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 holistic look at what is involved in a pre-season.

Geelong was expected to somewhat close the gap on the top sides in 2023, but no one expected its stunning finals run, falling just four points short of eventual premier Brisbane in a preliminary final up north. Can the Cats go one step further this year?

For the first time in its history, Geelong will enter this AFLW season as a bona fide finals threat.

And while the Cats are on the cusp of turning the 'big four' of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and North Melbourne into a 'big five', it hasn't happened overnight.

Coach Dan Lowther and his assistants have carefully moulded this team over the past few years, patiently adding layers to a game plan that has evolved from a bedrock of strong defence to fast, free-flowing footy.

After falling just four points short to eventual premier Brisbane in last season's preliminary final, the Cats are ready to evolve again in 2024.

"It's been a long pre-season, but it's been going really well. Basically, we started from January in regard to players and their off-season, just facilitating structure and programs for them to come in and get better," Lowther told AFL.com.au.

"We went into VFLW, then our proper pre-season time, and it seems to have gone really quickly. The standards that have been raised from year to year, but certainly from the end of last season – the back of a successful end of year for us, in terms of our growth – and potentially around what we can potentially do going further.

"Trying to keep a lid on that part has been a tricky thing at times, but looking at the standards running round, the game as a whole has been a really positive six months."

On paper, a run to a preliminary final is a big tick, but Lowther is keen to iron out the in-season inconsistencies (including losses to mid-table sides Essendon and Collingwood) which left the Cats in must-win matches late in the year.

Only retired duo Erin Hoare (ruck) and Renee Garing (defensive forward/mid) have left from last year's best 21, with Lilly Pearce recruited to look after the ruck division.

"What I found last year, is that we scored quite quickly if we put the pressure on, but we faded after half-time, and that's been well publicised. That's something we've been chasing in our off-season and pre-season, in our conditioning and game style," Lowther said.

"We increased our scoring last year off the back of our ball movement and style. Let's see more of that, let's see more of the ball living in our front half, let's see the ball hitting the scoreboard, and our forward structure supporting that as well. Improvement from individuals around the fundamentals, to make that happen clearer.

"Rolling more players through our midfield as well to get greater depth and support multiple roles around the ground, you might see a few different things in our back half as well, which is exciting for us, in regards to different personnel.

"You'll see some flexibility, freedom and hopefully some free-flowing footy, once we get the ball into our hands. The ground is a big part of the game-style for us, so how we manipulate that and use the ground is going to be really exciting as well."

Geelong opens its season with games against Melbourne and North Melbourne, with Brisbane (week eight) and Adelaide (week 10) at the back-end of the season, meaning we'll get a clear measure as to whether Geelong has expanded the big four to a big five.

"It's a difficult (fixture) in a way if we measure it in wins and losses – which we will be – it might just show we're stalling or we're not as good as we were last year. But for us, it's another chance to show our growth and continuity from last year to this year," Lowther said.

"Yeah, we beat Melbourne last year, we've had close games against Adelaide, we haven't beaten Brisbane yet, but we've been very close a couple of times. We're close to the mark, we think, but can we take that next step? We haven't beaten the Kangaroos in my time, so again, it's a challenging opportunity to play them early, which is great.

"We're looking forward to the challenge. We're optimistic as to how we're going to perform, we're realistic too, as to where we are from a list perspective that there's going to be some pain at some point, but it's about how are we going to navigate going through that in our performance. We say bring it on, the teams we're fixtured to play against, because that's all we can do."

One of Geelong's points of difference has been its wholehearted embrace of Irish players, with four of its 30 players – second only to Fremantle, with Gold Coast and North Melbourne also at four – hailing from the Emerald Isle.

There's nuggety small defender Rachel Kearns, who bounces up from big hits with a wide grin, unknown quantity Anna Rose Kennedy, who missed all but the preliminary final with a foot injury, and now two red-headed, dynamic key forwards in Aishling Moloney and new recruit Kate Kenny.

"It shows you can play the game on instinct, as opposed to be set in structure or a certain way, and be open to fail and succeed, because that's what the game is giving you," Lowther said.

"AFLW is unpredictable, AFL is unpredictable, chaotic at times, but how you master that – and the way the Irish girls have come in and mastered the chaotic part has been really impressive.

"The culture, in regards to the genuine people they are, and opening yourself up to invest in something bigger than yourself, that has just supported our group to grow collectively, which is great, and internationally as well, we're just eyes wide open as to what the prospects are on a broader scale, which is good."