Carlton Supporters Club

The AFL has announced that the 2023 AFLW season will kick off during the AFL bye week in September.  However, the duration of the season is still being negotiated as part of the CBA.

I really don't think that the AFL has a firm vision for the AFLW.  Uncertainty about the season's structure and duration won't and credibility to the competition.

Yep, its a joke.

How the hell can you run a professional organisation where you go 5 months into the new year before you narrow down a start date, and do not give the length of the season. These players have a life outside of football. Some would be planning holidays, starting a family, or getting married, but have to put all that on hold while the AFL pull their finger out.

A few AFLW rule changes announced today, most are trivial, although two caught my eye as potentially testing the ground for AFL.

The first was an increase to train on players, I can see the AFL will think this as a way to level the playing field and make the progress up and down the ladder more dynamic. Players will want to go to club's where real opportunities exist, not just hang around champion teams hoping an injury delivers an opportunity.

The second was umpires coming in off the boundary for throw ins inside the arcs. I suspect the AFL is testing this as there is a focus to recruit more boundary umpires, in particular female boundary umpires. But the current throw in guidelines are making female boundary umpires for AFL almost an impossibility. The players are told to setup and expect a throw in distance most girls cannot achieve. To solve this you bring the boundary umpires in and have them practise throwing a shorter distance. Keen observers will know certain teams are already practising / training on grounds that have a faint inner boundary line, I'd suggest the AFLW change is the next step in the process of rule verification.

The rule has changed so that throw ins inside the arcs will now be from the boundary line rather than from 10m inside the line as in previous seasons.  Throw ins from between the arcs will still be from 10m inside the line.

Tossing the ball further inside the arcs was intended to reduce congestion and avoid secondary stoppages.  I'm not sure what the benefit of this change is meant to be but defenders will probably be happy.

Actually, I noticed a female boundary umpire in one of our VFL games who was hurling the ball a decent distance and at least as far as the blokes.

Bad luck for Maddy Gueren.

Maddy G was a someone taking the next step in the wake of mass exodus of midfielders over the past couple years.
Bang. 2 seasons gone.

SYD 2.3 4.5 4.7 5.8 (38)

CARL 0.3 0.4 3.5 4.5 (29)

Goals: Moody 2, Austin, Hill

Bests: Moody, Austin, Skepper, Vickers, Cordner

Sydney didn't win a game last year. This bodes poorly. Then again, we aren't close to our best team on the park.