SETTING The Scene is a pre-season series ahead of the 2024 NAB AFLW season, which starts on August 30. Picking up on storylines from last year's season, which ended in a second premiership for Brisbane, the series will also take a more holistic look at what is involved in a pre-season.
Melbourne started the 2023 season in scintillating fashion, winning its first five games for an astonishing percentage of 306.9. The wobbles began to creep in over the back end of the year, leading to the Demons crashing out of finals in straight sets. How will the Demons bounce back?
KATE Hore's maiden season as Melbourne captain was eventful, to say the least.
Taking over from Daisy Pearce is no easy task, but for most of the season, it was smooth sailing.
A final-round crash against Brisbane, losing by 25 points, was followed by a 41-point qualifying final loss to a rampaging North Melbourne, the high-scoring Dees held to an astonishing nine points.
Then came Geelong in the semi-final. Melbourne rallied to kick five final-quarter goals, but it had left itself with too much to do. The season seven premiers had fallen out of the finals without firing a shot.
"I guess to put it plainly and simply, we just we weren't good enough when it counted. I guess we fell out of form towards the end of the year," Hore told AFL.com.au.
"I'm not going to take anything away from the opposition that we played in finals, Geelong and North really bought it in those two games, and we weren't able to match it with them.
"That's just the reality of it, I guess. And that's what we've been working really hard this pre-season to try and rectify and make sure that our game style stacks up, not only in the home and away season, but towards the back end of the year as well."
After years of stability, what followed was a trade period of transition. Players who had held on for one more roll of the dice opted to move on, with Eliza West and Casey Sherriff heading to Hawthorn, Libby Birch to the Roos, Maddi Gay to Essendon and Charlotte Wilson to Gold Coast.
It's seen the Dees bring in nine fresh faces to their squad of 32 (inclusive of injury replacement players).
"It has been quite a big change for us, and I think it's been a really, really welcome change, to be honest. I think sometimes you can get a little bit set in your ways and be comfortable when you kind of got the same group. We've been lucky enough to have really similar staff work with us for a number of years as well," Hore said.
"It's brought really good energy. Because the new players have come in as a big group, they've been able to work together. We have our Daisy Pearce Academy (the male equivalent at the club is the David Neitz Academy) for our first-to-third-year players, and they make up pretty much a third of the team.
"We've really been pushing that they're going to have such a big influence and impact on our team. They can't just come in and go through the ropes, they really need to, I guess, stamp their authority on the team early, and they've done a really good job at that.
"Shae Sloane works really closely with our DPA crew, and they have weekly meetings. It's just settling them into the club, whether that be on-field, off-field, just making sure they're really comfortable and confident in the environment. It can be pretty challenging to walk into, especially as an 18-year-old."
The changing demographic of the team, as well as the natural maturing that comes in the second year of a new position, means Hore feels she is blossoming in the role.
"It's growing in the role and getting more confident in myself as a leader and as a captain.
"I think last year I probably felt like a bit of imposter syndrome still, and it hadn't really sunk in that I was the captain of the team, whereas second year, you're just a little bit more confident in who you are and what you're doing and what you bring to the team.
"I feel like my role, especially this year with so many new players and so many younger girls, is to really mentor them and lead them and just help guide them through what being an AFLW player is."
After the departures of Sherriff and West, there are spots up for grabs in the forward line and midfield respectively, with Hore highlighting two possible inclusions for the upcoming season.
"Our first draft pick Alyssia Pisano, she'll be turning heads this year. She's just a really natural footballer. Kicks the ball incredibly well, has a great goal sense. She'll come on and be an impact player. Doesn't need much of the footy, but when she gets it, she'll do good things with it. She's one to watch in our forward half," she said.
"Grace Beasley, she's a rookie signing, a college basketballer. She's 25, so a little bit older, and I guess more mature, has had really great life experiences being over in America for six years. I've been super impressed with the way she's gone about it.
"She's not one of those people who are all gung-ho, she takes it all in and listens, and it's just a really great learner of the game. She wants to be the best athlete she can be, and she's been super impressive on the track, so she'll be running through our midfield and hopefully causing a few headaches for opposition."
