The AFLW season gets underway on Friday with the Tigers and Blues facing off at Ikon Park.
In an eight-week competition, every single game matters and for Richmond and the three other new teams, St Kilda, West Coast and Gold Coast, and they must hit the ground running immediately.
Can Adelaide, Melbourne and Geelong overcome significant injury issues to compete this season? Who will break free and make finals from the loaded Conference B? Who will be the strongest expansion team?
Here’s our ladder predictions for the 2020 season:
Conference A
Winner: North Melbourne
North Melbourne are the favourites among the players and the coaches to win the premiership and it is easy to see why.
The Roos have an incredibly strong list on paper, with the only potential flaw being the lack of a dominant goal kicking option outside of Jasmine Garner.
They may have a solution to this by playing ruck star Emma King out of the goal square, which could make them a terrifying prospect.
Their midfield unit is outstanding with Emma Kearney, Jenna Bruton and Kaitlyn Ashmore leading the way, their backline is reliable even without Jess Duffin and they’re going to be tough to stop in Conference A.
Other finalists: Adelaide and GWS
The only reason the Crows aren’t atop Conference A following their incredible 2019 season is their serious injury woes.
Captain Chelsea Randall is among three players ruled out for the season, Erin Phillips and Rhiannon Metcalfe are facing delayed starts due to injury and Deni Varnhagen and Chloe Scheer will miss at least a month.
This leaves them reeling ahead of their Round 1 clash with Brisbane and while they will hopefully be closer to full strength by the end of the season, it’s hard to see them overtaking the Roos with one arm tied behind their back.
GWS meanwhile has a strong list on paper and greatly underperformed last season.
They have a strong midfield bolstered by potentially the best ruck duo in the league with Erin McKinnon and Jess Allen.
Expect them to take advantage of the weaker teams in Conference A.
The rest: Richmond, Gold Coast, Geelong, Brisbane
The Tigers miss out by the skin of their teeth, with their Round 5 away game against the Giants potentially the difference between third and fourth.
Expect Gold Coast to be more competitive than people are giving them credit, especially as the season goes on and the young team full of X-factor begins to gel.
The Cats and Lions have been hurt greatly by injury and expansion team poaching respectively and it is hard to see either of them making finals this year.
Hear Richmond versus Carlton on 1116 SEN on Friday night live from Ikon Park
Full Conference A ladder prediction
- North Melbourne
- Adelaide
- GWS
- Richmond
- Gold Coast
- Geelong
- Brisbane
Conference B
Winner: Fremantle
The Dockers lost eight players to West Coast in the trade period, but kept the core of their excellent squad mostly together.
They play four of their first five games at home and only travel to face the Saints, Dogs and Blues in rounds four, six and eight respectively.
If they continue on from their 2019 form, Fremantle could easily win their first six games and lock themselves into top spot in Conference B, taking advantage of their fixture.
Other finalists: Carlton and Collingwood
Last year’s Grand Final runners up may have lost their captain and best player, but the Blues kept their side together otherwise and have injected quite a bit of young talent.
Lucy McEvoy, Grace Egan and Vaomua Laloifi are draftees who will likely step straight in and have an impact, while their young stars in Maddy Prespakis, Tayla Harris and Chloe Dalton can only get better.
They improved steadily across the season under coach Daniel Harford and will benefit from only one true away game interstate against the Crows.
Collingwood meanwhile very nearly finished the 2019 season without a win, pinching one in Round 7.
However, they are coming off a ton of momentum thanks to a VFLW premiership under new coach Stephen Symonds and add two elite players into the mix with Davey from Carlton and Chloe Molloy returning from injury.
They have one of the game’s best defenders in Ash Brazill and quite a few players who can hit the scoreboard, including midfielders like Jaimee Lambert and Molloy and forwards Sarah D’Arcy, Sarah Rowe and Sophie Alexander.
The Pies could go from zeroes to heroes in 2020.
The rest: Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and West Coast
The Dees are unlucky to miss out, but significant injury issues may be what separates them from the top three teams.
Lily Mithen (ankle), Ainslie Kemp (ankle) and All-Australian ruck Lauren Pearce (knee) will all miss Round 1 and potentially a few more weeks, while Katherine Smith (ACL), Shae Sloane (ACL) and Bianca Jakobsson (work commitments) are all out for the season.
The Dees are unquestionably one of the stronger lists at full strength, but they are certainly at a disadvantage given these injury setbacks.
The Bulldogs have lost a lot of experienced players, but have brought in four of the top seven Victorian players in the draft and may finally get to see former number one pick Isabel Huntington at her best.
They have a lot to look forward to in future years, but unless it all immediately clicks, it is hard to see them playing finals in 2020.
The Saints and Eagles are two expansion teams lacking star power, but both have well-constructed lists that will hold them in good stead long term.
- Fremantle
- Carlton
- Collingwood
- Melbourne
- Western Bulldogs
- St Kilda
- West Coast
Finals predictions
Premiers: Adelaide
Runners up: North Melbourne
Player awards: (SEE HERE)