GWS Giants Alyce Parker and Geelong Cats Nina Morrison are both the Round 1 AFLW Rising Star Nominees. This nomination capped off an impressive debut for both Parker and Morrison respectively.

Parker accumulated 18 disposals at a 72 per cent disposal efficiency, 12 handballs, six kicks, four marks and three tackles in the close loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex last Sunday.

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Former elite basketball player Lauren Pearce started with basketball but now has successfully made the transition to women’s football. She has called the Melbourne Football Club home since 2016 when she was drafted to the club.

“I was lucky enough to be invited to the draft and had Mum and Dad there with me,” Pearce said. “It was a weird feeling being in a room with great footballer and I was nervous to see what would come about.”

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The third nail biter of round 1 saw Brisbane hang on to win by two points in humid conditions over the GWS Giants at the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex.

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New Fremantle head coach Trent Cooper was victorious in his first AFLW match. Fremantle finally locked away their first interstate win, as they caused a round 1 upset over Melbourne by four points on a hot and windy day at Casey. This was the second highest scoring AFLW match.

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The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos thrashed Carlton by 36 points in a beautiful day down in Hobart. It was North Melbourne’s historic first win in their inaugural AFLW match against Carlton at Hobart Oval. North Melbourne really showed the rest of the competition that they would be a tough team to beat in AFLW 3.0 with their hard running, attacking football and the way they support and gel together as a team. 

Image Source: AFL Women's 

Adelaide hosted the Western Bulldogs at Norwood Oval in front of 7,830 fans. It was a tight tussle from both teams who gave it their all in a high pressured and exciting contest. Adelaide’s woeful kicking towards goal cost them in the end in a narrow one-point loss to the reigning premiers the Western Bulldogs. It was a memorable win for the Western Bulldogs who had never registered a win against Adelaide.

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A grandstand finish for Geelong’s women’s team on a historic night for the club who pulled off a one point victory in front of their home crowd faithful. AFLW 3.0 opened at the home of newcomers Geelong Cats, GMHBA stadium who hosted Collingwood in front of 18,429 adoring Aussie Rules fans. 

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It's exciting knowing that this time tomorrow AFLW 3.0 will be back and it sure is great to have football back for 2019!

If the first two seasons of the AFLW are anything to go by as far as the growth of women’s sport and crowd attendances, then AFLW 3.0 will be biggest and best season yet with the inclusion of two new AFLW teams and the new conference format. The Lions will be out to prove themselves after being the team to beat in the first two seasons, as they made the grand final for two consecutive years but did not come away with the premiership, so will AFLW 3.0 be the season they finally finish the season on a high as AFLW premiers.

Image Source: AFL Women's 

The Western Bulldogs will be the hunted this season after an incredible grand final upset win over the Lions, but the question is can the Dogs win back to back or will another team make history and win their first AFLW premiershipω In AFLW 3.0 the inclusion of North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos and the Geelong Cats is massive. There is a lot of speculation that North Melbourne will provide headaches for the rest of the competition due to the amount of stars they have picked up from other clubs in the AFLW expansion including former Western Bulldogs captain and premiership player Emma Kearney and classy Lions trio Kaitlyn Ashmore, Brittany Gibson and Tahlia Randall. 

Since the inaugural AFLW season, Emma Zielke has been a household name at the Brisbane Lions with her leadership and star talent.

Zielke captained the Lions in the first two seasons after she was signed as a priority access player in August 2016 before the inaugural AFLW season in 2017. “It was one of the best memories so far, I was extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity.”

 Zielke handed over the captaincy to Leah Kaslar for AFLW 3.0.

 “Leah is a great leader, being the Vice Captain the past two seasons I have leant on her in both seasons,” Zielke said. “I know she will be great, she gives it her all every time she steps out on the track and is fearless. I look forward to running out behind her this season!”

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