MELBOURNE was lucky to retain a large number of its 2019 players in their hunt for an inaugural finals berth, and will hope to finally get the job done in 2020 having not lost many of its key players. Despite not picking up a wealth of young talent in the 2019 AFL Women’s Draft, the Demons focused much of their sight on building up a strong and experienced side to provide a difficult contest this year after competing well in previous years.

KEY PLAYER: 

Libby Birch (defender)

The Dees will hope for an immediate impact from Birch, who was traded from the Western Bulldogs in 2019. The defender will add an extra cog through half-back with an ability to find the footy and create intercepting opportunities. A reliable player in the back end, Birch will look to continue her strong form leading into the season and create a formidable unit with her teammates.

RISING STAR: 

Brenna Tarrant (defender)

Named in the 2019 AFL Women’s All Australian side, Tarrant has plenty to offer the Dees and help support through the backline. While a backliner by trade, Tarrant has the ability to be versatile and create ball-winning opportunities thanks to her overall game smarts. Tarrant prides herself on her marking ability and clean hands, making her a handy inclusion into the Dees side in 2020.

WATCH FOR:

Daisy Pearce (midfielder)

Pearce returns triumphantly after a year out of Australian rules with her pregnancy and birth to twins, but is sure to come in with the same tenacity and skill as she did before taking her leave. Despite not taking the field in a quality match in over a year, Pearce has the talent and game smarts to take her game to the next level and propel her side to an inaugural finals berth.

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CONFERENCE OPPONENTS: Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, St Kilda, West Coast Eagles, Western Bulldogs.

FIXTURE:

Round 1 – vs. North Melbourne
Round 2 – @ Western Bulldogs
Round 3 – @ St Kilda
Round 4 – vs. Collingwood
Round 5 – vs. West Coast
Round 6 – vs. Carlton
Round 7 – @ Fremantle
Round 8 – vs. Gold Coast

Melbourne escape with a relatively easy fixture this season, fortunate to not have to take on premiers, Adelaide which makes for a good chance of getting through the season relatively unscathed. While the first two rounds will see the Dees take on talent in North Melbourne and Western Bulldogs, the red and blue will hope to pick up some wins through the middle portion of the season before facing grand finalists Carlton, and a Round 7 trip to Western Australia to take on Fremantle. They will then hope to finish on a high, taking on expansion side Gold Coast in the final round of the season.

PREDICTION: 2nd/3rd in Conference B

After finishing all three AFL Women’s seasons just outside of finals contention, the Dees will surely be back with a fire in the belly in 2020 to create the finals chances they have sorely missed in seasons past. They will hope to finish in the top three of Conference B with mostly talented but thus far unsuccessful sides among them, but it will be dependant on whether Fremantle can have the same impact in 2020 after losing players to expansion club, West Coast Eagles over the off-season. North Melbourne should top the group with Carlton battling the Demons for another spot in those finals places along with the Dockers.