IT'S BEEN a long 10 months, but the NAB AFLW competition is back and firing on Thursday night.

Take a look at all the round one action to come.

WATCH IT LIVE How to catch every AFLW match in 2021

CARLTON v COLLINGWOOD

7.15pm AEDT, Thursday, January 28
Ikon Park, Carlton North, Vic

• All pre-season, Carlton has been talked up as one of the premiership favourites for 2021, but flags aren't won in January. The Blues will unveil star new recruit Elise O'Dea to partner AFLW best and fairest Maddy Prespakis in the middle.
• Collingwood caught the eye with an impressive pre-season win over top side North Melbourne, and the Magpies seriously look like they could contend this year. Watch for Bri Davey playing against her old side for the first time.
• Tip: The Magpies are yet to beat Carlton in a season-opener, but this is the best shot they've had thus far. Saying that, the Pies may struggle against the Blues' backline. Carlton by five points.

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ST KILDA v WESTERN BULLDOGS

7.10pm AEDT, Friday, January 29
RSEA Park, Moorabbin, Vic

• St Kilda will be without star recruit Bianca Jakobsson (collarbone), but Jayde Van Dyk is a handy inclusion to the backline. Check the team sheet to see if father-daughter selection Alice Burke will be playing against the side her dad Nathan coaches.
• It'll be a battle of new faces in the midfield, but keep your eyes peeled for Jess Fitzgerald taking on Tyanna Smith. The pair have had teammates at their respective clubs raving about their work and form over summer.
• Tip: The Dogs shot out of the blocks in this match last year and held the Saints at bay, but will be faced with a much sterner and more experienced side this year. Saints by 10 points.

GOLD COAST v MELBOURNE

2.10pm AEST, Saturday, January 30
Metricon Stadium, Carrara, Qld

• The Suns will debut their new-look forward line for the first time, adding experienced premiership Crow Sarah Perkins to work alongside All Australian Kalinda Howarth. They've also added plenty of run in the middle through Lucy Single and ex-Saint Ali Drennan.
• The Dees have already confirmed they will have three debutants on Saturday, with 18-year-olds Alyssa Bannan (key forward) and midfielders Eliza McNamara and Megan Fitzsimon set to play.
• Tip: Gold Coast weren't an easy-beat side by any means last year, and the club is pleased at the progression made by players over winter. Despite their personnel losses, Melbourne just still have too many experienced players. Dees by 16 points.

CRYSTAL BALL Check out Sarah Black's 2021 AFLW predictions

WEST COAST v ADELAIDE

2.10pm AWST, Saturday, March 7
Mineral Resources Park, Lathlain, WA

• It will be new coach Daniel Pratt's first match in charge after Luke Dwyer parted ways with the club. Recruit Aisling McCarthy and draftee Bella Lewis should add some much-needed depth to the midfield after a tough first season.
• Adelaide will be welcoming back newly standalone captain Chelsea Randall with open arms, as well as a fully fit Erin Phillips and Rhi Metcalfe. The Crows will be desperate to improve on just two wins last year.
• Tip: A very tough ask first up for West Coast, even at home, with Adelaide piling on 2.21 against GWS in its practice match. Crows by 27 points

GEELONG v NORTH MELBOURNE

12.10pm AEDT, Sunday, January 31
GMHBA Stadium, Geelong, Vic

• Geelong let another strong start slip in its practice match against Melbourne, something which happened a few times last year. Two of the side's best players – Liv Purcell and captain Meg McDonald – have full pre-seasons under their belt after carrying shoulder and finger injuries respectively last summer.
• It was an uncharacteristically undisciplined North Melbourne who faced Collingwood in the practice match, but the Roos should be better for the run. All Australian defender Jess Duffin is set to make her return after a year on the sidelines due to pregnancy.
• Tip: Geelong's last official game happened to be against North Melbourne, and it conceded eight straight goals. While that's unlikely to happen again, the Roos bat too deep. Kangas by 22 points.

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RICHMOND v BRISBANE

2.10pm AEDT, Sunday, January 31
Swinburne Centre, Richmond, Vic

• Still winless, the Tigers will be desperate to break that duck in their seventh overall AFLW match, their first under new coach Ryan Ferguson. They'll be boosted by recruits Harriet Cordner, Sarah Hosking, D'Arcy and Dargan, and No.1 draftee Ellie McKenzie.
• After a tumultuous few off-seasons, the Lions have been quietly going about their business this pre-season, with a stable list for the first time in a while. They hit the ground running last year, undefeated until round five, and will be hoping for the same strong start in 2021.
• Tip: The Tigers will be hungry, but the Lions have plenty of experience and have had fewer personnel changes, important in a short pre-season. Lions by eight points.

FREMANTLE v GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

1.10pm AWST, Sunday, January 31
Fremantle Oval, Fremantle, WA

• If the Tigers are hungry for their first win, the Dockers are even more desperate to keep their undefeated streak alive. Fremantle last lost a game in 2019, and haven't dropped one at home since 2018.
• There's no disputing GWS has had the toughest pre-season of anyone, having left home due to COVID-19 restrictions at the start of January. The Giants didn't make too many changes to their squad – it remains to be seen if ex-Dee Katherine Smith (ACL) is fit for round one, while athletic draftee Tarni Evans is one to look out for.
• Tip: The Giants leaked scoring shots all over the place in their practice match against Adelaide, conceding 23 of them. It doesn't bode well for a game against the highest-scoring team of 2020 in Fremantle. Dockers by 29 points.

A MATURE performance from Brisbane has seen the Lions pull away to a 29-point win over Richmond.

The Tigers showed some promising signs of improvement off the back of their winless first season in 2020, but the Lions' fluid ball movement and domination of the middle led to the 1.6 (6) to 5.11 (41) victory.

TIGERS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats

It was a gusty day at the Swinburne Centre, the first AFLW game at the venue, with the first goal not coming to the Brunton Avenue end until the fourth term via Dakota Davidon. 

Brisbane made all the early running, controlling play across the middle of the ground and structuring well in defence, forcing Richmond into skill errors. 

Captain Katie Brennan – who returned an inaccurate 0.3 – thought she'd kicked the Tigers' first goal in the dying seconds of the first quarter, but it was called touched off the boot from her set shot.

In the end, it was dynamic key forward Courtney Wakefield who atoned for last year's missed opportunity at Richmond's first ever goal, showing a clean pair of heels at 33 and good game sense to keep the ball in play and slamming the ball home from the square.

Cathy Svarc held Tiger best and fairest Monique Conti possession-less in the first quarter, and to just three at half-time, while topping the Lions' count at the main break with nine of her own.

The Tigers looked at their most dangerous when moving the ball quickly, but didn't catch the organised Lions defence – led by Kate Lutkins and Nat Grider – on the hop nearly enough.

It was a well-rounded performance from the Lions, who would have been thrilled with the performance of young cubs Belle Dawes (a career-high 21 touches, up from 12), ruck Tahlia Hickie, debutant Courtney Hodder and the ever-improving Grider. 

Full-back Harriet Cordner (12 disposals, seven marks) starred on debut for the Tigers after crossing from Melbourne, while No.1 pick Ellie McKenzie (12 touches) showed plenty on the wing for the Tiger army to get excited about. 

Lions forward Jess Wuetschner came into the season as competition's all-time leading goalkicker, but was named an emergency for this match.

"Jess is just on the improve. She had a fairly significant event (struck by lightning) this time last year, and she's taking her time to come good," coach Craig Starcevich said.

"She'll come good at some point, she's not going backwards, she's steadily improving, but we're in the position now where there's people ahead of her, for where she is right now. 

"I'm sure she'll get back to some of the things she has done in the first four seasons."

Welcome back, Courtney
Brisbane rookie Courtney Hodder is returning to footy in 2021 after taking a few years off to focus on rugby union in Queensland. A highly rated junior, Hodder dominated at the level back in her home state of Western Australia before a broken leg halted her progress. Lining up in the forward 50, Hodder's electric pace was on show, kicking 1.2 from her nine touches.

New Tiger faces pack a punch
All the attention has been on Sarah Hosking and Sarah D'Arcy moving to Richmond over the trade period, and while the two performed well, it's Harriet Cordner who could prove to be the most important acquisition. The former Dee slotted in seamlessly into defence, taking composed intercept marks and settled the backline, which was often skittish last year. Her presence has also allowed the athletic Gabby Seymour to play as primary ruck, with usual first ruck Alice Edmonds named an emergency for this game.

Blink and you'd miss it
We rarely see goals kicked beyond the 50m line in the AFLW, but young Lions ruck Tahlia Hickie produced one for the ages in the midst of her lively third term. The 20-year-old seemed to intend to put the ball about 20m out, but with the wind at her back and a vacant goal-square, Hickie slotted a major from 55. Coach Craig Starcevich praised Hickie's game, saying her strong QAFLW season with Coorparoo was holding her in good stead for 2021. 

Say what?
"Pretty pleased, with all the obstacles of today's program, getting up early and coming down here and playing the game, and all the reasons you could come up with for not running out the game strongly, the players were terrific in the last quarter." – Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich

"I think we gave ourselves a chance to stay in the game for all of three quarters, a few moments here and there, up until three-quarter time, we were a few goals down kicking with a few-goal wind. I thought we gave ourselves a chance, but in the last quarter, maybe in their endeavour to take the game on, really try and run them down, we just rushed. A lot of learnings from the last quarter." – Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson

Up next
Richmond will once again face some windy conditions, facing Melbourne at Casey Fields late on Saturday afternoon. Brisbane will be hoping for two from two, drawn against a shaky Geelong at home on Sunday.

RICHMOND    0.2     1.4     1.6     1.6     (12)
BRISBANE     2.3     2.4     4.8     5.11     (41)          

GOALS
Richmond: Wakefield
Brisbane: Bodey 2, Hodder, Hickie, Davidson

BEST
Richmond: Cordner, Dempsey, McKenzie, Seymour, Conti
Brisbane: Dawes, Svarc, Bates, Grider, Conway

INJURIES 
Richmond: Nil
Brisbane: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: 988 at the Swinburne Centre

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