Today's AFLW 4.0 feature is on Brisbane Lion's women's player Emily Bates.

The Brisbane Lions started their 2020 AFLW campaign off on the right note defeating reigning premiers Adelaide Crows by 13-points.

Bates was influential in the Lions win, she accumulated 15 disposals, eight kicks, seven handballs, four tackles and three marks.

Image Source: Getty 

With just a round left in the NTFL Premier League season, the finalists are already decided. Sadly, the wooden spoon is also decided. Battles rage in next weekend’s final round to see which club –Tiwi Bombers, Southern Districts Crocs or Darwin Buffaloes – will snare the double chance and third place.

Regardless of results, Palmerston Magpies will finish as wooden spooners. They sit two games adrift of second last team, Wanderers. Waratah will finish in sixth place after a disappointing season by their standards.

The fascinating battle is the finishing order within the top five. The Nightcliff Tigers and St Mary’s are locked for first and second place regardless of Round 18 results.

What an exciting start to the AFLW season, round 1 was.

It had everything from big names returning, upsets, injuries to star players and the introduction of four new expansion teams.

Image Source: @MelbourneAFLW

Western Bulldogs outclassed newcomers St Kilda by 25-points at RSEA Park, in front of a full capacity crowd of 8,000 for the first time at the Saints home ground. 

American Dani Marshall made her AFLW debut and it was a historic one, she became the first American woman to play in an AFLW match. 

Marshall's first game was memorable, as she slotted through her maiden goal along with seven disposals, four tackles and four kicks. 

Image Source: @foxfooty

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on Geelong Cats women’s player Rene Caris.

Geelong starts it's 2020 season this afternoon in Perth against the Fremantle Dockers. 

She was drafted by the Cats with selection number 35 in the 2018 women’s draft and she became the tallest player at the Cats.

“To say the least, it was probably one of the best days of my life, I feel like I worked really hard to get to that position and had a tiny bit of talk with the clubs and hadn’t really heard much at all,” Caris said.

“And then obviously, you know when I heard Geelong come out now, they are going to select someone and I wasn’t really listening, because Geelong hadn’t really spoken to me.

“Yes, surprisingly they called out my name and I was very shock, but also very excited, as I just heard some of my closest friends had just been drafted to Geelong in the picks before, so it was a really exciting day.”

Image Source: Geelong Football Club

The 2020 AFLW season will see the addition of four news teams in Richmond, West Coasst Eagles, St Kilda and the Gold Coast Suns. A season preview on each of the 14 teams is below.

Adelaide Crows:

The Crows finished the 2019 AFLW season, as the premiers for the second time in three years. However, premiership glory was bitter sweet with superstar player Erin Phillips rupturing her ACL in the third quarter of the Grand Final. Phillips will once again lead the Crows in the 2020 NAB AFL Women's Competition. Phillips has officially been ruled out for the start of the season and Chelsea Randall did her ACL in practice and will miss the whole season. With these two injuries, Anne Hatchard has probably become the most vital player for the Crows this season. For coach, Matthew Clarke in his second season, he will probably need to make a few positional changes to fill the strong void left by Phillips and Randall who lead them well on and off the field. Rhiannon Metcalf will most likely return from injury and could take over the starting ruck duties from Jess Foley who did well last year. If, Metcalf does takeover, than Foley might move into the forward line as an agile option. The Crows, also drafted promising young gun Montana McKinnon who is nearly six foot with her strength and strong marking ability. Therefore the Crows have marking options who can help Sarah Allen. The Crows forward line looks great as ever and will look to excite once again with the likes of Danielle Ponter and Stevie Lee Thompson running through there with Courtney Gum. Adelaide's defense will lack with Randall missing and the opposition forwards might feel confident as they will not have Randall stopping their every move. Expect Adelaide to be up there again in 2020, but I cannot see them winning the premiership without Randall. 

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on St Kilda’s women’s player Tarni White.

White’s dream of playing in the AFLW was put on hold, as about a year and a half ago she ruptured her ACL.

“I was really worried, but at the same time when I was up in Queensland, I was around amazing physios and sports trainers in the Brisbane Lions Academy,” she said.

“And they were just amazing, so they helped me in my rehab, and I was actually playing my first game back in 12 months, which was really big because I was told at the start it was 18 months and when it was pushed forward.”

Image Source: St Kilda Football Club 

At half time, nobody could see it coming. By three-quarter time, still nothing. But a thirteen-goal final term by Waratah over Wanderers turned a tight match for three quarters into a 75-point win.

Just before three-quarter time, less than a goal separated the teams in match where any lead was little more than a goal. Waratah say their turnaround was just an increase in intensity, but it had to be more. Waratah kicked 14 unanswered goals from late in the third term until well into the final.

The win gives Waratah a mathematical chance at finals, but little more.

Round 15 results saw the Tiwi Bombers down the Darwin Buffaloes, Nightcliff defeat Southern Districts and St Mary’s were comfortable winners over Palmerston.

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on West Coast Eagles women’s Irish Mayo player Niamh Kelly.

Kelly signed alongside older sister Grace as rookies ahead of the Eagles inaugural AFLW season.

Image Source: West Coast Eagles Football Club

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on Melbourne women’s player Maddi Gay.

Gay grew up playing basketball, netball and some swimming, but had to choose one and she chose netball that she played for 12 years before switching over to footy.

Image Source: Melbourne Football Club