FOOTBALL season is edging closer with teams across the state ready to put their off-season theory into practice as trial matches take place across the SANFL Women’s, as well as WAFL Women’s and Colts competitions.

In South Australia, the season is just three weeks away with the opening round kicking off on March 1. In the first of two weeks of trial matches, all eight teams are in action across the state at four different venues simultaneously.

Reigning premiers Central District will play its first match since lifting the cup aloft, with Ben Hunt‘s side hosting Glenelg at X Convenience Oval. South Adelaide will lock horns with Sturt as the Panthers look to go one better in 2024, while the bottom two sides of 2023 in West Adelaide and Woodville-West Torrens will showcase a host of young players.

North Adelaide and Norwood are the two sides with new coaches at the helm, with former Glenelg mentor and premiership coach Jason Fairall now donning the red and white of the Roosters, taking on first-time SANFL Women’s coach, Brad Ferrall at Thebarton Oval. All four matches begin at 12pm.

In week two, the Bulldogs and Eagles will go head-to-head in another clash at the Ponderosa, while North meets South when the Roosters travel to Noarlunga for a second trial match. In the third contest, West Adelaide takes on Sturt in another midday battle.

The men will have to wait until March to begin their preseason matches, with the SANFL League’s first bounce not until March 28. The first week of trial matches is March 2 with West Adelaide facing Adelaide at Football Park, while South Adelaide goes head-to-head with Woodville-West Torrens at Flinders University Stadium. The staggered preseason will see the teams play up to three trial matches across four weeks.

SANFLW Mini-Draft

The 2024 SANFL Women’s Mini-Draft also took place recently, with six players selected by the bottom six teams of last season. Wooden spooners West Adelaide had the first pick and went with former Dandenong Stingrays utility, now Crow, Brooke Smith. Queensland mature-ager Lily Tarlinton will add some height to the Eagles after being selected at Pick 2, while former Western Jets talent Tamara Henry landed at the Roosters.

Former Claremont now Port Adelaide midfielder Jasmin Stewart will head to the Bays, while the two players who will not take part in the SANFL Women’s until 2025 remaining in their previous homes until the AFL Women’s season – Amy Boyle-Carr and Kirsty Lamb – were scooped up by Sturt and Norwood respectively.

WAFLW clubs to trial plans in scorching heat

The temperatures are tipped to rise above 40 degrees Celsius this weekend, but it will not stop the West Australian clubs putting in some work during trial matches across the state. Reigning premiers East Fremantle will head to Pentanet Stadium on Sunday to take on the improving West Perth, while Claremont will begin its bid to go one better in 2024 against Peel Thunder down in Mandurah.

Two sides boasting vastly different lineups in Swan Districts and Subiaco will lock horns at Steel Blue Oval, while in the later game, South Fremantle will take on 2023 wooden spooners East Perth to complete week one of the trial matches.

QAFL and QAFLW announce 2024 fixtures

AFL Queensland released the 2024 QAFL and QAFL Women’s fixtures last week with both the men’s and women’s competitions to kick off on April 6. In the women’s fixture, Aspley takes on University of Queensland, Southport meets Wilston Grange, Coorparoo faces Maroochydore and Yeronga South Brisbane tests itself against reigning premiers, Bond University in opening round.

The Grand Final rematch between the Bull Sharks and Hornets will take place in Round 5 at Bond University, with ANZAC and Pride Rounds taking place in Rounds 3 and 12 respectively, while the annual Sir Doug Nicholls Round, a statewide celebration acknowledging Indigenous players and culture, will be held in Round 6.

Queensland and Tasmania will battle it out for the second consecutive year in a State Representative match on Saturday, June 22. The round will be one of four competition byes for the season in the QAFL Women’s, including the last one ahead of finals. The 2024 finals series kicks off on August 10, with the grand final on August 25.

The men’s competition has 19 rounds with only one competition bye, but a split round across Rounds 16-17. There will be no break between finals with Round 19 taking place on August 17, before finals kick off on August 24. It will culminate in a grand final day of September 14.