GWS CAPTAIN Alicia Eva does not believe there is a lack of talent within the AFLW, just that access to that talent is made more difficult due to the part-time nature of the competition.

Equalisation measures within the AFLW are not as straightforward as in the men's game. A national draft means that talent developed anywhere in the country could, feasibly, end up at any of the 18 clubs.

This, however, is not the case for the women's game. A state-based draft restricts where players can go, meaning the states where talent is overflowing benefit and those that are further behind in that development pathway, like New South Wales, struggle.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Ashleigh Woodland of the Crows marks in front of Alicia Eva of the Giants during the round five AFLW match between the Adelaide Crows and the Greater Western Sydney Giants at Wigan Oval on September 25, 2022 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images via AFL Photos)

"We don't want to be an excuse driven side in terms of the performance that we dished up on the weekend, and I want to make myself really clear on that," Eva prefaced when speaking to the media on Thursday after a record-breaking 96-point loss to Adelaide in round five.

"In saying that, I think there are challenges within the infrastructure of the AFLW system and the state-based draft that, I guess, led to some inequities in list development ... there's an unequal spread of experience and we know that that's probably most significant here in New South Wales."

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AFLW S7 Highlights: Adelaide v GWS

The Crows and Giants clash in round five of the 2022 NAB AFL Women's Competition

In the men's game roughly six per cent of players have come from NSW in recent seasons, hovering between 40 and 50 players across 18 clubs, and neither GWS nor Sydney are expected to build playing lists dominated by local talent.

But in the AFLW, where players are only part-time and therefore must balance life both in and outside footy, expecting athletes to relocate for half the year is a tough ask, "particularly the most expensive state in Australia on a part-time wage".

And it is not a new concern as both NSW sides occupying places down the bottom of the ladder, rather it is an issue Eva has been concerned with for some time.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 10: Madison Brazendale of the Giants looks upfield during the round three AFLW match between the Sydney Swans and the Greater Western Sydney Giants at Sydney Cricket Ground on September 10, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/AFL Photos)

"There are so many exciting things that come with expansion, there are so many exciting things that come with every club in the AFL having an AFLW team, and that's really, really important in terms of visibility and in terms of elevating our female athletes," Eva said.

"But we need to make sure that for the growth and for the betterment of this competition, we need to make sure that it's as much of an equal playing field as we can, and I think it certainly is something that as an industry we need to address."