THE 2024 NAB AFLW season is finally here.

Sydney and Collingwood are set to do battle on Friday to kick off an 11-round season, and with plenty of changes since AFLW was last played, here is a quick refresher to get you ready.

What were the major off season moves?

Plenty of players and coaches alike switched allegiances over the last eight months.

Melbourne made significant change, bidding goodbye to Libby Birch (North Melbourne), Maddi Gay (Essendon), Casey Sherriff and Eliza West (both Hawthorn).

Carlton loaded up, welcoming Tarni Brown from Collingwood, Yasmin Duursma from Port Adelaide and Celine Moody from the Western Bulldogs, allowing her to reunite with twin sister Breann. Meanwhile Fremantle also added some experience in Ash Brazill from Collingwood, Aisling McCarthy from West Coast, and former No.1 draft pick Gabby Newton from the Western Bulldogs.

Katie Lynch and Charlotte Wilson will bolster Gold Coast's defence this year, and Kirsty Lamb slides into Port Adelaide's midfield with Erin Phillips now retired. Dynamic forward Roxy Roux and tough midfielder Alison Drennan will don an Eagles guernsey this year, and Lauren Ahrens is now a Bulldog.

Four clubs have also welcomed new coaches, with women's footy pioneer Daisy Pearce headlining the off-season appointments, taking charge at West Coast. Former North Melbourne AFL player Sam Wright will lead Collingwood, while Brisbane assistant Daniel Webster is now at Hawthorn, and Melbourne assistant Tamara Hyett heads up the Western Bulldogs' program.

Who is under an injury cloud?

Unfortunately for some players, injuries have ruled them out of the season, while others are carrying concerns that have them racing the clock for round one.

New Western Bulldogs recruit Mua Laloifi and fresh Tiger Montana McKinnon both ruptured their ACLs in the same match simulation earlier in the month, while North Melbourne draftee Georgia Stubs copped a nasty dislocated ankle the same day.

Dreaded ACL injuries have also struck down Ange Stannett (Fremantle), Aimee Mackin (Melbourne), and highly rated Port Adelaide recruit Lauren Young, among others.

In happier news, Dana Hooker, Hannah Dunn, and Kiara Bowers will both sit out the season while pregnant, and Cat Olivia Fuller has opted to focus on her work away from footy this year.

Collingwood captain Brianna Davey is doing everything she can to feature in the season opener, after undergoing ankle surgery in the off-season, the Pies will also be without important defender Lauren Butler early on due to a lower leg concern.

Keep an eye on Melbourne's round one side, as Tayla Harris has been managing a sore quad, and Liv Purcell will spend some time on the sidelines after copping a painful hit to the face in the club's practice match against Port Adelaide.

Reigning Port Adelaide best and fairest winner Abbey Dowrick may not feature early in the season with a finger injury, and Geelong spearhead Chloe Scheer has been ruled out of the opening weeks with a toe.

Essendon will be sweating on the fitness of important defensive duo Sophie Van De Heuvel and Brooke Brown who are both battling soft tissue injuries, and St Kilda will be hopeful that Georgia Patrikios can overcome a foot injury from last week's practice match to feature against Gold Coast.

How did last year finish?

The 2023 season, comprised of 90 home and away games and nine finals, finished with Brisbane holding up the cup. The Lions, who were challenged throughout the season, landed fourth on the ladder before beating Adelaide, Geelong, and ultimately North Melbourne to secure a second premiership.

2019 expansion sides the Cats and the Roos pressed further into finals than they ever have before, with the former making a preliminary final, and the latter the Grand Final, while Essendon and Sydney of the most recent expansion round qualified for their first ever finals series.

Gold Coast qualified for the finals, getting a second taste at the post-season after playing off against Fremantle in the cobbled together semi-final round back in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID.

St Kilda got ever-so-close to its first finals appearance, just falling out of the top eight on percentage by season's end, while Collingwood dropped out of the finals race for the first time since 2019.

Richmond struggled through an injury crisis, ultimately finishing 10th, and under new coach Mathew Buck, Carlton started strongly before falling away late in the year.

The Western Bulldogs struggled, winning just one game, and finished as wooden spooners for the first time, leading to wholesale change at the club across the off-season.

Who are some of the new players I should be watching out for?

A host of new players have joined the AFLW ranks in recent months, through a myriad of ways. No.1 draft pick Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner will be a fun watch in attack for the Western Bulldogs, while Cleo Buttifant adds some nice dash at the other end of the ground for the club.

Geelong added another Irishwoman in Kate Kenny to its ranks, offering some strength and athleticism up forward, and father-daughter signing Bryde O'Rourke will feature on the wing and down back in the hoops.

Grace Beasley, a former college basketballer, is an exciting, and physical addition to Melbourne's midfield group, and down back the side welcomes former Cat Denby Taylor back to the AFLW as a replacement signing.

At Port Adelaide, priority signing Shineah Goody has already caught attention thanks to her composure with ball in hand, meanwhile other priority signings Hayley McLaughlin and Amy Gaylor have impressed for Hawthorn and Essendon respectively.

Father-daughter signings Charlotte Simpson (St Kilda), Meg Robertson (Carlton), and Jemma Rigoni (Melbourne) will all be keen to continue their family legacies, and Irishwoman Eilish O'Dowd is sure to draw attention with Greater Western Sydney thanks to her supreme athleticism and skill.

Which teams are on the rise?

Under new coach Daniel Webster, Hawthorn looks ready to have its best season yet, engaging a hard-running, clean disposal style of play, and pre-season form suggests fellow 2022 expansion side Port Adelaide may improve its fortunes this year.

Richmond will be hopeful that fewer injuries this year will lead to a return to finals, boasting reigning AFLW best and fairest winner Monique Conti and the longest serving captain in AFLW history, Katie Brennan.

Which sides might slide in the other direction?

Significant change during the off-season may see perennial challenger Melbourne slide out of the top four this season, after being knocked out of last year's finals in straight sets.

Feel-good story of 2023, Sydney, may find this year more challenging thanks to a tougher fixture, particularly late in the season in which it faces five of last year's finalists in six games.

Collingwood, under new coach Sam Wright, may need to take a step backwards to go forward, and find itself slightly lower than its 11th placed finish of last year.

How will this season be different?

There are a couple of significant changes to the way AFLW will operate in 2024, namely the fixturing of mid-week footy, and the addition of Score Assist software.

In order to squeeze 11 rounds of footy into just 10 weeks, every club has a mid-week match as part of the fixture. These matches will take place between weeks four and seven, and will see sides back up games on a Tuesday or Wednesday, with Sunday afternoon matches.

All teams but three – West Coast, Geelong, and Richmond – will contend with a four-day break in that time.

Score Assist, ball tracking technology, has also been brought into the AFLW this season. Alerts will be sent when the ball crosses the goal line, if it hits the post, or is touched on the way through, with score assist officials able to communicate with on-field umpires.

The technology has been tested for more than a year, including in VFLW and VFL matches throughout 2024.

The 2024 NAB AFLW season kicks off on Friday, August 30 when Sydney takes on Collingwood at North Sydney Oval. Tickets are on sale now.