FINALS are firmly in the sights of Sturt coach Michael O’Connor for the 2025 SANFL Women’s season, with the Double Blues mentoring understanding the tough nature of the tight competition since reaching the 2022 decider three years ago.

Since then, the Double Blues were eliminated in the first week in 2023, then missed out last year, and with a batch of free faces and hunger to go further, O’Connor hopes his side can reclaim its place in the postseason series.

“I think you’d be lying if you hadn’t got your heart set on playing finals let’s be honest,” O’Connor said. “As much as there’s seven other teams probably have the same goal, we were pretty disappointed overall in terms of our season to finish 7-7. “Our expectations that we had were certainly a little bit higher than that to be fair.

“The squad that we’ve got, the balance of the list, we’re certainly aiming for finals, but for us it’s that challenge of breaking the season up into the little blocks and making sure we get off to a good start and stay ahead of the ledger, with it being a little bit more even with a lack of adjustment with AFL players in the system, so playing everybody twice, it’s such a quality league.

“No doubt all the teams are going to be improved from last year, so it’s going to be a tough competition but we’re certainly setting our sights on getting ahead of the ledger and giving ourselves another crack come the finals end of the season.”

O’Connor is impressed with his side’s work over the preseason, having come back in “pretty good knick” which enabled the Double Blues to focus on footballing drills from the start and heading into the season, there are minimal injuries to worry about as well.

“Testing data has improved from last year which I think most teams would come to expect, but we’ve got a pretty good list in regards to no long-term injuries which is always nice at this time of year,” O’Connor said. “We’re managing a couple of players to make sure we’re ready to go for Round 1, but at this stage we’re looking pretty sharp.”

The season is not far away now, with Sturt to face Woodville-West Torrens in Round 1 down at Ottoway for the second year in a row. O’Connor said he was looking forward to the challenge.

“For us it’s always challenging going to someone else’s ground and different sized oval compared to the majority that we play at as well,” he said. “We’ve got a strong squad and there’s 30-plus players that are really competing for positions in the League squad for Round 1, which is a great thing for us.

“It’s always a challenging environment from the individual player point of view, but there’s certainly really good opportunities for us to pick a side that we think will suit the Eagles team as well, but also suit the field by the fact it is a nice tight little spot down at Ottoway.”

MICHAEL O’CONNOR ON…

TOP-AGE STATE ACADEMY MEMBERS

Monique Bessen

“Her running power and endurance is really good and her decision making ball in hand is really strong, so we’ll certainly give her a fair bit of time inside mid, but she’s also pretty valuable as that leading forward. No doubt we’ll balance that time just to get the best reward for her services, and part of that role will take into account that Indi Rasheed‘s not with us this year, so it leaves a bit of inside time that Mon will certainly be one that covers part of that.”

Sophie Thredgold

“Coming off her first season of League footy last year she was really strong throughout. We played her off a half-back giving her the freedom to have a bit of run and carry. She’s come back fitter and stronger as she has done each preseason, so looking to just develop her a little bit and bring her inside mid for some time as well. Again, covering a little bit of time that Indi’s left, but certainly for her development as a player, not only for us but also for the state program exposing her to a bit of the inside mid options, and her strength and speed will suit that role.”

Edwina Thornquest

“We’re probably looking at her targeted as a forward this year. She’s certainly played at both ends and certainly has the attributes to play at the defensive end and forward end of the field, which is a great thing to have as a kid, it gives you flexibility in regards to where you can put her in, depending where the spots are available. But I think with us with the rest of our squad how it’s filled out, the forward end of the field is where Winnie will find herself this year.”

Summer Ross

“She got her first taste of League footy last year playing out on the wing, and a little bit of time as a high-forward as well. She’s been working hard on her endurance, her speed and her running patterns are one of her really strong points. She’s got better at that across the off-season and through preseason and probably just continue to work on a bit of contested ball for her has been her main focus. She’s just coming back off a couple of little niggly injuries, but certainly see her playing a role probably wing and high-forward, bit of a combination of those two for this season.”

Lily Smart

“Lily was our best and fairest winner for the Development League and she’s had another ripping preseason, obviously balancing her athletic duties as well as footy. She’s really stepped up her game and gone to work on her footy craft, mainly her consistency in her kicking has been something she’s been working through and it’s starting to show some good rewards, so a really good opportunity to put her case forward for a Round 1 selection which is fantastic.”

Zina Hunt

“Zina’s a bit more of a stronger body, more of an inside mid or maybe running off the half-back. Both left and right, really good balance around the footy and has shown some really good signs in the first trial game. Looking forward to seeing her again playing some consistent footy at senior level and push her case for potential opportunities at League level.”

Roxanna Tyler

“Roxy has come to us as a basketballer by trade, not that she’s tall by any stretch, but she’s come up from the junior program last year. Really impressed in the first half of preseason and has battled a couple of little of niggly back injuries over the last month. We haven’t seen her play too much senior footy yet, so probably a good chance for her to be an inside mid or a forward player. Let her go to work in a full game against bigger bodies compared to the junior program.”

OTHER YOUNG GUNS

“There’s probably a couple of kids in the 16s state program in Charlotte Copson and Lily Whiteman both left-footers, both bottom-age, they’re 15 year-olds so we had them train up with us last year but the age limit stopped them from playing actual footy. They’ve both been really impressive across preseason to be fair, juggling the Under 16s state commitment as well.

“We haven’t released them into all of our match sim we’ve been doing, we’ve been protecting them for their trainings and their testing days, but Lily’s currently injured so she’ll miss a few more weeks before she’s back and Charlotte’s going to play her first game of Development League on the weekend against North [last weekend]. We’re just looking forward to go and see them go and play up at senior level against bigger bodies than they’ve been used to at junior level.”

MATURE-AGE PRESEASON PERFORMERS

“There’s been a bit of a balance, we’ve recruited a couple of players, we’ve had Eqxelle Evans and Gypsy Schirmer have come across from South into our program and then Maddie Fitzgerald has come across from Westies into our program as well. They’ve been really good to see across preseason, and for them coming to a new club and for us seeing new players in the mix, they’ve been really great in preseason in terms of training levels, and now it’s just that balance of how they go in terms of games.

“Alex Ballard returning to our system from Port, it’s a great inclusion for us, not only as a footballer bit of flexibility of where we play her in terms of down back or up forward. Alex has always been a favourite from the playing group, so to have her back involved with the experience she has had from the AFL level and be able to come back and impart some of her knowledge back to us has been great.”