THE AFL has confirmed structure details ahead of the 2024 NAB AFLW season, which includes a month-long period of mid-week footy.
This year will see games played on every night except Mondays between Thursday, September 12 and Sunday, October 13, with the exception of AFL Grand Final day.
It means the usual rhythm of the season – team announcements, injury lists, nominees for Telstra AFLW Rising Star, MRO reports – will be altered through the condensed fixture period.
With the season kicking off on August 30, what are the nitty gritty details?
Team announcements and injury reports
For games played on a Friday or Saturday, the team of 21 will be announced on Thursday at 6.20pm AEST.
Sunday games will be the only one to have an extended squad announced (also on Thursday nights), with the final 21 named on Friday at 5pm.
Teams for matches played on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday will be named at 6.20pm the day before the game in question.
As is the case for the men's competition, AFLW sides will be required to release their injury reports by 5pm AEST on Tuesdays. But if teams are playing twice in a week, they will only need to report major injuries ahead of their second match, rather than publish another full injury update.
Match review and Tribunal hearings
In the regular season, it's business as usual when it comes to the MRO, with reports to be released by the League on a Monday afternoon.
When we hit the mid-week footy period, MRO reports will be released within 24 hours of matches, as is the case in the men's competition.
Tribunal hearings may get a little more complicated between weeks three and seven, especially if a player is scheduled to play again four days later. Cases will definitely be heard before the start of their next match, but that could end up being on a Saturday morning or a Thursday evening.
As was the case in the COVID-affected AFL and AFLW seasons, suspended players will miss their team's next match, even if that's within the same week.
Award nominations
When it comes to Virgin Australia AFLW Mark of the Year and NAB AFLW Goal of the Year, if a player takes to the field twice within a week, both performances will be eligible for nominations.
This means if Danielle Ponter kicks a stunning goal on Tuesday against St Kilda and another pearler on Sunday playing Gold Coast, she's a chance to take up two of the three weekly nominations.
As previously announced, the winners of this year's AFL men's and women's MOTY and GOTY will receive $50,000 each.
All games from Tuesday-Sunday are included in assessment of weekly nominations, with announcements to be made on Monday.
Those nominated for the Telstra AFLW Rising Star will be from a single performance in a week, although both will be considered if they play twice.
For example, Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner's nomination is from her Tuesday night match against Port Adelaide, not her Saturday afternoon clash with West Coast.
