The opening round of the 2023 season brought surprise wins, more goals and encouraging signs for some teamsSome round one results came as no surprise. Reigning premiers Melbourne ran over the top of Collingwood to open the season while powerhouses North Melbourne were characteristically methodical against St Kilda down in Hobart. However, some unexpected outcomes have raised hopes that the competition is finally beginning to settle in the post-expansion era. Continue reading...
Second year of all 18 teams could see levelling of the playing field and end dominance of Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane 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...
Not a total upheaval of the status quo, but enough of a shake-up to remind people women are here to stay, on and off the fieldSport has long been a masculine domain. Even when women began to make inroads – as things slowly improved on the field and media coverage crept into the back pages of newspapers – men still held the positions of power.The announcement this week that Laura Kane has been appointed the AFL’s executive general manager of football is a sign of the changing times. It is not a complete upheaval of the status quo, but it is enough of a disturbance to cause a ripple and remind people that women in sport are here to stay,...
For women’s sport to benefit after the World Cup, leagues have to show commitment to the product beyond symbolic gesturesWith a successful home Women’s World Cup in the rearview mirror there are hopes other women’s sports may ride the wave of momentum to increased viewership, attendances, funding and, importantly, respect. The nearly 2 million tickets sold across Australia and New Zealand for the tournament are a reminder the audience already exists.The AFLW stood ready to capitalise on this momentum, ramping up its marketing and officially launching the 2023 season as the World Cup ended. The decision to wait for clean air made sense given the Matildas fever that struck the nation saw an estimated 17 million Australians watch the semi-final...
A premiership first highlighted the league’s seventh campaign but there remain issues for head office to better deal with going forwardMelbourne win first flag: Premierships always bring heart-warming stories. After losing last season’s grand final earlier this year and sitting there or thereabouts since the league’s inception, the Dees finally reached the pinnacle on Sunday. Their drive and determination has been clearly visible in captain Daisy Pearce for a long time. At 34, with her playing legacy now secured, she may decide to focus on commentary and an upcoming coaching opportunity at Geelong. Continue reading...