Women's Footy AFLW Season 2024

[Tundrawolf]

Jess Low is very poor, to frail to win contested ball

No she's not, she was fantastic last year. I'll back her in to regain her touch. Highly rated by the club. A couple of average games won't change that.

 

[apuchar]

draft was open last year though, I see no reason to have kept Runnalls on, she wasn't at the standard last year and still isn't this year

We were forced to pick up some fill ins through injury/pregnancy otherwise we only drafted one player

The three trade ins all look the goods but Braz is 34 so not exactly a long term plan there

The scary thing is most of our talent are older players

Mim is basically the lone A Grade youngster, the other is O'driscoll but in reality she has some pretty big limitations that aren't going to cut it in the future so probably belongs in the second tier.

The tier down would be East, Scanlon, Verrier, Newton, would have put Morro in there but its like 3 years out of the game now, who knows how she will go

After that its pretty dire

Wasn't last year the mature age draft where all of the best players were taken out the year before. Good chance there wasn't anything left worth taking. Then we only had the leftovers from the rest of the country to access. We have done pretty well considering. The Afl have F'd us over big time. WC are finally ok and now the best WA players will probably end up over East. Anyway at least we will be able to recruit the equivalent to our draft pick for the first time in a long time and we won't be losing half of our team to expansion clubs anymore.

 

[freo_leo29]

Wasn't last year the mature age draft where all of the best players were taken out the year before. Good chance there wasn't anything left worth taking. Then we only had the leftovers from the rest of the country to access. We have done pretty well considering. The Afl have F'd us over big time. WC are finally ok and now the best WA players will probably end up over East. Anyway at least we will be able to recruit the equivalent to our draft pick for the first time in a long time and we won't be losing half of our team to expansion clubs anymore.

Nah that was the draft between season 7 and 2023, we actually hit that draft pretty hard, especially comparing to other teams

3 still on the list in Mulder, Flynn and Cregg, while our second pick Fiedler got delisted but is debuting for the Saints this weekend (Hetherington a topup player later too)

It's weird that we cut that hard in that draft (only Janelle was forced that season) but then didn't cut hard in the more open draft last year

 

[Threeo]

Nah that was the draft between season 7 and 2023, we actually hit that draft pretty hard, especially comparing to other teams

3 still on the list in Mulder, Flynn and Cregg, while our second pick Fiedler got delisted but is debuting for the Saints this weekend (Hetherington a topup player later too)

It's weird that we cut that hard in that draft (only Janelle was forced that season) but then didn't cut hard in the more open draft last year

This is 100% correct. We had access to talent nationally this year and chose to mostly ignore it. Kikoak looks like she’ll be a great long term defender and she was a top up selection, so there is talent available if we give them a chance and develop them. Cregg, Kaufman, Lally, Mulholland, Mulder - how much they offered and how much upside do they have? Not sure if we could find out where we sit in terms of average age but we’d have to be up there but for what, so we can be a middle of the road team again? I think the cliff is approaching faster than we realise

 

[eastfreo75]

Wasn't last year the mature age draft where all of the best players were taken out the year before. Good chance there wasn't anything left worth taking. Then we only had the leftovers from the rest of the country to access. We have done pretty well considering. The Afl have F'd us over big time. WC are finally ok and now the best WA players will probably end up over East. Anyway at least we will be able to recruit the equivalent to our draft pick for the first time in a long time and we won't be losing half of our team to expansion clubs anymore.

The AFL has come out and said that the final prize money is the same as the men.

We should do a Geelong men's team and top up each and use finals prize money as weapon to get in top players.

Go after the Eagles top players. Its strengths us and weakens them. They have been cherry picking our players and we need to do the same. Get Ella Roberts at all costs.

Because the nature of the WA draft, and our lack of access to top talent, we need to go Irish. We had about 5 Irish players on the park, and we can start to use that to our advantage.

Also, we need to get back some of the WA talent that leave the state ie Cain, Teakle. Our second-round pick is gold to Port, it will be the third pick in the SA draft. Gives Port picks 1,3,4 in the SA draft. Second pick for Teakle.

 

[pK75]

The AFL has come out and said that the final prize money is the same as the men.

We should do a Geelong men's team and top up each and use finals prize money as weapon to get in top players.

Go after the Eagles top players. Its strengths us and weakens them. They have been cherry picking our players and we need to do the same. Get Ella Roberts at all costs.

Because the nature of the WA draft, and our lack of access to top talent, we need to go Irish. We had about 5 Irish players on the park, and we can start to use that to our advantage.

Also, we need to get back some of the WA talent that leave the state ie Cain, Teakle. Our second-round pick is gold to Port, it will be the third pick in the SA draft. Gives Port picks 1,3,4 in the SA draft. Second pick for Teakle.

Isn’t it a fully national draft for the first time this year? Pretty sure there won’t be SA or WA pools anymore.

 

[arsesmart]

Watching a lot of non-Freo AFLW games, it doesn't stand out to me that we're so far behind in terms of the talent we're able to put out on the park.

Obviously we'd be doing a whole lot better if we weren't knobbled by constant generous concessions handed to the WC that overwhelmingly cost us...and effectively only us.

Buuut... it's kind of a nonsensical thing to focus on in-season. We're not going to be able to change the horse mid-stream, we're already on the ride and we got to snowy river it to get in front of the Old Regret colt.

 

[eastfreo75]

Isn’t it a fully national draft for the first time this year? Pretty sure there won’t be SA or WA pools anymore.

Didn't know that but it actually helps us.

Either way, finals prize money is huge and larger percentage in terms of players wages.

 

[eastfreo75]

Watching a lot of non-Freo AFLW games, it doesn't stand out to me that we're so far behind in terms of the talent we're able to put out on the park.

Obviously we'd be doing a whole lot better if we weren't knobbled by constant generous concessions handed to the WC that overwhelmingly cost us...and effectively only us.

Buuut... it's kind of a nonsensical thing to focus on in-season. We're not going to be able to change the horse mid-stream, we're already on the ride and we got to snowy river it to get in front of the Old Regret colt.

Glad that West Coast won two games already because it reduces any concessions.

 

[arsesmart]

Glad that West Coast won two games already because it reduces any concessions.

Small mercies eh?

 

[eastfreo75]

Small mercies eh?

Makes me sick but my love for Fremantle is greater than my hatred for the Dirty birds.

 

[arsesmart]

Makes me sick but my love for Fremantle is greater than my hatred for the Dirty birds.

Aaaand it just happens to be in the year where the WC benefits least from being outrageously incompetent.

 

[eastfreo75]

Aaaand it just happens to be in the year where the WC benefits least from being outrageously incompetent.

Nice.

 

[pK75]

Very interested to see how bombers go against the Saints today. I feel like port are actually a pretty good side, lost to crows in round one 14 points (who look like the bench mark this year) then smashed the dogs by 40. If bombers get up then our two away wins look pretty promising, that crows debacle is still a concern though.

 

[eastfreo75]

Very interested to see how bombers go against the Saints today. I feel like port are actually a pretty good side, lost to crows in round one 14 points (who look like the bench mark this year) then smashed the dogs by 40. If bombers get up then our two away wins look pretty promising, that crows debacle is still a concern though.

They may have thrown the kitchen sink at the Crows.

Crows tend to structure better against us even when we were a better side.

I think Crow are top tier and are way of the rest.

 

[arsesmart]

Very interested to see how bombers go against the Saints today. I feel like port are actually a pretty good side, lost to crows in round one 14 points (who look like the bench mark this year) then smashed the dogs by 40. If bombers get up then our two away wins look pretty promising, that crows debacle is still a concern though.

We could probably throw in there the pot luck element of the AFLW too. What with it still being (partially) part-time, having weird and random timings here and there and scattered prep differences. Small things can often make big differences and the weird one-offs can be more of a factor. It's the challenge of coaching to have a process that maximizes consistency of performance in the face of that randomness.

 

[apuchar]

This is 100% correct. We had access to talent nationally this year and chose to mostly ignore it. Kikoak looks like she’ll be a great long term defender and she was a top up selection, so there is talent available if we give them a chance and develop them. Cregg, Kaufman, Lally, Mulholland, Mulder - how much they offered and how much upside do they have? Not sure if we could find out where we sit in terms of average age but we’d have to be up there but for what, so we can be a middle of the road team again? I think the cliff is approaching faster than we realise

Laly and Kaufman have been very good.

 

[Dale147]

 

[freo_leo29]

The AFL has come out and said that the final prize money is the same as the men.

We should do a Geelong men's team and top up each and use finals prize money as weapon to get in top players.

Go after the Eagles top players. Its strengths us and weakens them. They have been cherry picking our players and we need to do the same. Get Ella Roberts at all costs.

Because the nature of the WA draft, and our lack of access to top talent, we need to go Irish. We had about 5 Irish players on the park, and we can start to use that to our advantage.

Also, we need to get back some of the WA talent that leave the state ie Cain, Teakle. Our second-round pick is gold to Port, it will be the third pick in the SA draft. Gives Port picks 1,3,4 in the SA draft. Second pick for Teakle.

Unfortunately Ella doesn't want to come, this was before they even had Daisy Pearce, I'd be stunned if she changed her mind now.

WCE are building around a core of youngsters and most of them were already friends, its part of why Franky walked out on us.



Cain walked out on us and said she always wanted to be a bomber, is now their captain, she aint coming back

 

[freo_leo29]

Watching a lot of non-Freo AFLW games, it doesn't stand out to me that we're so far behind in terms of the talent we're able to put out on the park.

Obviously we'd be doing a whole lot better if we weren't knobbled by constant generous concessions handed to the WC that overwhelmingly cost us...and effectively only us.

Buuut... it's kind of a nonsensical thing to focus on in-season. We're not going to be able to change the horse mid-stream, we're already on the ride and we got to snowy river it to get in front of the Old Regret colt.

You're right, we are about mid table, so we aren't actually behind that many

the problem is those top 5 or so teams are just so much better that we just won't beat them in a final

Those top teams probably aren't going to come back to the pack before our stars finish up, thats the issue

 

[eastfreo75]

Unfortunately Ella doesn't want to come, this was before they even had Daisy Pearce, I'd be stunned if she changed her mind now.

WCE are building around a core of youngsters and most of them were already friends, its part of why Franky walked out on us.



Cain walked out on us and said she always wanted to be a bomber, is now their captain, she aint coming back

Ok.

My point is that we should be going hard at West Coast and recruiting as general.

Winning and playing finals is the best recruiting weapon.

Seems like we are not being aggressive and wanting for things to happen.

 

[eastfreo75]

Unfortunately Ella doesn't want to come, this was before they even had Daisy Pearce, I'd be stunned if she changed her mind now.

WCE are building around a core of youngsters and most of them were already friends, its part of why Franky walked out on us.



Cain walked out on us and said she always wanted to be a bomber, is now their captain, she aint coming back

People change their mind especially if they are losing.

 

[freo_leo29]

Ok.

My point is that we should be going hard at West Coast and recruiting as general.

Winning and playing finals is the best recruiting weapon.

Seems like we are not being aggressive and wanting for things to happen.

We have gone hard at WC players, they genuinely don't want to come, we did manage to pry McCarthy out of there

WCE are building a young core together so those girls want to stay with each other, we managed to get McCarthy out as she fits in the demographic of our group, Irish, mature ager.

Realistically we finished 13th with only 2 extra wins v WC last year, so it's not like we are an enticing group compared to them

 

[arsesmart]

You're right, we are about mid table, so we aren't actually behind that many

the problem is those top 5 or so teams are just so much better that we just won't beat them in a final

Those top teams probably aren't going to come back to the pack before our stars finish up, thats the issue

Maybe they're out of reach. But they all have significant flaws. It's method that can exploit those flares and elevate our existing strengths (which aren't insignificant) and moderate our weaknesses.

 

[pK75]

The AFL has come out and said that the final prize money is the same as the men.

We should do a Geelong men's team and top up each and use finals prize money as weapon to get in top players.

Go after the Eagles top players. Its strengths us and weakens them. They have been cherry picking our players and we need to do the same. Get Ella Roberts at all costs.

Because the nature of the WA draft, and our lack of access to top talent, we need to go Irish. We had about 5 Irish players on the park, and we can start to use that to our advantage.

Also, we need to get back some of the WA talent that leave the state ie Cain, Teakle. Our second-round pick is gold to Port, it will be the third pick in the SA draft. Gives Port picks 1,3,4 in the SA draft. Second pick for Teakle.

This thing about the finals money is very interesting and may explain the Bazill recruitment, and to a lessor extent McCarthy. Getting back to finals, hopefully while WC aren’t should make us more attractive to players potentially looking to come to WA or open minded about where they play, if we could make top 8 and manage to snag an elimination win, would go a long way when trying to entice players to us.