The AFLW season is quickly approaching and with four new teams, accelerated player movement and new-look sides, things could be quite different in 2020.
With that in mind, here’s how all 14 teams are shaping up heading into the season and their biggest strength and weakness.
This includes the expansion teams, though we will have to wait and see how they look early in the season before really knowing where they sit.
From GWS to the Bulldogs, here’s your team’s biggest strength and weakness.
Read Adelaide through to Gold Coast here
Strength: A strong midfield
The Giants have the chance to be one of the dominant clearance teams in the competition thanks to the one-two punch of Erin McKinnon and Jessica Allen in the ruck. If one of them can have an impact inside 50, that would also be a bonus.
GWS boasts a strong midfield unit, including Alicia Eva, Rebecca Beeson, Jess Dal Pos and one of the game’s brightest young stars in Alyce Parker.
On paper, they’re a much stronger team than they showed last year and could take advantage of Conference A and get into a finals position on the back of their midfield.
Weakness: A leaky defence
The Giants gave up the most points of any team in the competition last year, conceding scores of 65, 59, 57 and 48 in their big losses.
With the oldest list in the competition, GWS will be hoping to contend this year and make the most of their team, but unless they can improve defensively, they will struggle.
Strength: An incredible midfield on paper
The Dees were once again a top team at winning the ball and controlling the game through the midfield in 2019 and it’s no surprise given the talent they have in there.
Lauren Pearce had a great year in the ruck, while Elise O’Dea, Karen Paxman, Lily Mithen and Madison Gay are all stars.
Daisy Pearce is now back and if Melbourne can finally start to turn midfield dominance into scoreboard pressure – something they have struggled with all three years – then they will be tough to beat.
Weakness: Having only 26 players available
The Demons have now lost three players for the season, with Bianca Jakobsson (work commitments), Shae Sloane (ACL) and Katherine Smith (ACL) all unavailable.
Couple that with All-Australian ruck Lauren Pearce’s knee injury and Daisy Pearce returning from pregnancy and it is hard to know what to expect from a Melbourne side with 26 healthy players.
This puts a lot of pressure on the squad to stay healthy and train through injury niggles, while keeping pace with the top teams in Conference B.
Strength: Star power
The Roos did a great job poaching talent from other clubs and have a formidable line-up on paper.
Emma King, Emma Kearney, Jenna Bruton, Kaitlyn Ashmore and Jasmine Garner are all stars, while Danielle Hardiman, Kate Gillespie-Jones, Ash Riddell, Tahlia Randall and Brittany Gibson are also very handy.
They dropped games to Adelaide and Fremantle last year bumping them out of finals, but it’s hard to see them missing again given the amount of talent they boast.
Weakness: Where the goals come from
North has a star forward in Garner, but it’s unclear who can kick goals against the best teams when it matters most.
They delisted their leading goal kicker in Moana Hope, while Emma King also looked dominant inside 50, but is primarily a ruck.
At this stage it appears to be the main question mark on them going into 2020, but they clearly have the capability to solve it.
Strength: Forward line firepower
The Tigers recruited three high profile forwards in Katie Brennan, Sabrina Frederick and Christina Bernardi so it goes without saying that their strength is inside 50.
No team has put together a trio of forwards who are more dangerous and if they can work out their structures and gel early on, they will provide a serious headache.
Brennan in particular is yet to show her best football, consistently dealing with injury issues.
Weakness: How the rest comes together
Monique Conti is an outstanding player to lead a midfield, but the Tigers don’t have much experience around her.
Their midfield and backline lacks AFLW experience and may take time to adjust to the standard, which could make it difficult to feed their three star forwards.
They may have to move Brennan or Frederick into a more midfield-based role to help provide some star power through there.
Strength: X-Factor
The Saints have quite a few players who can make something out of nothing with their talent and speed.
Kate McCarthy, Nat Exon, Jess Sedunary, Cat Phillips and Georgia Patrikios are all players capable of taking over a game on the outside of stoppages and are all able to kick a goal.
What St Kilda lacks in star power, they make up for in outside pace and a few years of experience as a unit from the VFLW competition.
Weakness: Top-level talent
This isn’t to say the Saints are lacking stars. The issue is simply that we have not seen them yet.
The AFLW players they recruited provide experience and X-factor, but they don’t have the same marquee star power that West Coast and Richmond got their hands on.
Whether this holds them back when coming up against the best teams we will have to wait and see.
Strength: Experience
The Eagles nabbed eight players from Fremantle as well as five from other clubs, giving them plenty of AFLW level talent to build around.
Couple in veteran WAFLW talent and you have the fourth oldest list in the competition and one that should hit the ground running.
Dana Hooker was the best player signed by an expansion team this year as well and is a great leader for the midfield.
Weakness: A lack of elite players
Hooker aside, the Eagles grabbed 12 other AFLW players, but weren’t able to pry away Fremantle’s best talent.
They are the toughest team to predict in 2020 and it’s hard to know what they will look like until we see them.
However, their ceiling might be capped unless some of their lesser known talent breaks out in year one.
Strength: Young talent
The Dogs had four of the first seven Victorian draft picks this year and now have the opportunity to rebuild around them.
Throw in former number one pick Isabel Huntington who is yet to get a proper run at it and you have a lot to work with.
We will have to wait and see whether that translates into wins in 2020, but Dogs fans should be excited about the future.
Weakness: Inexperience
Their strength long-term will likely be their weakness in 2020.
Across all three lines, the Dogs have plenty of talent and still have the core of their premiership side.
Expect them to be competitive, despite fielding numerous young players in key slots.