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.

NORTH Melbourne has wasted little time re-establishing itself as a NAB AFL Women's powerhouse, putting Geelong to the sword at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday. 

Led by three opening quarter goals from ruck Emma King, the Roos put the game to bed in the early stages before toying with the Cats to win 11.5 (71) to 1.3 (9). 

CATS v ROOS Full match coverage and stats

One of last year's dominant sides with a 5-1 record, the Roos had too much size around clearances and polish on the outside, registering their biggest ever AFLW win. 

The Cats had to wait until the three-minute mark of the last quarter to hit the scoreboard, before ruck Aasta O'Connor kicked their sole major in the final two minutes of the afternoon.  

The undersized Geelong defence had little answer for King's dominance in the first quarter, as she pushed forward and kicked two goals from contested marks before a classy snap later in the term.

Usual Roos suspects Emma Kearney (22 disposals), Ash Riddell (20) and Jemma Bruton (19) continued the run before small forward Ellie Gavalas chimed in with three goals. 

Incredibly, the Cats registered just two fewer inside 50s (25-27) than their powerful opponents – something they weren't able to do last year – but were unable to find targets in front of goal.   

A case of déjà vu
The last time the Roos visited GMHBA Stadium they booted eight unanswered goals to finish the match against the Cats. And on Sunday, they managed the same to start the contest. The Roos overawed their younger opponents with pressure all across the ground to show why they'll again be in AFLW premiership calculations.

Did you see that?
Roos debutant Isabella Eddey will forever remember teammate Daria Bannister's work for her maiden AFLW goal. Tracking a long ball into the Roos' forward 50 in the second term, Bannister brushed aside Cat Maddy Keryk, collecting and pumping the ball to the edge of the goalsquare. Cats skipper Meg McDonald was the first to collect before Bannister dumped her in a tackle, Eddey swopping on a loose ball to put the game beyond doubt.

The hero
Emma King's opening term stat-line read: Eight disposals, nine hit-outs and three goals. The 187cm ex-Pie could've walked away with the three votes there and then, doing the damage at the centre bounce before pushing into attack to expose Millie Brown, Meg McDonald and Maddy McMahon. King spent more time forward after the main break as Vivien Saad showed her upside around stoppages.

Say what?
"I think we'll be digesting it for a little while. We weren't clean enough with our first possession and it meant there was a lot of pressure on us when we got the football." – Geelong coach Paul Hood

"I said to the girls during the week, 'I was feeling a little bit of hope and this was our first real opportunity to give me some evidence that we could be a good team' because everyone had been telling me we should be." – first-year North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker

What's next?
The Cats travel north to face Brisbane at Hickey Park on Sunday at 2.10pm AEST. The Roos are back on their home turf at Arden Street, hosting St Kilda at 1.10pm AEDT on Sunday in what shapes as the match of the round. 

GEELONG                                0.0       0.0       0.0       1.3 (9)
NORTH MELBOURNE              3.0       5.2       8.4       11.5 (71)

GOALS
Geelong: O'Connor
North Melbourne: E.King 3, Gavalas 3, Garner 2, Eddey, Abbatangelo, Ashmore 

BEST 
Geelong: A.McDonald, Purcell, M.Brown, M.McDonald
North Melbourne: E.King, Garner, Gavalas, Bruton, Riddell, Kearney, Ashmore

INJURIES 
Geelong: Nil 
North Melbourne: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: 3701 at GMHBA Stadium

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