IT'S NOT the first time Chloe Molloy has faced her old side, but it means just as much.
On Friday, Molloy's Sydney will open the 2024 NAB AFLW season against Collingwood, with the co-captain's changed allegiances adding an extra element to the contest.
"Yes, I love them more than anything and I appreciate that football club and all the people that make it … but once the siren's gone and the ball goes up, it's just like beast mode," Molloy told AFL.com.au.
After six seasons and 47 games wearing the black and white, Molloy moved north last year to join the Swans. Her first season in Sydney was an unmitigated success, bearing a final win, and a third All-Australian selection.
It also included an emotion-fuelled match against her old friends and teammates in round nine.
"I treated it like any other game," Molloy said.
"Not that I don't care, but I'm there to win. I don't mind what colours you're wearing; I respect my opponents. But, at the end of the day, I'm not going to attack a contest any different if you're my mate."
In that game, the initial plan for Molloy was for her to start in the forward line, then spend time running through the midfield as the game wore on. That changed, however, after the star asked coach Scott Gowans if she could get her hands dirty early.
"I remember saying something like 'put me in the middle first'," Molloy said.
"I think I wanted to see if maybe they were going to tag me, and also kind of to throw them off. I knew that either Ruby (Schleicher) or Jordy Allen were going to come to me, and I wanted to know if it was a hard tag or if it was a soft tag.
"But I also thought maybe it's a good opportunity to set the tone."
Gowans was conscious of Molloy's mood throughout the week leading into the game, understanding how she operates thanks to a coach-player relationship that spans back to their days at Diamond Creek in the VFLW, and when he was an assistant coach at the Pies. He wanted to do whatever was needed to get the best out of his co-captain.
"I was mindful of Chloe, not so much of Collingwood playing against Chloe, but of Chloe playing against Collingwood," Gowans said.
"I can just read her very well and I know when she's on and when she's overthinking things, and I felt during the week, she might have been thinking a lot about it without letting all of us know.
"So, I really threw her the option of everything she wanted to do on the day and just get herself in the game. And she had some really good moments in that game."
The good moments came in the form of three goals from 18 disposals in Sydney's 19-point win.
It was a significant game in the context of Sydney's season, propelling the club toward its first finals series.
"Watching the game back you could see the look on the girls' faces. You know, you have moments where you sort of click, and I think playing Collingwood at Henson (Park), and it was Pride Round too. It felt like things clicked in that game for us," Molloy said.
"It was definitely a moment, if I reflect back, that the group clicked and that built a whole lot of internal confidence."
This year, it's a battle that provides the Swans an opportunity to get their season off to a strong start, knowing full well that the Pies will be out for exactly the same result.
"It's round one, it's a good opportunity for us to respond, and I think it's exciting as an AFLW fan, when you've got a team that wants to respond to one that didn't have the season they wanted to, they didn't make finals," Molloy said.
"I'm so excited to see what football they can produce, because when you put fire on any team… any little bit of fuel, any little bit of extra motivation you give a team, it's exciting."
