A FRESH influx of draftees and a fully fit list has created some much-needed competition for spots in West Coast's AFLW side.
The Eagles have a full 30 players to choose from for this Saturday's Derby against Fremantle after regularly needing top-up players as emergencies, while the likes of Charlie Thomas, Courtney Rowley and Sarah Lakay has star midfielder Aisling McCarthy looking over her shoulder.
"There are going to be nine girls this week who will be very disappointed, but it's going to be those nine girls that drives on the rest of the group. No one's sitting on their laurels knowing they're going to be selected, so it really drives the competition at training and drives the standards," McCarthy told Credit to the Girls podcast.
"Training has been really intense. I've been lining up against the likes of Bella Lewis and 'Swanny' (Emma Swanson) in internal practice games, so it's been really intense but we get really competitive.
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"It'll be nice now to play together as a group and against different opposition, throughout the pre-season you're trying to mind each other as well, and not [tackle] at 100 per cent intensity."
EPISODE GUIDE
1.30 – Aisling McCarthy's slightly delayed pre-season
3.28 – The impact of new coach Michael Prior
4.45 – Competition for spots
6.10 – Practice match win over Fremantle
8.50 – Midfield depth
10.12 – Life on the road: a chance to be full-time athletes
12.37 – Will Dana Hooker continue to line up at half-back?
14.08 – This weekend's Derby
