The Second AFLW Season kicks off in less than two weeks time, and with a new season, there are a lot of questions to be answered. After what I can consider season 2017 – the first-ever AFLW season – was considered a roaring success, there is still much intrigue about what is to unfold over the next eight weeks.
Which is why today, I will go through the big question of every club that is participating in the 2018 AFLW Season and give my response for each club.
Adelaide
Can Bec Goddard Cement Her Legacy As A Great AFLW Coach With Back To Back Premierships?
Not much was expected of the Crows when they took the field for their first AFLW game in 2017. Half of the team were from South Australia and the rest of the team were either from Northern Territory or from around the state, but the fact that Bec Goddard rallied her troops together and defeated the Brisbane Lions – who did go through the season unbeaten – is a stunning effort and something that should be remembered for a long time. Her knowledge of the game should not go unnoticed either – she has a very smart football brain.
It's one thing to do win the flag first-up, it's another to go back to back. That's never an easy feat to accomplish, but if she can do that, then she will be well amongst one of the greatest AFLW coaches for many years to come. Goddard will have pretty much the same players that delivered the Crows the premiership last year, with Kellie Gibson's defection to Fremantle perhaps the only massive loss. As good of a player that she is, there is still plenty of talent on offer on the Crows' list. I expect Adelaide to be up there again in season 2018, but whether or not they win the flag could very well come down to what Erin Phillips can produce after a stunning 2017 season.
Brisbane
Does The Loss Of Tayla Harris Hurt The Lions’ Premiership Aspirations?
Tayla Harris is an elite talent and nobody can dispute that, but there were times throughout the 2017 AFLW season that I believed she was a little underwhelming. As a forward she only kicked four goals from eight games and averaged just under three marks per game, and somehow found herself on the AFLW All-Australian team, however it's easy to forget that she's only 20 years of age and she's got her whole career ahead of her. She might not hurt their premiership aspirations right now, but they will miss a potential star forward.
Does it hurt the Lions' chances of a 2018 premiership? My answer is no. Harris' departure means that coach Craig Starcevich can build his forward line around Sabrina Fredrick-Traub, who kicked six goals for the Lions in 2017, along with a support cast of Kaitlyn Ashmore, Kate McCarthy, Jess Wuetschner and ex-Blue Bella Ayre, who I believe can flourish up in Brisbane. The Lions were very unlucky not to win the flag in 2017 – they were arguably the best side throughout the home and away season. The premiership aspirations up in Brisbane are well and truly alive.
Carlton
Does The Additions Of Tayla Harris And Nicola Stevens Make The Blues Genuine Contenders?
Unquestionably, these two additions will boost Carlton up from the fourth-placed finish in 2017 and boost enormously. In the eyes of many, they will be seen as a genuine contender ahead of the 2018 season. However, it remains to be seen if the side will gel like a genuine contender when they take the field against Collingwood at Visy Park come round one, but from what I heard from their practice match against the Bulldogs at Mars Stadium on Saturday, they are looking prominent. The inclusion of key defender Stevens, who won Collingwood's best and fairest in 2017, will free up new captain Brianna Davey to play a role up in the middle, which she showed all throughout last year, that she could thrive in amongst the congestion.
The addition of Harris will see an exciting forward duo of Darcy Vescio, who lead all ladies in goals kicked last year with 14 goals for the year, however with no Bianca Jakobsson or Bella Ayre, who were next highest goal-kickers at Carlton with four goals each, the Blues will need to find some support for this pair. Draftee Sophie Li was very impressive in Carlton's practice match against the Dogs and could prove to be a surprise this season, whilst it won't surprise me to see midfielders like Lauren Arnell, the Hosking twins and others to rest down forward.
Collingwood
Can The Trio Of Moana Hope, Jasmine Garner And Chloe Molloy Work Up Forward?
It's going to be very intriguing to watch how Collingwood's forward structure develops this year, as all three ladies have the potential to bust games wide open. I don't think it'll work with all three individuals in the forward line, but I have no doubt they will all get ample time down there in 2018. Hope was very underwhelming in her first season in the AFLW after kicking over 100 goals in the VWFL in 2016, however she did battle a back injury throughout the season. Garner kicked five goals for the Pies in seven games last season, however it was a five-goal haul playing for Victoria in the first-ever women's State of Origin game that had many people predicting a breakout 2018 for the 20-year old.
I'll be very interested to see where will Chloe Molloy play in 2018? Taken with the third pick in the AFLW Draft, she absolutely dominated as a full-forward in 2017, she was named a joint-winner of the VFLW's leading goal-kicker award and was one of two league best and fairest in the women's TAC Cup, playing predominantly as a forward. However she has showcased her wares around the ground, playing as a midfielder and in defence at various stages throughout the VFLW last year. In Collingwood's practice game against Melbourne on Friday night, she hardly spent any time forward, so perhaps coach Wayne Siekman has other plans in store for the Pies' prized draft selection.
Fremantle
What Impact Can Kiara Bowers Make On This Team?
Bowers was signed by Fremantle as a marquee selection, and along with Kara Donnellan, they are amongst some of women's football's household names in Western Australia. Unfortunately a ruptured ACL suffered shortly after her signing with the Dockers meant that the people were robbed of watching a very talented young lady and as a result, it made Freo's job of living up to the pre-season hype all the more difficult, and in the end they struggled mightily, only winning one game for the year, just finishing above GWS on percentage.
There is no doubt that Bowers can play and if she did, perhaps Freo would've won one or two more games, but they are still a fair way away from contending for a premiership. They were fourth in clearances and third in disposals, but sat seventh in the league for goals kicked, averaging just over 3.5 goals per game, which for me, is Freo's greatest issue. Unfortunately, Bowers won't be any part of the Freo's 2018 campaign until at least half way through the season, as she continues to rehabilitiate that knee injury that has kept her out of the game for all of last year. It would be nice to see her play again, she's too good of a talent to be sitting on the sidelines.
GWS
How Much Improvement Can We Expect From The Giants And Their Recruits This Year?
The 2017 wooden spooners recruited well in the off-season and along with another year of the developing some of the younger players that the Giants possess, they should well placed to avoid a second-straight wooden spoon in 2018.Alicia Eva might just be one of the best off-season recruits of this past off-season, as she was a very important cog in Collingwood's midfield and a top-two spot in the Pies' best and fairest count will attest to that. Expect ex-Melbourne pair Pepa Randall and Maddie Boyd to get regular game time in 2018, both ladies boast a bit of talent.
Also look out for marquee player Renee Forth, who missed the 2017 season with a ruptured ACL. The 30-year old will almost be like a new star recruit, she has the ability and the leadership to make a difference in this Giants' line up. Expect fellow Western Australian Emma Swanson to continue her strong form at the back-end of 2017, and if there's continued improvement from the likes of Nicola Barr, Rebecca Beeson, Erin McKinnon and club best and fairest winner Jess Dal Pos, then there's every chance GWS will improve strongly in season 2018. Underestimate the Giants at your own peril.
Melbourne
Can Daisy Pearce Reclaim Her Mantle As The Number One AFLW Player?
For so long now, Daisy Pearce has been the name and face of women's football. She possesses elite ability, is tough at the stoppages. Despite a stellar 2017 year which saw Pearce claim captaincy in the All-Australian team, club best and fairest and the AFLW Players' best captain award, Pearce was shadowed by the emergence of an Adelaide rookie by the name of Erin Phillips, who not only was named as an AFLW Players' MVP recipient, he took home the league best and fairest, thus taking over the number one mantle momentarily. It didn't help Pearce's cause that she has two other talented midfielders in Karen Paxman and Elise O'Dea – both of whom are also big-time possession accumulators.
Can she be able to reclaim her position as the number one player? Absolutely she can, but it won't be easy as there are other players coming in hard and fast to become the best female player in the competition. What stands out in Pearce's game is that she always bobs up whenever Melbourne need her as well as making players around her better and that's what made her so valuable for so long. At 29 years of age, Pearce still has a number of years left in her and I can still see her walking away with a couple of league best and fairests to her name. If there is one thing I'd like to see more of Daisy in 2018 and that's to see her hit the scoreboard more often – in 2017, she only managed just one goal in seven matches.
Western Bulldogs
Will The Off-Season Recruits Help The Dogs In A Big Way?
The Western Bulldogs have a very good squad of talented ladies that unfortunately failed to deliver on anything huge, winning only two games out of seven. Injuries played their role, but it was indifferent form and horrid goal-kicking that cost them a shot of a Grand Final. Their off-season was spectacular, trading in to get the number one draft pick as well as the fourth overall pick, as well as former Demons Deanna Berry and Jess Anderson. Berry, who kicked five goals in seven games with Melbourne in 2017, should slot right in to their best line-up, whilst Anderson can be a viable option up forward, which was where the Dogs ultimately struggled, but if Katie Brennan can be fit and firing, then the Dogs are as could a chance as anyone.
The draftees should help the club a lot, particularly in the midfield. Admittedly, I was very skeptical when the club drafted Izzy Huntington with the number one overall pick, given that she hadn't played a game of football in over 18 months, but from what from all reports, she had been very exceptional in her training and was very impressive in the Dogs' practice match against Carlton. Daria Bannister and Jenna Bruton also played that game and were very good, and along with another prized draftee in Monique Conti, should form a formidable midfield with stars Ellie Blackburn and Emma Kearney. Whether or not if they will contend for a flag will come down to their first three weeks when they play Fremantle at home and then travel the next two weeks to play both Grand Finalists in Adelaide and Brisbane.