Nobody knows AFLW like The Doc – nobody. Here are his predictions for the 2024 AFLW season.
DOC’S LADDER PREDICTIONS
Adelaide
North Melbourne
Brisbane
Essendon
Melbourne
Gold Coast
Geelong
Richmond
St Kilda
Sydney
Hawthorn
Collingwood
Port Adelaide
Carlton
Fremantle
West Coast
GWS
Western Bulldogs
I think it’s a safe bet that Brisbane, North Melbourne and Adelaide will be locked into the top eight this year. In my last piece, I’ve already written about them as the contenders in 2024, so I won’t be delving too much into these three.
But it begins to open up from there. I’m certain we’ll see Melbourne around the finals mix this year, but could fall slightly to the bottom half of the eight. I’m fairly confident the Suns have got the players to back up their inaugural finals appearance, and as much as the Cats will miss Chloe Scheer in the first half of the season, they’ve got the players in the forward line to cover and a really good midfield core is another year together.
I’m thinking Essendon are a genuine chance to continue on their form from last year and propel themselves into a top four spot, given how good the spine is, if they can find extra goals out of the likes of Amber Clarke, Sophie Alexander and some of their other midfielders, then they’re right up there for mine
Then comes eighth spot. I’ve thought long and hard about who takes up the final place.
I’d back Hawthorn and Port to shoot up the ladder this year, given the talent that has walked through the door since this time last year. Collingwood are an unknown entity under new coach Sam Wright, and could be anything. Although if they don’t have Bri Davey this weekend, it could be a rocky start for the Pies this year and in the AFLW, you need to bank the wins early
I also thought about St Kilda in the eight as well, given their end to 2023. They’ve got key positions filled and another year in their younger players will have them well-poised to play finals for the first time since coming into the competition.
Sydney were the breakout stars last year, but I think the list will experience a small ebb in the development of their younger players before being a serious force next year.
But I decided to go with the Tigers to fill the last spot in the eight.
Richmond finished in the top four in season seven and then had been rocked by injuries to key players, to the point they had to call upon injured reserve players during the year. The Tigers have most of their key position players fit and healthy, although the loss of Montana McKinnon to an ACL in the pre-season is a big blow, but the depth is sustainable in ruck for the Tigers.
WOODEN SPOONERS
I hate to pile it on my own team for a second year in a row, but there wasn’t much from the Bulldogs camp over the pre-season that suggests they’ll be anywhere other than in the bottom two. Tamara Hyett walks into the club with a good resume, having last been an assistant coach at Melbourne, but the list she inherits has been ravaged with expansions and players seeking greater opportunities elsewhere.
Quality talent on the Dogs’ list is sparse this year, and it’ll be more or less finding out who belongs in the next finals tilt in the coming years.
It’ll be exciting to see the kids play right away – all four of their round one draftees: Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, Brooke Barwick, Elaine Grigg and Cleo Buttifant will play on the weekend against GWS and I suspect acquisitions Analea McKee, Ellie Gavalas and Lauren Ahrens will play right away as well.
And how incoming skipper Deanna Berry goes about her business in this Dogs team will be crucial. Her work-rate has been massive over the past couple of years and maybe she could be a key piece to the Dogs’ midfield blend this year, maybe unlocks their fortunes into an extra win or two.
PREMIERS
I’m predicting Adelaide to win the flag this year. They finished top of the ladder last year and were unlucky (twice) in the finals to be on the wrong side of result. They’ve got a great list filled with superstars on every line combined by role players who are excellent in what they do.
It’s harder to predict who they’ll go up against. I think they’ll go up against Brisbane in the Grand Final, but it’s easy to go North Melbourne as well – they’re the three teams to beat heading into 2024, and it may just come down to whose depth bats deeper. I reckon it might just be the Lions in that respect.
BIGGEST RISE AND FALL
I think the team that has the best chance to rise up this year is Hawthorn. They’ve added a lot of quality experience and untapped potential through the off-season. Eliza West has the chance in front of her to be the trade recruit of the year, and the Hawks rate her highly internally, having thrust her into the leadership group as vice-captain behind Emily Bates this year.
I like the kids brought in this year as well. Laura Stone was seen as a top-10 talent before being taken by the Hawks as a pre-list signing, and there are good wraps on their other signings too in Hayley McLaughlin and Jess Vukic, and Mikayla Williamson is touted as a draft steal as well on draft night.
I think they’re still one key forward away from being a bona fide finals contender. Aine McDonagh has been a great find for them, but key forward options are a little bare beyond her.
It’s hard to pinpoint a side that will have a great fall. I expect Melbourne will take a slight dip, but they’re still good enough for finals. I’m unsure about the Pies this year under Sam Wright’s first year in charge. They have key players in various areas, but will be without Lauren Butler for the first few weeks, and their best key forward from last year Nell Morris-Dalton is out for the year, and most of the workload is going to be up to first-year player Georgia Clark.
And to top all of that off, Brianna Davey is out of round one ankle injury. If that doesn’t progress or impacts her form throughout the year, it could be a really hard time for the Pies midfielders.
I think Fremantle without two of their best on-ballers in Kiara Bowers and Ange Stannett (who won their best and fairest last year) could be in for a tough time with moving the ball forward of centre, unless they can get career-best years in the midfield from the likes of Aisling McCarthy and Dana East.
There are questions about Gabby Newton and where she’ll play in her first year as a Docker. She’s had some injury issues throughout the pre-season, and might have to be stationed as a key forward to partner with Aine Tighe.
INDIVIDUAL AWARD PREDICTIONS
It’s a good field every year for the league best and fairest award. Jasmine Garner has been lauded by coaches and players as the best player in the competition, but has been overlooked by the umpires year after year.
If overlooked again by the officials this year, then I’m going to back in Ebony Marinoff to take home the best and fairest medal this year. If we’re being honest, both her and Hatchard are too good to not win at least one before their careers are over, but the problem with two or more star players in the same team is that they’re prone to steal votes away from one another.
The Crows will win enough games this year and they’ve proven they can poll enough to get close. Season six saw both Hatchard and Marinoff finish in the top 3, and Marinoff was top 3 in season seven.
When it comes to leading goalkicker, there’s a few options to pick from. I’ve hitched myself on the Tahlia Randall wagon for a few years now, and whilst she hasn’t been bad by any means, sometimes her kicking is what costs her from joining an elite category of goalkickers.
I like Caitlin Gould’s rise as the full forward at Adelaide last year, but I wonder if she might be relied upon more in the ruck this year as they look towards a more settled ruck pairing. If she pinches minimally, she could be on for a big year and even an All-Australian blazer.
However, my pick is Bonnie Toogood from Essendon this year. In a year when I expect the Bombers to continue to develop and progress through the ladder, Toogood will back up an explosively good year that saw her win many accolades within the competition, with an even bigger one that will see her win the competition’s leading goalkicking award.
For the Rising Star award, the first name that comes to mind is Shineah Goody from Port Adelaide. Anyone who has watched her throughout the last few years knows that she was head and shoulders above most in the under-18s championships. She’s brilliant inside and explosive on the outside, willing to work hard to be the next link in the chain, and will unquestionably help Abbey Dowrick in the midfield at Port Adelaide this year.
Others to look at: Alyssia Pisano at Melbourne – a fantastic goal-kicker at state level over the past couple of years and if she can get enough supply down there, she could kick double digits in her first year in the competition, which would be a massive tick for the Dees.
Brooke Boileau at Adelaide was highly touted, maybe overlooked in a South Australian side that had boasted names like Goody, Lauren Young, Piper Window and Molly Brooksby, but her work in the national championships last year suggests that her inside work and defensive pressure is as good as anyone else in her draft class.
I’ll also lump top draftees Kaitlyn Srhoj and Jess Rentsch in together here, both look earmarked to be around the footy a fair bit for GWS and West Coast respectively and should see good numbers in their first year in the AFLW.
And for a wild prediction of most improved player, I’m going to go with Mia Austin from Carlton to jump into All-Australian calculations with a year that sees her kick between 15 goals or more after a season that saw her kick 11 goals in 10 matches.
The Doc is the heart and soul of our AFLW coverage. He pours himself into it to provide the best in the business. If you come here for AFLW stuff and enjoy what he does, please consider buying him a coffee for the work he does by clicking the link below. I’m sure he’d greatly appreciate it.
