THE rebel VFLW season finally gets underway tomorrow, with 12 clubs blasting off on a mission to win the competition’s first premiership since Collingwood overwhelmed the Western Bulldogs in the 2019 Grand Final.
After the 2020 season was cancelled and 2021’s big dance also fell victim to COVID restrictions, players, officials and supporters alike can’t wait for the action to kick off with the opening bounce between 2021 elimination finalists Casey Demons and Port Melbourne at Casey Fields at 10.35am AEDT on Saturday morning.
VFLW MATCH OF THE ROUND: WATCH CASEY DEMONS v PORT MELBOURNE LIVE FROM 10.35am AEDT ON SATURDAY, FEB 12, ON AFL.COM.AU AND THE AFL LIVE OFFICIAL APP
The Magpies are the team they’re all chasing, having not lost a game since the final home and away round in 2019 to draw within three wins of breaking Darebin’s record 20 straight victories in the inaugural 2016 season.
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There have been mass changes to all the squads, so let’s have a look at how your team is shaping up and what you might be able to expect – COVID pending of course.
ROUND 1, Saturday, February 12
Casey Demons v Port Melbourne (Casey Fields, 10.35am, www.caseyradio.com.au 10am, LIVE stream on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App)
Darebin v Williamstown (La Trobe University, 11am)
Essendon v Western Bulldogs (The Hangar, 12.30pm – warfradio.com 11.30am)
Geelong v Carlton (Deakin University, 2pm)
Sunday, February 13
North Melbourne v Hawthorn (Arden St, 9am)
Collingwood v Southern Saints (Victoria Park, 10am – warfradio.com 9am)
*AFLW-listed recruit
2021 Record: 6-8 (8th)
Fixture: Geelong (A), Southern Saints (H), Essendon (H), Port Melbourne (H), Darebin (A), Collingwood (H), Hawthorn (A), Essendon (A), Western Bulldogs (A), North Melbourne (H), Williamstown (A), Southern Saints (A), Casey Demons (H), Western Bulldogs (H)
Plays Twice: Essendon, Southern Saints, Western Bulldogs
Arrivals: Imogen Milford* (Casey Demons), Jess Dal Pos* (Darebin, GWS), Thomay Nicolaou (Essendon), Annie Lee*, Poppy Schaap* (Geelong), Keeley Sherar* (Hawthorn), Mia Cowan, Nadia Moore (North Melbourne), Brooke Vickers* (Port Melbourne), Abbey Jordan (Southern Saints), Jess Good* (Sturt), Vanessa Murphy (Western Bulldogs), Lauren Suleiman (Williamstown), Madeleine Di Cosmo (Eastern Ranges), Lily Goss, Laura Robertson, Jessica Stramandinoli, Ashlee Thorneycroft.
Departures: Maeve Chaplin, Tayla Harris, Shanara Notman (Casey Demons), Alison Downie (Collingwood), Chloe Dalton, Katie Loynes (GWS), Jess Hosking, Akayla Peterson (Port Melbourne), Mikayla Barnes (Western Bulldogs), Elsa Mangan (Williamstown), Chelsea Bowen, Teagan Brett, Phoebe Chisholm, Jessie Coletti, Tarrah Delgado, Jessica Edwards, Cleo Faulks, Amber Micallef, Nikia Webber.
Summary: The Blues just missed the finals last year and are confident of taking the next step into the top six for the first time. They have added 12 players who were on rival VFLW lists, including the experienced Jess Dal Pos while farewelling six. After Geelong tomorrow, they have a golden chance to bank early wins.
2021 Record: 8-7 (4th home and away, 6th after finals)
Fixture: Port Melbourne (H), Darebin (H), North Melbourne (H), Western Bulldogs (H), Geelong (A), Southern Saints (H), Collingwood (A), Williamstown (A), Geelong (H), Hawthorn (A), Collingwood (H), Port Melbourne (A), Carlton (A), Essendon (A)
Plays Twice: Collingwood, Geelong, Port Melbourne
Arrivals: Maeve Chaplin*, Tayla Harris*, Shanara Notman (Carlton), Georgia Byrne, Rebecca Grant (Collingwood), Tahlia Gillard* (Essendon), Olivia Purcell* (Geelong), Katie Angelis (Hawthorn), Georgia Campbell* (Eastern Ranges), Ella Dempster, Alison Dowler, Sinead Goldrick*, Amy Laing, Jennifer Macdonald, Cara McCrossan, Zoe Mitchell, Eloise O’Connor, Tara Reiter, Stephanie Rummel, Chelsie Selleck, Belinda Woolcock.
Departures: Imogen Milford (Carlton), Nicole Hales, Grace Matser (Collingwood), Chantel Emonson (Geelong), Tegan Cunningham, Emma Humphries, Mietta Kendall (Hawthorn), Meg Macdonald, Bridie Winbanks (Port Melbourne), Grace Buchan, Winnie Laing (Southern Saints), Meg Downie, Niamh McEvoy, Shae Sloane (retired), Alicia Bertrand, Lisa Davies, Amy Dunn, Kate Gillespie-Jones, Georgia Howes, Laura Jonston, Katherine McFadyen, Harmony Thomas, Stephanie Topp.
Summary: Looks to have picked up very well despite the losses of Milford and Kendall among others, but it obviously depends on how many players Melbourne make available. The Demons have the toughest fixture on paper so need to make hay while the sun shines with their first four games at home.
2021 Record: 16-0 (1st)
Fixture: Southern Saints (H), North Melbourne (A), Williamstown (H), Hawthorn (H), Port Melbourne (H), Carlton (A), Casey Demons (H), Geelong (A), Essendon (A), Darebin (A), Casey Demons (A), Western Bulldogs (H), Port Melbourne (A), Geelong (H)
Plays Twice: Casey Demons, Geelong, Port Melbourne
Arrivals: Alison Downie* (Carlton), Nicole Hales, Grace Matser (Casey Demons), Monique Demattio (Essendon), Elois* (Hawthorn), Sabrina Frederick* (Port Melbourne), Nyakoat Dojiok (Western Bulldogs), Rhiannon Busch, Shanel Camilleri, Amy Kane, Danica Pederson.
Departures: Georgia Byrne, Rebecca Grant (Casey Demons), Charlie Rowbottom (Gold Coast), Jordan Mifsud (Hawthorn), Jennifer Guy (North Melbourne), Stella Reid, Maddie Shevlin (Port Melbourne), Ash Brazill (netball), Brianna Davey (knee), Sharni Norder (retired), Mikala Cann, Shanae Decler, Emily Duffy, Lauren Durante, Olivia Gleeson, Abbey Green, Kalarni Kearns.
Summary: Undefeated since the last round of 2019, the Magpies are the team to beat once again, with the arrival of the experienced Downie and Pederson only helping their cause. Losing Shevlin and Cann is a blow, but it is still catch them if you can.
2021 Record: 1-12-1 (12th)
Fixture: Williamstown (H), Casey Demons (A), Hawthorn (H), North Melbourne (A), Carlton (H), Western Bulldogs (A), Williamstown (A), North Melbourne (H), Southern Saints (A), Collingwood (H), Essendon (H), Geelong (H), Hawthorn (A), Port Melbourne (A)
Plays Twice: Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Williamstown
Arrivals: Emma Mackay (Essendon), Naomi Celebre (North Melbourne), Millie Shone (Port Melbourne), Angelica Gogos*, Simone Ruedin (Western Bulldogs), Tori Snelleksz (Williamstown), Kiara Camilleri, Chloe Weston-Sirett.
Departures: Jess Dal Pos (Carlton), Lauren Camilleri (Hawthorn), Lucy Schneider (Western Bulldogs), Cherelle Byrne, Sidney Cubasch, Samara David, Stephanie Elarmaly, Caitlyn Jefferys, Jessica Kinsman, Claire Leahy, Annalyse Lister, Hayley Munro, Peppa Poultney, Kathleen Roe, Georgia Wilson, Iliana Zafiriou.
Summary: Luring experienced players such as Gogos, Ruedin and Shone is a real bonus for new coach Kate Tyndall, but she will be without plenty of quality from last year’s team in Dal Pos, Savid, Lister, Rose, Byrne and Cubasch among others. The former superpower is focusing on development and producing tomorrow’s AFLW stars – and they do a pretty good job of it.
2021 Record: 10-7 (5th home and away, 3rd after finals)
Fixture: Western Bulldogs (H), Port Melbourne (H), Carlton (A), Williamstown (H), Southern Saints (H), Geelong (A), North Melbourne (A), Carlton (H), Collingwood (H), Western Bulldogs (A), Darebin (A), Hawthorn (A), Southern Saints (A), Casey Demons (H)
Plays Twice: Carlton, Southern Saints, Western Bulldogs
Arrivals: Jordan Zanchetta (Brisbane Lions), Renee Tierney (Geelong), Mikaela Trethowan (Southern Saints), Stephanie Asciak, Danielle Marshall* (Western Bulldogs), Bella Ayre, Abbey Baillie-McDonald, Bella Clarke, Isabel Currenti, Octavia Di Donato, Joanne Doonan, Sarah Ford, Olivia Manfre, Rebecca McDonagh, Scarlett Orritt, Amelia Radford, Reese Sutton.
Departures: Tahlia Gillard (Casey Demons), Monique Demattio (Collingwood), Emma Mackay (Darebin), Zali Friswell, Georgie Prespakis (Geelong), Lauren Ahrens, Alana Barba (Gold Coast), Taylor Moss, Tara Slender (North Melbourne), Emilia Yassir (Port Melbourne), Elizabeth Snell (Western Bulldogs), Lori Stepnell (Williamstown), Laura Cocomello, Neve Crowley, Jemma Finning, Terira Fry, Shelby Meyers, Alex Quigley, Ruby Svarc, Felicity Theodore.
Summary: Surprise preliminary finalists last year, but the Bombers will need to rebuild after Prespakis, Barba, Gillard, Friswell, Slender, Yassir and Ahrens were all picked up by AFLW clubs. That’s a huge tick for the program at Tullamarine, but they now need the next group to stand up. Marshall, Tierney and Ayre will bring some fresh leadership to the club.
2021 Record: 12-5 (2nd)
Fixture: Carlton (H), Hawthorn (H), Port Melbourne (H), Southern Saints (H), Casey Demons (H), Essendon (H), Western Bulldogs (A), Collingwood (H), Casey Demons (A), Port Melbourne (A), North Melbourne (A), Darebin (A), Williamstown (A), Collingwood (A)
Plays Twice: Casey Demons, Collingwood, Port Melbourne
Arrivals: Chloe Scheer* (Adelaide), Chantel Emonson* (Casey Demons), Zali Friswell*, Georgie Prespakis* (Essendon), Phoebe McWilliams* (Hawthorn), Gabbi Featherston* (Geelong Falcons), Kate Darby* (maternity), Lujeyn Al-Huneidi, Melissa Bragg, Elise Coventry, Sophie Dineen, Mia Featherston, Annie Haigh, Keeley Hardingham, Isabella Hill, Rachel Kearns*, Analea McKee, Taylah Nelson, Emily Ramsay, Kalani Scoullar, Charlotte Simpson, Mia Van Dyke, Ash Van Loon, Brooke Wells.
Departures: Annie Lee, Poppy Schaap (Carlton), Olivia Purcell (Casey Demons), Renee Tierney (Essendon), Tess Craven (North Melbourne), Rocky Cranston (Western Bulldogs), Renee Garing (pregnancy), Aasta O’Connor (retired), Millie Brown, Sarah Elsworthy, Michelle Fedele, Jessica Foley, Natalie French, Bec Goring, Erin Hoare, Lucy Martin, Aily McAuliffe, Theresia Meissner, Laura Negri, Emma Oliver, Rebecca Pearce, Tanacha Saunders, Tahlia Tatlock, Denby Taylor.
Summary: Drafted extremely well out of the VFLW as they aim to take the challenge up to Collingwood. They will be hoping some of that talent filters into this team in the second half of the season, with the amount of experience that has moved on. Expect them to be near the pointy end again.
2021 Record: 5-9 (9th)
Fixture: North Melbourne (A), Geelong (A), Darebin (A), Collingwood (A), Western Bulldogs (A), North Melbourne (H), Carlton (H), Southern Saints (H), Williamstown (A), Casey Demons (H), Port Melbourne (A), Essendon (H), Darebin (H), Williamstown (H)
Plays Twice: Darebin, North Melbourne, Williamstown
Arrivals: Tegan Cunningham*, Emma Humphries, Mietta Kendall (Casey Demons), Jordan Mifsud (Collingwood), Lauren Camilleri (Darebin), Jaide Anthony (Port Melbourne), Aimee Whelan (Williamstown), Montana Beruldsen, Sarah Cameron, Abby Favell, Alessia Francese, Kara Henderson, Ainslie Kemp, Ellie McLinden, Sarah Perrott, Eliza Shannon, Jade Wise.
Departures: Keeley Sherar (Carlton), Katie Angelis (Casey Demons), Eloise Chaston (Collingwood), Phoebe McWilliams (Geelong), Ashanti Bush, Ali Drennan, Sarah Perkins (Gold Coast), Kate Dudley, Maddi Shaw (Port Melbourne), Nicki Cormack, Hannah Dyson, Olivia Flanagan (Southern Saints), Kaitlyn Carew (Williamstown), Meg Hutchins (retired), Georgia Bevan, Catherine Brown, Nicola Burns, Erin Byrnes, Alex Cuss, Emily Gilder, Jess Grace, Jess Guy-Toogood, Tayah Kelly, Amy Malander, Emily McIlvena, Lucy Morley, Mikayla Morrison, Katherine Newton, Chloe O’Malley, Jemma Owen, Chantella Perera, Gemma Proy, Rachel Quirk, Jessica Trend, Chelsea Wilson.
Summary: Well-positioned to climb the ladder with a friendly fixture and seven good pick-ups from other VFLW clubs. They won’t give up hope of regaining some of their AFLW talent in the second half of the season, especially Drennan and Perkins. Keep a close eye on Anthony, who has good wraps on her.
2021 Record: 5-9 (10th)
Fixture: Hawthorn (H), Collingwood (H), Casey Demons (A), Darebin (H), Williamstown (H), Hawthorn (A), Essendon (H), Darebin (A), Port Melbourne (A), Carlton (A), Geelong (H), Williamstown (A), Western Bulldogs (H), Southern Saints (A)
Plays Twice: Darebin, Hawthorn, Williamstown
Arrivals: Jasmine Ferguson*, Jennifer Guy (Collingwood), Tess Craven* (Geelong), Taylor Moss, Tara Slender* (Essendon), Ellie Macdonald (Port Melbourne), Kim Rennie*, Caitlin Sargent, Annabel Scott (Western Bulldogs), Lisa Loughnane, Elizabeth McGrath, Ashlea Melnikas (Williamstown), Teagan Bradley, Rachel Burton, Kiara Delia, Jade Hillas, Hannah Ibrahim, Jess Jones, Kayleigh Murrihy, Georgia Nicholas, Emily Paterno, Madeline Price, Audrey Rhodes, Dearne Taylor.
Departures: Mia Cowan, Nadia Moore (Carlton), Naomi Celebre (Darebin), Airlie Runnalls (Fremantle), Vivien Saad (Gold Coast), Jasmine Grierson (GWS), Meagan Kiely, Beth Lynch (Port Melbourne), Hannah Smith, Nikki Wallace (Southern Saints), Alana Sarec, Olivia Woods (Williamstown), Laura Amelung, Amy Bissett, Jemma Blair, Tiahna Cochrane, Caitlyn Gashi, Jasmine Goodman, Kate Greenacre, Jayde Hamilton, Elisha King, Megan Lawrence, Megan Neill, Tahni Nestor, Cassandra Pittard, Kira Price, Kate Salemme, Meg Sinclair, Hannah Smith, Camilla Taylor, Lauren Taylor.
Summary: Twelve recruits from other clubs compared to seven heading the other way, but there are some good names in the list of departures. Steph Binder is the first VFLW player to take a senior coaching role in the competition and the Kangaroos can be expected to take the game on. Could be very exciting to watch.
2021 Record: 10-5 (3rd home and away, 5th after finals)
Fixture: Casey Demons (A), Essendon (A), Geelong (A), Carlton (A), Collingwood (A), Williamstown (A), Southern Saints (A), Western Bulldogs (H), North Melbourne (H), Geelong (H), Hawthorn (H), Casey Demons (H), Collingwood (H), Darebin (H)
Plays Twice: Casey Demons, Collingwood, Geelong
Arrivals: Jess Hosking*, Akayla Peterson (Carlton), Meg Macdonald*, Bridie Winbanks (Casey Demons), Stella Reid*, Maddie Shevlin* (Collingwood), Emilia Yassir* (Essendon), Kate Dudley, Maddi Shaw (Hawthorn), Meagan Kiely*, Beth Lynch* (North Melbourne), Poppy Kelly* (Southern Saints), Sarah Hosking* (Williamstown), Ingrid Houstma* (Geelong Falcons), Hannah Fosbrooke, Lucy Grocock, Jessica Joyce, Chloe Locke, Zoe McWhinney, Sabrine Navarro, Rebecca Niclasen, Kaitlyn O’Keefe.
Departures: Brooke Vickers (Carlton), Sabrina Frederick (Collingwood), Millie Shone (Darebin), Jaide Anthony, Kate Dudley (Hawthorn), Ellie Macdonald (North Melbourne), Ashleigh Richards, Alana Woodward (Southern Saints), Alice Edmonds, Amanda Ling, Aurora Smith (Western Bulldogs), Bridie Kennedy, Cleo Saxon-Jones (Williamstown), Holly Bailey, Emily Bliss, Lindsay Clarke, Riley Cridland, Luka Lesosky-Hay, Sarah McNamara, Phoebe Monahan, Taylah Morton, Elizabeth Muir, Jennifer Osman, Belinda Ousley, Phillipa Peschke, Katherine Smith, Caelah Stanley, Teah Stepan, Abbey Tanner, Katrina Tinson.
Summary: Backing up an outstanding first season will be tough with a challenging fixture and the loss of key players such as Bulldogs draftees Edmonds and Ling. They will benefit from Richmond recruiting well and climbing the AFLW ladder, so if they can get through playing their first seven games away from home, they will be looking good. Having gone 6-1 on the road last year, there’s no reason why they can’t.
2021 Record: 8-8 (6th home and away, 4th after finals)
Fixture: Collingwood (A), Carlton (A), Western Bulldogs (A), Geelong (A), Essendon (A), Casey Demons (A), Port Melbourne (H), Hawthorn (A), Darebin (H), Williamstown (H), Western Bulldogs (H), Carlton (H), Essendon (H), North Melbourne (H)
Plays Twice: Carlton, Essendon, Western Bulldogs
Arrivals: Grace Buchan, Winnie Laing (Casey Demons), Stella Reid* (Collingwood), Nicki Cormack, Hannah Dyson, Olivia Flanagan (Hawthorn), Hannah Smith, Nikki Wallace (North Melbourne), Ashleigh Richards*, Alana Woodward* (Port Melbourne), Chloe Saultry (Sandringham), Ella Friend* (Western Bulldogs), Chloe Leighton (Williamstown), Sarah Black, Tessa Boyd, Leah Cutting*, Maighan Fogas, Ilena Gentile, Claire Keohane, Margaret Kershaw, Shannon Nolan, Paige Price*, Chloe Saultry, Chanelle Slater.
Departures: Abbey Jordan (Carlton), Mikaela Trethowan (Essendon), Tara Bohanna, Claudia Whitfort (Gold Coast), Poppy Kelly (Port Melbourne), Selena Karlson (retired), Aisling Curley, Anna Harris, Zoe Hill, Francesca Hocking, Grace Hodder, Abbey Jordan, Val Moreau, Natasha Morris, Jemma Radford, Nicole Robertson, Charlotte Ryan, Amy Silver, Dayna Smith, Tenaya Sooalo, Maddison Southam, Pia Staltari, Emma Stuber, Ebany Vanderheym.
Summary: Another team who needs to quickly get used to being road warriors with seven of their first eight away. They will need all their experience to handle that, and with 13 players joining from other clubs, they just might have it. The Saints have lost their key goalkicker in Bohanna so will need to find other avenues to goal.
2021 Record: 7-7 (7th)
Fixture: Essendon (A), Williamstown (H), Southern Saints (H), Casey Demons (A), Hawthorn (H), Darebin (H), Geelong (H), Port Melbourne (A), Carlton (H), Essendon (H), Southern Saints (A), Collingwood (A), North Melbourne (A), Carlton (A)
Plays Twice: Carlton, Essendon, Southern Saints
Arrivals: Mikayla Barnes (Carlton), Lucy Schneider (Darebin), Elizabeth Snell* (Essendon), Rocky Cranston* (Geelong), Eleanor Bennetts* (GWS), Alice Edmonds*, Amanda Ling*, Aurora Smith* (Port Melbourne), Lauren Clymo, Melanie Freeman, Madison Katerelos, Madison Lister, Jaimee-Lee Morrow, Jemma Webster, Annaleise Xanthos.
Departures: Vanessa Murphy (Carlton), Nyakoat Dojiok (Collingwood), Angelica Gogos, Simone Ruedin (Darebin), Stephanie Asciak, Danielle Marshall (Essendon), Kim Rennie, Caitlin Sargent, Annabel Scott (North Melbourne), Ella Friend (Southern Saints), Tayla Dinuccio (Williamstown), Amelia Van Oosterwijck (retired), Nakaela Butler, Megan Chadwick, Paige Cook, Jessica Crundall, Georgia Marsland, Kirsten McLeod, Nicole McMahon, Courtney Mullins, Katrina Neumann-Stone, Gabrielle Newton, Bethany Pinchin, Lauren Spark, Amber Wescombe, Isabel Young.
Summary: Can’t be disappointed with their recruits, especially gaining a genuine leader in Cranston, plus an impressive trio from Port. The departures of Gogos, Ruedin, Marshall and McLeod are a shame, but the Dogs look good enough for a quick bounce-back after making the 2019 Grand Final only to slip out of last year’s top six.
2021 Record: 2-11-1 (11th)
Fixture: Darebin (A), Western Bulldogs (A), Collingwood (A), Essendon (A), North Melbourne (A), Port Melbourne (H), Darebin (H), Casey Demons (H), Hawthorn (H), Southern Saints (A), Carlton (H), North Melbourne (H), Geelong (H), Hawthorn (A)
Plays Twice: Darebin, Hawthorn, North Melbourne
Arrivals: Elsa Mangan (Carlton), Lori Stepnell (Essendon), Kaitlyn Carew (Hawthorn), Alana Sarec, Olivia Woods (North Melbourne), Bridie Kennedy, Cleo Saxon-Jones (Port Melbourne), Sharnie Whiting (West Adelaide), Tayla Dinuccio (Western Bulldogs), Jasmine Kawa (injury), Amie Antonello, Ruby Barnes, Madison Blackburn, Stella Bridgwater, Ellie Cleland, Alanna Doherty, Sarah Hosking, Matisse Hunter, Christy Landwehr, Sophia McCarthy, Cassie McWilliams, Kate Scott, Shaneece Stratton.
Departures: Lauren Suleiman (Carlton), Tori Snelleksz (Darebin), Jessica Doyle, Alicia Eva (GWS), Aimee Whelan (Hawthorn), Lisa Loughnane, Elizabeth McGrath, Ashlea Melnikas (North Melbourne), Sarah Hosking (Port Melbourne), Chloe Leighton (Southern Saints), Abbey Bertram, Emily Casey, Aleisha Casley, Bridget Costello, Taylah Davies, Alana Dickie, Tarni Evans, Chelsea Fisher, Emily Fox, Georgia Garnett, Zoe Garth, Lauren Gooden, Libby Graham, Bridget Hanrahan, Bess Keaney, Amanda Maginn, Tahlia Merrett, Elise Muller, Priscilla Odwogo, Emily Pease, Malaya Rodezno, Claire Ryan, Amy Starzer, Lisa Steane, Tayla Stewart, Erin Todd, Megan Williamson.
Summary: The Seagulls are continuing to build, and the return of Kawa from injury is a big boost, while Stepnell was a regular in Essendon’s preliminary final team. Luring Whiting back after she was named at centre half-back in the SANFLW team of the year is another positive and they can hope to potentially bring some GWS players in again once the AFLW season has finished.