Just 139 days after the Adelaide Crows lifted the 2022 AFLW Premiership Cup, season seven of the AFLW begins with eighteen clubs competing for the ultimate prize. The AFLW grows bigger and better every year, and now, with every AFL club represented, there's a lot of excitement and anticipation over AFLW Season 7 as it runs alongside the men's AFL finals.
Jack Tobin has you covered with his AFLW Season 7 preview and betting tips for the season ahead!
AFL Women's (AFLW) Season 7 Season Preview
Format
- Ten home and away rounds will be played between August 25th and October 28th, with a single ladder in place for the instead of the conference system that occured in the first four seasons of the AFLW.
- An eighteen team competition means a top eight and a full four week finals series for the first time in the history of the AFLW.
- Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney embark on their first season in the competition.
The Expansion Clubs
Essendon: The Bombers have made some huge signings ahead of their inaugural campaign, signing 2020 league best & fairest and three time All-Australian Maddy Prespakis. Essendon also signed proven talent Bonnie Toogood (Western Bulldogs), Georgia Gee (Carlton), Stephanie Cain (Fremantle) and Cat Phillips (St Kilda). The Bombers had picks four and eight in the draft which they used on Amber Clarke and Paige Scott. Although it will be tough to push for a finals berth as an expansion side, they've made the biggest splash of the expansion clubs with their recruitment.
Hawthorn: The Hawks didn’t acquire much proven top end talent, with Jess Duffin (North Melbourne) and Sarah Perkins (Gold Coast) their only notable signings. However Hawthorn took a heavy hand to the draft picking up Jasmine Fleming (Pick 2), Mackenzie Eardly (6), Charlotte Baskaran (9), Bridie Hipwell (10), Lucy Wales (22), Emily Everist (25) and Laura Ellot (26) all inside the top 30. The Hawks have prioritised youth, meaning they may struggle to be competitive this season.
Port Adelaide: The Power wasted no time making an impact, signing the league’s most decorated player in Erin Phillips, along with former Adelaide premiership winning teammates Justine Mules and Ange Foley. The AFLW Showdown won’t be lacking any spice this season, and will be one of the marquee fixtures to look forward to. Port Adelaide also signed Gemma Houghton from Fremantle and Maria Moloney from Brisbane, adding experience from two of the best performing clubs of the last three years.
Sydney: Much like the Hawthorn, Sydney have built their list around the draft with Montana Ham (Pick 1), Sofia Hurley (5), Cynthia Hamilton (11), Montana Beruldsen (12) and Alice Mitchell (13) all heading to the Swans. Maddie Collier (West Coast) and Brooke Lochland (Western Bulldogs) are Sydney’s most experienced signings during the expansion period, but with very little star power on the list, it’s going to be a tough task for the Swans in their first season.
Premiers
Melbourne fell just short in 2022 (runners up), 2021 (preliminary finalist) and 2020 (preliminary finalist). With Adelaide losing some key players to their crosstown rival, the window has well and truly opened up for a Melbourne side that has kept the same core that saw them reach the Grand Final last season. The Demons have added Charlotte Wilson to accompany Libby Birch in the key defensive posts. The recruitment of Sabreena Duffy adds more firepower to the Melbourne forward line, and with Daisy Pearce likely entering he last season - the Dees are well positioned to claim their first premiership.
Best & Fairest
2021 Best & Fairest Kiara Bowers missed five games last season through suspension and a knee injury, yet still finished sixth in the Best & Fairest with 13 votes. Bowers has been one of the best players across the history of the AFLW, averaging 19 disposals and 11 tackles per game across her 33 game career. In the last two seasons Bowers has bumped those averages up to 21 disposals and 12 tackles per game. If the Freo superstar can play the majority of games this season, she’s going to be hard to beat.
Tip: Kiara Bowers, Odds TBA
Leading Goal Kicker
Tayla Harris’ improvement was a huge catalyst to Melbourne’s run to the Grand Final last season, with her first season at the Demons the most prolific of her career by a long way. Harris kicked 18 goals in the 2022 season, and kicked two or more goals on seven occasions. Coming into last season, Harris had never kicked more than eight goals in a season, with her season totals being 4, 5, 8, 8 and 4 goals in her first five seasons. In her second season at Melbourne, Harris has scope to get even better with more continuity in the Demons system.
Tip: Tayla Harris, Odds TBA
