IT'S SAFE to say it's been a fairly tough start to the 2024 NAB AFLW season for the Western Bulldogs.

It had already been a tumultuous off-season, losing a host of senior players, and replacing the head coach, every assistant coach bar one, the head of strength and conditioning, the welfare manager and the list manager.

And in rounds one and two, the Dogs have scored a cumulative 15 points, kicking just two goals, and hold a percentage of 12.7.

Midfielder Isabelle Pritchard said the team have clearly identified targets to help measure their improvement this season, rather than the raw win-loss tally.

"I think the way that we're focusing on our contest and our pressure as a team, that's something that I think we're really striving for and we stand behind," Pritchard told AFL.com.au.

"I think we've probably been inconsistent at times throughout the first games that we've played, but when we put that consistency together for longer periods, that's the positives that we're looking at.

"Against Port Adelaide, we had the ball in our forward half for a lot of the game, which was really promising, we just weren't able to capitalize and turn that into score."

Last year, Pritchard spent the off-season in France, experiencing life in another country as an au pair for a local family. On her return, she trained as an outside player, before being thrust into the engine room when the games began.

She had a settled off-season this year, focusing on training and her civil engineering studies. She spent the entire winter working on her skills as a very tall (178cm) inside midfielder, crediting her developing relationship with assistant coach Toby McLean for her improvement.

"I can't overemphasise the influence that Toby McLean has had on me. I've grown a lot as a midfielder this year," Pritchard said.

"First and foremost, he forms really good relationships with the players that he works with, so that really helps. From there, he's then able to have really high expectations of us and I think it's because he believes in us and what we can achieve.

"I think that's really powerful, because he drives me to be better, he's really clear with what he knows my strengths to be, and wants to bring that out of me as much as possible."

Despite being just 22, Pritchard has had to become a senior face of the group, very quickly. Just under half of the full list of 32 are younger than the leadership group member.

"To be honest, it was difficult at the end of last season. I was getting a call every second day from a teammate telling me that they were leaving, and I had a lot of my closest friends leave or get delisted, and that was a really challenging time," Pritchard said.

"It took me back to my first year, when I came to this club and didn't know anyone and I was intimidated, and so it was really hard. But I think over the course of the past six or seven months, spending time with the girls who have been brought in, it's really exciting.

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"I was at training the other day, and I was looking out at everyone. I think Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner was making a joke in front of everyone, and everyone was laughing. I got this really warm, fuzzy feeling. I just love this group so much. 

"In terms of my leadership, nothing's really changed. I've probably matured a bit and found the way I lead. But I don't think that I've changed the person I am, I'm just putting my best foot forward and trying to support De (Berry, captain)."

Thursday night will mark the Bulldogs' belated return to Mission Whitten Oval, after being moved to the MCG last week to play Port Adelaide before the men's elimination final between the Dogs and the Hawks.

"I had never played [at the MCG] before, it was fantastic, but it was a bit scary looking up at the wall of seats that looms over you. It was an amazing opportunity and one I think a lot of us would never get to do," Pritchard, a lifelong Dogs fan, said.

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"Last season, we were doing our gym out of the old club kitchen, Barker's Café, which is funny to look back on now, because we're standing in these facilities that are the best in the competition.

"We're so excited to be playing at Whitten Oval on Thursday and have our fans come. I don't think they've seen the full extent of it with all the new facilities. Hopefully we can get the job done for them."