ON paper, things did not improve for Hawthorn in its second season in the AFL Women’s, with another three-win campaign confining the Hawks to a similar position on the ladder.

But, with a new coach on board and a whole heap of talent through the door, will things finally start to click for the brown and gold and see them climb the ladder?

TEAM LIST

#1 Emily Bates
#2 Eliza West
#3 Greta Bodey
#4 Mattea Breed
#5 Jasmine Fleming
#6 Hayley McLaughlin
#7 Aileen Gilroy
#8 Tahlia Fellows
#9 Charlotte Baskaran
#10 Kaitlyn Ashmore
#11 Jenna Richardson
#12 Louise Stephenson
#13 Aine McDonagh
#14 Casey Sherriff
#15 Bridget Deed
#16 Ainslie Kemp
#17 Mackenzie Eardley
#18 Tilly Lucas-Rodd
#19 Bridie Hipwell
#20 Laura Elliott
#21 Sophie Locke
#22 Laura Stone
#23 Jess Vukic
#24 Tamara Smith
#25 Emily Everist
#26 Casey Dumont
#27 Mikayla Williamson
#28 Sophie Butterworth
#31 Lucy Wales
#41 Kristy Stratton

SQUAD CHANGES

In: Eliza West, Casey Sherriff, Hayley McLaughlin, Laura Stone, Jess Vukic, Mikayla Williamson, Sophie Butterworth

Out: Tegan Cunningham, Janet Baird, Zoe Barbakos, Tamara Luke, Sarah Perkins, Akec Makur Chuot, Catherine Brown

FIXTURE

Match 1: September 1 vs Carlton at Kinetic Stadium
Match 2: September 7 vs Collingwood at Victoria Park
Match 3: September 15 vs Adelaide at Thomas Farms Oval
Match 4: September 21 vs St Kilda at RSEA Park
Match 5: September 26 vs Geelong at GMHBA Stadium
Match 6: October 2 vs Gold Coast at Kinetic Stadium
Match 7: October 6 vs Fremantle at Fremantle Oval
Match 8: October 12 vs West Coast at Kinetic Stadium
Match 9: October 19 vs GWS at Kinetic Stadium
Match 10: October 24 vs Melbourne at Cazalys Stadium
Match 11: TBC vs Richmond at Swinburne Centre

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How will a new coach affect Hawthorn’s trajectory?

The Hawks are one of four clubs heading into the 2024 season with new coaches at the helm, with Daniel Webster replacing the iconic Bec Goddard.

It can sometimes take a while to adjust to a new game plan, but will the Hawks suffer the same fate and can Webster tweak the right areas to see the Hawks climb the ladder?

Will Casey Dumont finally get a game?

Although she may not be as bigger name in AFLW circles as other recruits Hawthorn got last season, but Casey Dumont signing an AFLW contract was still big news. However, one season on she still has not made her debut, so will she finally get that opportunity this season?

PLAYER TO WATCH

Eliza West

As last season came to a conclusion, West was starting to fall out of favour a little at Melbourne, and was dropped a couple of times. But now, she finds herself in new colours and in a position to make a massive contribution to her new side.

West has the chance to provide that experienced, bigger body inside midfielder that the Hawks need, and alongside Casey Sherriff provide the speed through midfield that they really need, too.

PREDICTION

After two three win seasons in a row, it really is time for the Hawks to start banking more wins. Two of the other sides that came into the competition at the same time as the Hawks have now made finals, and the Hawks will not want to fall too far behind Sydney and Essendon in their development.

However, it is a new era in terms of head coach, so things might take time in terms of the team learning their new game plan and implementing it consistently. If they can add a couple more wins to what they were able to achieve in the past two seasons then it has been a successful year for them.