It's an interesting season coming up, the time is about right for fans to start seeing dramatic swings in player capability from the younger brigade.
This might well have happened earlier if not for COVID, but I think we will find the younger girls who have now been exposed to 2 or 3 seasons of development will start to progress past the early adopters of the sport who basically played off a mostly natural ability. At lot of this is also due to the increased level of competition delivered via the VFLW.
Things to expect are significant improvements in ball use, stronger more continuous chains of play, and if allowed by the AFLW and it's umpires a higher level of physicality that comes naturally from improved strength, acceleration and agility. There may be some interesting tactical evolution as well!
Still, don't expect the girls to kick and handball like men, just judge their progress relative to how they started!
This might well have happened earlier if not for COVID, but I think we will find the younger girls who have now been exposed to 2 or 3 seasons of development will start to progress past the early adopters of the sport who basically played off a mostly natural ability. At lot of this is also due to the increased level of competition delivered via the VFLW.
Things to expect are significant improvements in ball use, stronger more continuous chains of play, and if allowed by the AFLW and it's umpires a higher level of physicality that comes naturally from improved strength, acceleration and agility. There may be some interesting tactical evolution as well!
Still, don't expect the girls to kick and handball like men, just judge their progress relative to how they started!
"Ruck, ruck, ruck, ruck ....... Ruck, ruck, ruck, ruck"