ANOTHER season of SANFL Women’s action is about to get underway with two matches taking place across tomorrow. While the grand final rematch between South Adelaide and Norwood will garner plenty of interest, both Woodville-West Torrens and Sturt want to get off on the right track as well.

LAST SEASON

Both of these sides missed out on finals in 2024, with the Eagles still searching for their first postseason appearance, while the Double Blues narrowly missed out after losing in the elimination final in 2023. Traditionally two of the youngest sides in the competition, expect there to be plenty of youth on display. The Eagles looked one of the best sides over the preseason, easily beating North Adelaide and South Adelaide, while Sturt suffered losses to the same sides.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Woodville-West Torrens: 2
Sturt: 7

Woodville-West Torrens has not beaten Sturt since 2021, going four years without a victory over the Double Blues. Sturt has won the past five encounters, with just one of them – this corresponding fixture 12 months ago – being under 25 points (seven), with other margins of 27, 30, 43 and 60.

TEAMS

Woodville-West Torrens:

B: Bianca Portaro – Popi Gikas
HB: Audrey Holt – Annie Falkenberg – Christina Leuzzi
C: Olivia Evans – Amie Blanden – Marlie Fiegert
HF: Cheryllee Waters – Zahlia Niemann – Maia Freemantle
F: Klaudia O’Neill – Rosette Zerella
R: Leah Cutting – Imogen Trengove – Poppy Waterford
INT: Ashley Baker – Ruby Lynch – Lucy Moore – Brianna Walling – Sophie Zuill

Sturt:

B: Gypsy Schirmer – Lily Whitcombe
HB: Imogen Szegedi – Isabella Drew – Alex Ballard
C: Lily Smart – Alisha Gepp – Claudia Edmonds
HF: Ruby Cunningham – Molly Fletcher – Georgia Swan
F: Amy Brooks-Birve – Georgia King
R: Jasmin Fejo – Isobel Kuiper – Sophie Thredgold
INT: Monique Bessen – Eqxelle Evans – Grace Powell – Hannah Prenzler – Summer Ross

CHANGES

The Eagles have brought in a couple of promising young guns with Henly duo Maia Freemantle and Ruby Lynch. Both loom as ones to watch, with Freemantle staring as a bottom-ager at the Under 16s carnival last year, while Lynch is an athletic tall with plenty of potential.

Sturt also has brought in some fresh faces with Imogen Szegedi and the Double Blues’ reigning Development League Best and Fairest winner Lily Smart making their League debuts. Ex-Panthers Gypsy Schirmer and Eqxelle Evans are straight into the starting side, with the former named in defence.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

One of South Australia’s top prospects is Sturt’s Monique Bessen who will kick off her season playing between midfield and attack for the Double Blues, though has been named to start on the bench. She is alongside wing Summer Ross, with fellow top-agers Sophie Thredgold and Smart others named either on-ball or the wing. Thredgold will go to half-back to provide some dash back there when Bessen rotates through the middle.

The Eagles’ top prospect for the 2025 AFLW Draft is Imogen Trengove who can play on all three lines, though will spend plenty of minutes on the inside this season. Coach Narelle Smith has huge wraps on the athletic Lynch, while Freemantle’s upside is huge for the future.

DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE

Both sides are brimming with such talent that there are still players to track in the Development League, with a couple of forwards standing out. Mia Smith looked incredibly classy over the preseason for the Eagles, while dual-position tall Edwina Thornquest will make her return inside 50 via the Development League.

PREDICTION

Twelve months ago the match was a tight contest so expect that to be the case again. Preseason form isn’t everything, but the Eagles looked ultra impressive during the trial matches, and being at home in Ottoway means they naturally have that advantage. Should be under two goals the margin.

LAST SEASON

These teams faced off in the final match of 2024 with South Adelaide winning a tight, low-scoring encounter at Coopers Stadium to lift the SANFLW premiership. The Redlegs came into the finals series as the fourth placed team, but took out Central District and Glenelg along the way before falling short against the Panthers in the grand final.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

South Adelaide: 8
Norwood: 5

These two teams have a storied rivalry, with South Adelaide winning two of its flags by defeating Norwood in grand finals. The win over the Redlegs last year turned around Norwood’s hold over the Panthers, having beaten them twice in 2024, including keeping South to its lowest score in history of just 0.3 (3). The Panthers lead in the head-to-head, but the record at Noarlunga is an even 3-3.

TEAMS

South Adelaide:

B: Tiffany King – Carly Milsom
HB: Sam Pratt – Jaslynne Smith – Esther Schirmer
C: Mel Anderson – Caitlin Couch – Emma Charlton
HF: Lily Baxter – Tamika May – Shae Archbold
F: Lauren Clifton – Emily Brockhurst
R: Soriah Moon – Jordann Hickey – Layla Vizgaudis
INT: Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap –  Doreena Hansen – Brylee Kerrin – Taya Maxwell – Marley Tape

Norwood:

B: Nicola Burns – Georgie Jaques
HB: Emma Daley – Emily Bartsch – Sophie Arkun
C: Sarah Branford – Sophie Armitstead – Kiana Lee
HF: Stephanie Simmonds – Mykaela Walker – Emma Clark
F: Grace Whittaker – Jiarna Zerella
R: Kate Alexander – Georgina Birchall – Jade Halfpenny
INT: Candice Belbin – Ashlee Gould – Elle Lineage – Coby Morgan – Lana Schwerdt

CHANGES

South Adelaide has thrown ex-Blood Tamika May straight into the side, with the former West Adelaide player starting at centre half-forward. She will add a different look to the front half, while Strathalbyn’s Marley Tape has been named to make her League debut for the Panthers. On the other hand, Norwood does not have any new faces, but does have a returning one, with Georgie Jaques back from her AFLW stint with Port Adelaide.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

National Academy member Lily Baxter headlines the list of young guns in this game, with the Panthers’ bottom-age crop particularly strong. Emma Charlton, Layla Vizgaudis and Taya Maxwell will all have turns through the middle, and loom as a strong trio ahead of the 2026 AFLW Draft.

Norwood is without star top-ager and dual-coder Charli Hazelhurst, but bottom-age ruck Kate Alexander is a developing tall who continues to get better. Watch for the battle between the ‘Emily’s’ with Emily Bartsch and Emily Brockhurst going head-to-head as a couple of mature-age prospects who are not too far off.

DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE

South Adelaide’s Hope Taylor has been named forward for the match against Norwood and could cross paths with talented bottom-ager Charlee Brooksby who slots in off half-back. The pair are set to push their cases for senior spots throughout the season and are names to remember.

PREDICTION

A tough one to predict with both these sides having a loss in Round 1 last year. Norwood has had a pleasing preseason taking on the Tasmanian state side and only just losing, while South went down to the Eagles after a first-up win over Sturt. Expect it to be another thriller , with only the homeground advantage leaning the way of South. However if there’s one side that can win down there, it’s Norwood.