Round 1 of the 2024 AFLW season is finally here.
The year will mark the third season with of the 18-team AFLW competition.
There are a number of blockbuster clashes across the weekend, starting on Friday night when the Sydney Swans host Collingwood at North Sydney Oval.
Saturday night will feature a South Australian derby at Alberton Oval, between Port Adelaide and Adelaide.
A lot of teams have been active over the off-season picking up new players and drafting the best young talent in the country.
Round 1 will see new stories and chapters being written which will shape the rest of the season. With the AFL having a weekend off before finals all eyes will be on the AFLW as the best women in the country battle it out.
Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner (Western Bulldogs)
Matilda Scholz (Port Adelaide)
An exciting player to watch out for this year is 19-year-old Matilda Scholz. The young gun had a great first season last year showing the rest of the competition some serious ruck craft and playing all ten games for Port Adelaide.
Scholz averaged 21.1 hit-outs, four tackles and 3.2 clearances a game, with a standout 34 hit-outs in Round 10. The ruck was awarded the Best First Year Player (2023), third in the Best and Fairest (2023), 22under22 extended squad (2023) and a Rising Star nominee (round 2, 2023).
The 19-year-old has set herself up to be a real threat this year and despite being only a second-year player, she is one of the most exciting players.
Jasmine Garner (North Melbourne)
Jasmine Garner has set herself up to excel this year and be one of the most damaging players in the league.
Garner was unlucky not to win the 2023 Best and Fairest last year after a prolific season. The 30-year-old averaged over 28 disposals and kicked 13 goals last year.
The midfielder can play a number of roles from on the ball to the forward line, there is not much she cannot do.
This season is Garner's year, she is one of the best in the competition and was there in the first-ever season of the AFLW back in 2017. She has had her sixth straight All-Australian selection and this might be her year to get a premiership and finally the best and fairest.
Gabrielle Newton (Fremantle)
The former number 1 pick arrived at Fremantle from Western Bulldogs during last year's trade period.
Newton has played 36 AFLW games and is ready for a big year. The 22-year-old is ready to get back out there after struggling with injuries in the previous season.
Newton had strong pre-season training in the forward line and will be one to watch this season.
Newton's physicality, strength and aerial craft are huge assets and will give Fremantle's forward line some spark.
After playing two seasons in 2020 and 2021, the former number 1 pick is back in the form she is capable of and will be a player under the radar this year.
