A HOST of talented players are set to return to the AFLW this year after layoffs caused by injury, pregnancy or work commitments. 

The short turnaround between seasons six and seven last year meant some players were forced to the sidelines for a little longer than initially hoped. Now those players, and their fans, are eager to see them hit the park once again in season eight. 

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So, let's look at the 10 players we're most excited to see return this year. 

Tyanna Smith (St Kilda) 
Taken with pick no.6 in the 2020 draft, the smooth-moving Tyanna Smith added some class to the St Kilda midfield throughout the 2021 season. Across her nine games that year she earned a well-deserved Rising Star nomination and finished second in her club's best and fairest count. 

A torn ACL in her second preseason halted her development, and robbed the St Kilda midfield of her talents, but now with the injury well behind her everyone will be itching to see Smith back out on the field.  

Brianna Davey (Collingwood)
Former competition Best and Fairest winner and Collingwood captain Brianna Davey is preparing to return to the Pies' midfield mix this season after recovering from her second ACL tear in five years. 

While her contested work is important to the Pies, Davey's ability to transition that in-and-under strength into attacking play is a game changer. 

Evie Gooch (West Coast) 
A persistent wrist concern kept Evie Gooch off the track last season, instead taking up a role in the coaches box, but there is no doubt the running defender is eager to get back on the park.  

Offering not only plenty of rebound out of the back half, Gooch provides essential on-field leadership to the youngest list in the competition this year, so her return will be equally welcomed by teammates and fans alike. 

Isabel Huntington (Greater Western Sydney) 
When the Giants traded for Isabel Huntington last year, it was a long play. Knowing full well the former no.1 draftee was still on the road back from an ACL injury, the club was ready to commit to her throughout the rehabilitation process. 

In a forward line that is now without key goalkicker Cora Staunton, Huntington has an opportunity to take the Giants' attack by the scruff of the neck with her return to footy. 

Jasmin Stewart (Port Adelaide)
An exciting young talent, Jasmin Stewart hung up the boots in the middle of last year to reassess her place in the game after 22 matches for Fremantle. Slick on the outside and known to sneak forward to kick a goal or two, her ability to shift momentum in games was something to behold.  

Still just 24 years old, Stewart decided she was ready to step back into AFLW, and was drafted to Port Adelaide earlier this year to reunite with fellow former Dockers Gemma Houghton and Maggie MacLachlan. 

Brit Bonnici (Collingwood)
This year will be a new Collingwood. New faces, some regulars no longer around, and the return of running machine Brit Bonnici is the icing on the cake. Her on-field intelligence and spread from the contest is such an asset to Steve Symonds.  

Sitting on 47 career games, Bonnici's return will ideally result in her notching up her 50-game milestone in a revamped Pies side.

Eliza McNamara (Melbourne)
After a freak accident in the gym, a severe back injury left Eliza McNamara on the sidelines for Melbourne's premiership season. Not one to get down, McNamara was still ever-present, hyping up teammates and assisting however possible. 

Now in the throes of pre-season and getting back to her elite, endurance running best, McNamara is staring down a return to the field in an already-powerful team. 

Rebecca Beeson (Greater Western Sydney)  
Powerhouse contested ball winner Bec Beeson spent last season on the sidelines as she managed ongoing concussion symptoms, but is on the journey back to the AFLW and the Giants arguably couldn't need her more.  

Beeson has been a stalwart of the Giants side, playing 41 games as one of just two inaugural players remaining at the club. Her leadership and skill is so valuable to Cam Bernasconi's young team, and her return will allow other key cogs to be used in different ways going forward. 

Yvonne Bonner (Adelaide) 
COVID-related border closures, isolation and pregnancy meant that once Yvonne Bonner left Greater Western Sydney after the 2020 season, she was unable to return to Australia as initially planned for the following year.  

Now, with the chaos behind her and a fresh start at Adelaide on the cards, Bonner has the chance to fill a gap that has opened in the Crows' forward line and build on her 11 career games. 

Katelyn Pope (Port Adelaide) 
South Australian small forward Katelyn Pope won her first call up to AFLW in 2021 as an inactive player replacement at West Coast, but even with her proactivity in the attacking half couldn't keep her spot on the list.  

After a couple of strong seasons in the SANFLW, Pope caught the eye of Port Adelaide's recruiters and earned a second shot at the top level. A hard worker, she will take the opportunity with both hands.