. "
There was little time to celebrate the success, however, with Football Federation Australia announcing a few days later that the W-League would start on December 27.
After months of speculation surrounding whether there even would be a W-League, Davis said it was "reassuring" to have confirmation.
"I had a week off then started back, doing more run training to get fitter again," she said. "I'm not so worried about touch, more just getting the kilometres back into the legs and doing some shorter, sharper stuff that will have me fit going into a potential pre-season."
The Jets have also lost attacking players Teigan Collister and Nicki Flannery to Western Sydney and Canberra respectively but Wilson is expected to retain the core group of home-grown players and has been in talks with former National Women's Soccer League strike weapon Jen Hoy.
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With no imports, internationals or big-name players, the Jets collected the wooden spoon last season but Davis expected the 2020-21 W-League to be a more even competition.
"Most of the Matildas have gone overseas and a lot of clubs relied on having those Matildas in their teams to have success," Davis said.
"Newcastle has always had local players around stars and have always concentrated on local players in the Academy and I think that will pay off. A lot of us older girls have been in the team for 10-plus years.
"There have been a couple of crappy years, to be fair, but I don't think many internationals will come over because of COVID-19 and having that level playing field will make it interesting.
"The Jets have given experience to those local players compared to other clubs who only now have to dip into their local talent as well."
Meanwhile, Newcastle's Annalee Grove has joined Adelaide's goalkeeping stocks. The 19-year-old has represented Australian at under-17 and under-20 level and was part of Canberra's W-League squad last season and Brisbane's in 2018-19.
