ALTHOUGH no games have officially been played, the 16-a-side format for the NAB AFL Women's competition is already making its mark.

Fremantle coach Michelle Cowan said the format – trialled in the Western Bulldogs-Melbourne all-stars exhibition match last September – helped determine the club's recruiting decisions.

"After watching and being involved with coaching Melbourne against the Western Bulldogs, I felt (the 16-a-side format) became a factor (in our recruiting strategy)," Cowan said.

"It was a really fast game. The teams had to be quite athletic, the format helped open the game up a bit and there was a fair bit of space."

Gemma Houghton is one player Cowan identified as a potential beneficiary of the 16-a-side format.

A basketballer from East Perth who is yet to play a competitive football match, Houghton was signed as a free agent after she impressed at a talent identification day.

"She's certainly putting her hand up for selection," Cowan said.

"She won our 2km time trial with a personal best, and she's developing on the footy field. Every day she takes a step up with her skill work and her ability to play and adapt to the game."

The Dockers have already lost an important player to a season-ending injury (marquee signing Kiara Bowers tore her ACL last year) and have several players coming back from serious injuries, including Kirby Bentley and Tiah Haynes (knee reconstructions).

Cowan said with such a small squad (29, including Beatrice Devlyn who comes in as an injury replacement for Emily Bonser, who will miss the season after having both knees reconstructed), there was an element of risk in drafting players on the comeback trail, but the signs were positive for round one.

"You certainly select while being as informed as you can be, because you don't get a very big list to work with. The players are like gold."

Another impressing on the track is javelin thrower and rookie Kim Mickle, who injured her shoulder representing Australia at the Rio Olympics last year.

"Kim's been amazing. She's come from an individual sport and is now entrenched in a team environment. She's taken to it extremely well," Cowan said.

"I've seen her development every training session. She's improving in her skill and technique, which is great to see."

Cowan, who's spent the past two years working alongside Paul Roos as a development coach at Melbourne, said she was enjoying the "exciting opportunity" to construct a team.

"You're rarely given the opportunity to build a team from scratch. It's not just the players – it's the coaches and the support staff as well. So it's an incredible challenge.

"I think I've got the best job in the world."