TEN-HUT! by Meggs

Ten seasons. Eighteen teams. With the young talent pathway finally fully connected, Women’s Australian Rules football is building momentum and Season 2025 promises to be the best yet.

In advance of Season 10, the AFL leadership has engaged in candid discussions with all clubs regarding strategies to boost attendance and expand fan bases. Concerningly, average attendances in 2024 were 2,660 fans per match, with the women’s game incurring an annual loss of approximately $50 million.

The AFL is looking for improvements such as:

• scheduling more fan-friendly timeslots, consolidated at selected suburban venues.

• holding the Grand Final every year in the last weekend of November.

• enhancing the ‘on-field’ product with clubs instructed to transition the defensive tackle-fest and focus on fast-flowing outside game plans.

A handful of teams are already primed for this, including the Mighty Demons.

Season Format & Fixture Shake-Up

• 12 rounds over 12 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of finals.

• Season kicks off Thursday, August 14 with Carlton vs Collingwood at Ikon Park—a throwback to the inaugural lockout game.

• The AFLW opening rounds overlap with rounds 23 and 24 of the AFL men’s season, with fixtures staggered to avoid clashes.

Five Key Things to Monitor in 2025

1. Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs – R1 Hampson–Hardeman Cup under lights

2. Razor Ray returns to AFLW umpiring bringing his trademark flair and quirkiness

3. Fremantle vs North Melbourne – R3 will the Kangaroos make it 15 wins on the trot to break Melbourne’s existing 14 game winning streak (R5 2022-R5 2023)?

4. 50 Game Milestoners – #24 Megan Fitzsimon (45 games) #22 Eliza McNamara (44) will hopefully join the 50-game club in rounds 5 and 6 respectively.

5. Geelong vs Melbourne – R12 two top teams tuning up for finals at GMHBA Stadium

Team Spotlight: Melbourne FC Demons

Fixture Highlights:

After last year’s ‘fixed-ya’ fixture and finishing 9th, the AFL has given Melbourne an easier draw.

The Demons have not been drawn to play home and away games against three of the leading contenders:

• reigning premiers North Melbourne,

• heavyweight Adelaide, and

• 2024 finalists Hawthorn.

We play our first ever games for premiership points against Port (R5) and Sydney (R10) and travel interstate for the Port Adelaide, Fremantle and Brisbane matches. With five games at Casey Fields (the Field of Dreams) and one game at Ikon, it is a friendly fixture and won’t harm our prospects for a top 4 finish.

List Changes

• Outs: Lily Mithen (Gold Coast), Delany Madigan (delisted), Grace Hill (delisted).

• Ins: Molly O’Hehir (speedy tall halfback), Maggie Mahony (competitive small mid), Milly Dethridge (promising hockey cross-coder), Laela Ebert (skillful defender).

Injury Watch

• Tahlia ‘Jules’ Gillard (MCL) – out for half the season and will be sorely missed. Given our early-season opponents, we may hopefully be able to cover her absence.

• Grace Beasley (ACL) - recovering well and expected to return during 2025

• Gaby Colvin (MCL) - out for the beginning of the season.

• Jacinta Hose (back) - out for the season (replacement: Laela Ebert)

• Aimee Mackin (ACL) - out for the season (replacement: Denby Taylor)

Meggs’ Season 10 Predictions

• Premiers: North Melbourne – the first team to go back-to-back.

• Top 4: North Melbourne, Brisbane, Melbourne, Geelong.

• Leading Goal Kicker: Kate Hore (again), closing in on 100 career goals (currently 78).

• League B&F: Jasmine Garner (finally the year?)

• Smokey: Sydney – stars return and bounce back to finals.

• Flopper: Despite the best efforts of boom recruit Lily Mithen, the Suns to struggle in 2025.

• Dees_In_October to change her name to Dees_In_November

Meggs’ Final Word

Having watched a bit of VFLW and the AFLW practice matches this year, you can see that our core group of best players are set for a great season. While we have several injured and recovering players, our team list is deep and strong so there should be no excuses from our inspirational coach Mick Stinear.

Mick has coached 87 career games (with an impressive 71% win-rate). With 12 home and away games, just one finals match would see him reach the ton. Wouldn’t we all love to see that!

Meggs will be back with a preview of Melbourne’s Round 1 clash under lights at Mission Whitten Oval. Until then—get excited as the Dees are primed and ready to deliver in 2025 and keep the #demonspirit alive.