The 2020 AFLW Season is only a matter of weeks away from commencing and whilst there is plenty of buzz in the air about the new teams coming into the league and plenty of anticipation about what awaits ahead in a season that will see the competition itself continue to grow.
This past week, I've been writing up short previews for each side and what to expect this season. In the first of two parts, I'll share with you who I think will finish where in Conference B. It's going to be a tough group here, as after the top two sides, it gets very foggy with all five remaining teams a chance to make that last spot to qualify for Finals. So without further ado, let's run through all the teams in conference B, from where I think they'll finish in the group from seventh to first.
7th – St. Kilda
The Fixture
Round 1: v Western Bulldogs (H) Round 2: v Adelaide (A) Round 3: v Melbourne (H) Round 4: v Fremantle (H) Round 5: v Carlton (A) Round 6: v Richmond (H) Round 7: v Collingwood (A) Round 8: v West Coast (A)
Along with the West Coast Eagles, they are the new girls on the block, so with that, there’s a bit of mystery that surrounds this squad. Don’t get me wrong here, I think it’s a squad that can beat teams and their coach Peta Searle has a very sharp knowledge of the game. But, I honestly have no idea where to put them in amongst a group of teams that will try and fight for that last spot in the top three.
Much of this squad has come in through the Saints’ VFLW team, which made the Preliminary Final last year. There was a lot to like from the likes of Molly McDonald, Clara Fitzpatrick Olivia Vesely, Cailtlin Greiser and Kate Shierlaw last year. All five of them have played key roles for the club over the year, so watch out for them this year. Greiser in particular the standout up forward, kicking 22 goals last year – the most of any player in the league, whilst along with Vesely, made the team of the year.
On top of that, their recruits from other AFLW clubs will bring lots of pace. Ex-Lions Kate McCarthy and Nat Exon are the big ins here, but don’t discount the likes of Emma Mackie, Cat Phillips, Jess Sedunary and Tilly Lucas-Rodd as all four are well-experienced. Georgia Patrikios was the big name from their draft and whilst she should impact straightaway, look out for the likes of Tamara Luke, Rosie Dillon and Nicola Xenos – All three were picked up later in the same Draft, but were all very good in the VFLW last season and should feature early in the season.
My Best 21
B: Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Selena Karlson, Alison Drennan HB: Nicola Xenos, Tamara Luke, Cat Phillips MIDS: Kate Shierlaw, Georgia Patrikios, Nat Exon, Emma Mackie HF: Darcy Guttridge, Courteney Munn, Olivia Vesely F: Kate McCarthy, Caitlin Greiser, Jess Sedunary INT: Rosie Dillon, Rhiannon Watt, Claudia Whitfort, Samantha Johnson, Isabella Shannon
6th – West Coast Eagles
The Fixture
Round 1: v Collingwood (A) Round 2: v Fremantle (H) Round 3: v GWS (A) Round 4: v Western Bulldogs (H) Round 5: v Melbourne (A) Round 6: v Gold Coast (H) Round 7: v Carlton (A) Round 8: v St. Kilda (H)
Much like fellow expansion team St. Kilda, the West Coast Eagles team head into 2020 as a real unknown. There are a good blend of players who have both experienced AFLW and those that are about to break out into the system. Much like the remainder of the competition, they could finish anywhere from last to just outside the top three – they have the list to be very competitive and win perhaps half of their games.
They’ve recruited well, poaching the likes of Dana Hooker, Kellie Gibson, Parris Laurie and Melissa Caulfield – among others – from Fremantle, Maddy Collier and new captain Emma Swanson from GWS and players such as Kate Bartlett, McKenzie Dowrick and Belinda Smith – players who should feature straight away. Out of those who are yet to debut, two players standout for mine are Hayley Bullas, someone who has done good things for Essendon’s VFLW team in recent years and Mikayla Bowen, an 18-year old who starred for WA in the under-18s carnival last year.
Inaugural coach Luke Dwyer is a well-respected figure inside the four walls of the Eagles, having been a development coach for the men over the past couple of seasons and prior to that, has had success as a coach in the amateurs in WA, coaching A-Grade club University to four premierships in five seasons, so I think that tells a bit about how the man can coach. Having Swanson and Hooker as Captain and Vice-Captain respectively is huge as these two women are great leaders and exceptional players.
My Best 21
* = Unavailable Round One
B: Talia Radan, Chantella Perera, Brianna Green HB: Emma Swanson, Sophie McDonald, McKenzie Dowrick MIDS: Parris Laurie, Dana Hooker, Maddy Collier, Hayley Bullas HF: Niamh Kelly, Beatrice Devlyn, Ashlee Atkins F: Kellie Gibson, Grace Kelly, Melissa Caulfield INT: Alicia Janz*, Mikayla Bowen, Kate Bartlett, Cassie Davidson, Imahra Cameron
5th – Western Bulldogs
The Fixture
Round 1: v St. Kilda (A) Round 2: v Melbourne (H) Round 3: v Carlton (H) Round 4: v West Coast (A) Round 5: v Collingwood (A) Round 6: v Fremantle (H) Round 7: v North Melbourne (A) Round 8: v GWS (H)
The team that will run out in round one will be a vastly different outfit to the side that won the premiership in 2018. They will run out with a new coach in Nathan Burke, they will have perhaps a much younger and probably a much more inexperienced side than it has had in its first three seasons. Over the off-season they said farewell to the likes of Tiarna Ernst, Libby Birch, Katie Brennan, Monique Conti and Emma Mackie and have brought in half a dozen draftees that played under Burke at Vic Metro last year.
They were last in conference A in 2019, winning the first two games and then losing the remaining five games. Three of those five losses were competitive losses and they came in the final three games of the year against Fremantle, Carlton and Melbourne – sides that were either in the Finals or were well in the frame of it. So if we base it on those games alone, then I think this side can be considered in the frame of contending for Finals.
They missed Izzy Huntington and Brooke Lochland up forward last year due to injury and it showed, as the Dogs struggled to find other avenues to goal. With them fit and firing this year, I think they will be able to help kick a winning score. I look forward to see the likes of Aisling McCarthy and Eleanor Brown develop more, Ellie Blackburn lead from the front once again and seeing most, if not all of their draftees to get games under their belt next year.
My Best 21
B: Ashleigh Guest, Lauren Spark, Bailey Hunt HB: Hannah Scott, Ellyse Gamble, Nicole Callinan MIDS: Kim Rennie, Ellie Blackburn, Gabby Newton, Kirsty Lamb HF: Gemma Lagioia, Izzy Huntington, Deanna Berry F: Brooke Lochland, Nell Morris-Dalton, Kirsten McLeod INT: Angelica Gogos, Elisabeth Georgostathis, Naomi Ferres, Aisling McCarthy, Eleanor Brown
4th – Fremantle
The Fixture
Round 1: v Geelong (H) Round 2: v West Coast (A) Round 3: v Collingwood (H) Round 4: v St. Kilda (A) Round 5: v Brisbane (H) Round 6: v Western Bulldogs (A) Round 7: v Melbourne (H) Round 8: v Carlton (A)
This will be an interesting Fremantle side to watch this year. Season 2019 saw them surprise everyone and finish second in what was a much more powerful conference A. Only to see them bundled out in extraordinary fashion to Carlton in the Semi Final. This was then followed by losing nearly a dozen players over to rivals West Coast, which will make their round two even more exciting. By then, we should have some indication of where there season will go.
The most notable departures are Dana Hooker and Kellie Gibson – which will see the depth in the middle and up forward take a hit respectively. Losing ruck pair Alicia Janz and Parris Laurie also decimates their ruck stocks, but that will be covered now that they have brought in promising duo Roxanne Roux and Mim Strom, whilst Irish recruit Aine Tighe will be another tall recruit to watch out for this year.
To be perfectly honest, the bulk of their stars are still here. Kara Antonio (nee Donnellan) and Kiara Bowers will form the base in the midfield. Gemma Houghton, Sabreena Duffy and Ashley Sharp will still be very dangerous up forward and you’ve got players that will hold the line down back in Evie Gooch, Phillipa Seth and Ebony Antonio – that is if she isn’t being used up forward. The losses of those to West Coast will sting, but I think they’re still well in contention for a Finals berth this year.
My Best 21
B: Phillipa Seth, Tayla Bresland, Evie Gooch HB: Matilda Sergeant, Ebony Antonio, Laura Pugh MIDS: Mim Strom, Kiara Bowers, Kara Antonio, Hayley Miller HF: Ashley Sharp, Roxanne Roux, Gabby O’Sullivan F: Sabreena Duffy, Gemma Houghton, Mia-Rae Clifford INT: Steph Cain, Angelique Stannett, Katie-Jayne Grieve, Jasmin Stewart, Kate Flood
3rd – Collingwood
The Fixture
Round 1: v West Coast (H) Round 2: v Carlton (A) Round 3 v Fremantle (A) Round 4 v Melbourne (H) Round 5 v Western Bulldogs (H) Round 6 v Brisbane (A) Round 7 v St. Kilda (H) Round 8 v Geelong (A)
They were plum-last in conference B last season, but much has changed to Collingwood since the final round of the home and away season last year. I think this is the year they will tremendously rebound to make an appearance in this year’s Final. Call them the dark horse maybe, but I think this will be a Collingwood team that will seriously give opposition teams headaches.
There are three big names that will come in and positively boost the Magpies this year. The first is their new coach. Steve Symonds was South Australia’s coach of the year in 2017 and played a hand in Norwood’s success in the SANFL Women’s a few years ago. The next is Bri Davey, the boom recruit from Carlton. She was magnificent in the midfield for the Pies in the VFLW last year and expect more of the same this year. The last is Chloe Molloy, who had such a killer 2018 campaign and was sorely missed in 2019. The key question there is where does Symonds see Molloy playing in 2020?
Add to the number of quality players they do have: Jaimee Lambert had a career-year in 2019, Ash Brazill an All-Australian in 2019, Stacey Livingstone was the best player on the ground in the Pies’ VFLW premiership win last year and of course Steph Chiocci leading the way. There are also the younger brigade of players that are ready to flourish this year – Mikala Cann, Katie Lynch, Jordyn Allen, Georgia Goulay, Sarah Dargan, Lauren Butler are all under 21 and will be a part of the Collingwood team for the long run. Why can’t the Pies make a tilt for Finals?
My Best 21
B: Emma Grant, Ash Brazill, Ruby Schleicher HB: Steph Chiocci, Stacey Livingstone, Jordyn Allen MIDS: Sharni Layton, Bri Davey, Brittany Bonnici, Mikala Cann HF: Sarah D’Arcy, Katie Lynch, Maddie Shevlin F: Jaimee Lambert, Chloe Molloy, Sophie Alexander INT: Sarah Dargan, Georgia Gourlay, Sarah Rowe, Lauren Butler, Eliza Hynes
2nd – Carlton
The Fixture
Round 1: v Richmond (A) Round 2: v Collingwood (H) Round 3: v Western Bulldogs (A) Round 4: v Adelaide (A) Round 5: v St. Kilda (H) Round 6: v Melbourne (A) Round 7: v West Coast (H) Round 8: v Fremantle (H)
Daniel Harford’s first season in charge saw the Carlton Blues go all the way to the Grand Final. Say what you must about the dodgy conference system. The Blues had the fifth-best win-loss record of the 10 clubs last year, but they still managed to thump Fremantle in the semi-final, before they were eventually handed an absolute trouncing by the Adelaide Crows on the big stage. Still it was a magnificent season for the Blues and one that should hopefully set them up for a big 2020.
With Bri Davey departing post-2019, it meant the Blues had to look to new players for leadership. I have no doubt that the appointments of both Kerryn Harrington and Katie Loynes as co-captains will do just fine. Harrington excelled as a key defender in 2019 – being named an All-Australian, and Loynes is such a critically underrated midfielder in that line-up. Both Ladies have the leadership to take the Blues back to the Grand Final and hopefully make that extra step. They will also hope that the addition of gun draftee Lucy McEvoy will help ease the loss of Davey, as she was such an important piece to their structure last year. McEvoy has that versatility to play a lot of roles and play them very well.
If placed in the midfield, imagine having Prespakis and McEvoy run the middle for the Blues in the next Decade? That’s scary enough on it’s own, but then having good support such as Loynes, the Hoskings, Georgia Gee and others that will surely get a run in there. The bases are covered in the other places. Tayla Harris and Darcy Vescio were dangerous last year up forward. Alison Downie is a very good ruck and they’ve got the likes of Jayde Van Dyk and Nicola Stevens down back to help out Harrington.
Best 21
B: Jayde Van Dyk, Nicola Stevens, Jess Edwards HB: Lauren Brazzale, Kerryn Harrington, Jess Hosking MIDS: Alison Downie, Maddy Prespakis, Lucy McEvoy, Katie Loynes HF: Sarah Hosking, Tayla Harris, Georgia Gee F: Chloe Dalton, Darcy Vescio, Brooke Walker INT: Grace Egan, Gab Pound, Breann Moody, Nat Plane, Emerson Woods
1st – Melbourne
The Fixture
Round 1: v North Melbourne (H) Round 2: v Western Bulldogs (A) Round 3: v St. Kilda (A) Round 4: v Collingwood (A) Round 5: v West Coast (H) Round 6: v Carlton (H) Round 7: v Fremantle (A) Round 8: v Gold Coast (H)
Melbourne have never played Finals in the first three seasons of AFLW. They’ve had the list from day one, but for one reason or another, they’re always just out of reach from that elusive premiership. This changes in 2020. I think this year is not just going to be the year that Melbourne play Finals football, but they find themselves up there challenging for the premiership.
However, with all this, there must surely be some pressure beginning to mount on coach Mick Stinear. They’ve had three seasons of near misses, they surely must go deep with the team that they have at their disposal. They will be bolstered by the return of Daisy Pearce after she missed all of 2019 as she was pregnant with twins and the addition of Libby Birch will do nothing but wonders to their defensive structures. She’s a proven lock-down defender, but her ability to rebound and carry the ball up the ground has improved from 18 months ago.
However, they will be without their star ruck Lauren Pearce for at least the first month as she battles to recover from a knee injury. She was named VFLW’s best and fairest last year and was an All-Australian in the AFLW as well. She will be a massive blow, how the Demons will cover her loss will be interesting. Still, I think that this team has such a plethora of talented players. Karen Paxman and Elise O’Dea are A-Grade midfielders and I suspect the likes of Lily Mithen and Tyla Hanks won’t be too far behind. How Daisy goes and where she plays will be another fascinating development as this year progresses.
My Best 21
* = Unavailable Round One
B: Libby Birch, Meg Downie, Katherine Smith* HB: Bianca Jakobsson, Harriet Cordner, Sarah Lampard MIDS: Lauren Pearce*, Karen Paxman, Lily Mithen, Daisy Pearce HF: Elise O’Dea, Eden Zanker, Shelley Scott F: Aliesha Newman, Tegan Cunningham, Kate Hore INT: Chantel Emonson, Tyla Hanks, Maddy Gay, Maddy Guerin, Casey Sherriff