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.

COLLINGWOOD has sent a warning sign through the rest of the competition, stunning early premiership fancy Carlton with a six-point win.

BLUES v PIES Full match coverage and stats

As crowds returned to the footy for the first time since March, the Magpies ran riot in the second term with a fierce brand of footy in the 5.3 (33) to 4.3 (27) win at Ikon Park.

Despite just one point being kicked in the first quarter, the players settled quickly compared to scrappy season-openers in the past, settling into a marking game and moving the ball up and down the wings.

It was a game of intercept defenders Charlotte Wilson and Ruby Schleicher (in a career-best performance) early, before Pie Aishling Sheridan finally kicked off proceedings five minutes into the second quarter, converting from a contested mark close to the square.

The Magpies were dominant out of the middle, leading clearances 13-6 at half-time, and Chloe Molloy and Bri Davey feasted on the rewards, holding the Blues to a goalless first half for the first time since round four, 2019.

Unsurprisingly, as Carlton began to gain ascendancy in the middle – through AFLW best and fairest Maddy Prespakis, a vastly improved Abbie McKay and Grace Egan – the goals came, with Nicola Stevens finally breaking the duck seven minutes into the third.

But the Blues – missing Lucy McEvoy (broken cheekbone), Brooke Walker (foot) and Gab Pound (finger) – had left their run too late.

Prespakis (18 disposals, 14 contested possessions, five clearances) picked up where she left off, while Britt Bonnici (22 touches) and Jaimee Lambert (a very clever 17) kept things moving for the Pies.

However, the win was soured after new Pie Aliesha Newman was reported for a dangerous tackle on Blue Mua Laloifi in the fourth term.

 Carlton coach Daniel Harford said Pound is expected to return next week, while McEvoy is slated for a round three return.

Pie Sarah Rowe is battling a minor shoulder injury, and is looking likely to feature in round two.

Old friends reacquainted
After Collingwood key back Stacey Livingstone labelled Tayla Harris as "useless" when the ball hit the ground following their clash in round two last year, all eyes were on the pair. Harris got an early win, cleanly picking up a ground ball in front of Livingstone but didn't make an impact on the scoreboard, although she crashed plenty of packs. It wasn't the only battle worth watching, with former Blue Brianna Davey playing her old side for the first time, much to the enjoyment of Maddy Prespakis, with the pair tussling on the wing.

New-look attacks all round
Magpies coach Steve Symonds had teased the possibility of playing Chloe Molloy and Brianna Davey forward over summer, and pulled the trigger in the second quarter for an immediate reward. With Molloy in the square and Davey stationed about 20m out, the former kicked two while Davey's physicality and composure resulted in a goal against her old side. It wasn't the only fresh face in attack, with Jess Hosking causing plenty of havoc in Carlton's forward 50 in the third term.

Footy's finally back in Victoria
The last AFL game played in the state was in early July last year, and the last game played before crowds was an AFLW clash on March 13, 2020. But Thursday night marked a return to a form of normality, albeit with a few face masks in club colours floating around. And most wonderfully, it was remarkable for just how normal it felt. After months of lockdown, fans were able to bellow "BAAAAALLLLLL" to their heart's content. 

Say what?
"I think it is pretty straightforward to say (the game was lost in the second term), it wasn't even the whole second term, it was the last 10 minutes or so that was the difference. In the first half, the Magpies sat off us a bit, and tried to surge through to get the turnovers that way. So, we got our hands on the ball, but got caught in their little trap." – Carlton coach Daniel Harford 

"We definitely want to be an attacking side, I know the last quarter we locked it up, but that's certainly not the brand we want to try and be. The girls, once they get their confidence up and start believing, away they go. We encourage a fast style of footy and we got going in the second quarter and started to look good, third quarter, Carlton came out and started squeezing us up pretty good, but we got through it."  – Collingwood coach Steve Symonds

What's next?
Carlton have a short trip to VU Whitten Oval to take on the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, the first game of Pride Round. Collingwood will host Gold Coast in its first home game of the season at Victoria Park.

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CARLTON               0.0     0.0     3.1     4.3     (27)
COLLINGWOOD     0.1     4.2     5.2     5.3     (33)          

GOALS
Carlton: Stevens, Vescio, Hosking, Harrington
Collingwood: Molloy 2, Sheridan 2, Davey

BEST
Carlton: Prespakis, Egan, Wilson, Hosking, McKay
Collingwood: Bonnici, Lambert, Molloy, Sheridan, Schleicher

INJURIES 
Carlton: Nil
Collingwood: Nil

Reports: Aliesha Newman (Collingwood) reported for a dangerous tackle on Mua Laloifi (Carlton) in the fourth term

Crowd: 6712 at Ikon Park