A new crop AFLW young guns made a splash on debut \u2014 most notably a Swan with the competition\u2019s best name<\/p>\n
Plus the early verdict on slow starts for two perennial contenders and a touchy rule tweak.<\/p>\n
Fox Footy expert Chyloe Kurdas speaks to foxfooty.com.au to dissect the AFLW Round 1 Talking Points!<\/p>\n
Watch every match of the 2025 NAB AFL Women\u2019s Season LIVE ad-break free during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n KIDS \u2018REALLY CLOSING IN\u2019 ON ESTABLISHED PLAYERS AMID SWAN\u2019S STUNNING START<\/p>\n Now we know it was dubbed the strongest AFLW draft class yet.<\/p>\n While it was only a small sample size, a host of top players from the 2024 draft crop justified the pool hype with stunning debuts.<\/p>\n Collingwood\u2019s Ash Centra (Pick 1) was on limited minutes against Carlton due to a pre-season hip issue, but pulled down an impressive contested mark then booted a goal with her first kick. Hours earlier, she took the footy world by storm after video emerged of her dribbling\/bouncing a footy between her legs \u2013 a skill an array of AFL players and coaches tried to replicate across the weekend.<\/p>\n In the same game, Carlton duo Poppy Scholz (Pick 6) and Sophie McKay (Pick 17) both had 11 disposals, with Scholz kicking a goal.<\/p>\n Suns academy graduate Havana Harris justified the Pick 2 bid, booting one goal from 16 disposals, six marks, a game-high score involvements and 431m gained. At the other end of the field, Eagle Lucia Painter (Pick 7) kicked 3.1 from 13 touches, five marks and three clearances to earn the Round 1 Rising Star nomination in a competitive field.<\/p>\n In Canberra, top Giants pick Sara Howley (Pick 4) slotted into her team\u2019s midfield with aplomb, while Essendon duo Grace Belloni (Pick 9) and Holly Ridewood (Pick 12) both excited Bombers fans with three goals between them.<\/p>\n And on Sunday, Adelaide\u2019s India Rasheed (Pick 13) and St Kilda\u2019s Zoe Besanko (Pick 32) kicked three goals between them as they quickly adjusted to AFLW life.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like they\u2019re showing why they\u2019ve been selected in the draft order that they have been in the top 10 \u2013 and you could probably say the top five could have gone No. 1, depending on what the team needed that had the No. 1 pick,\u201d Kurdas told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n \u201cI think all the hype last year was certainly worth it and it just reinforces why having a national draft is so important so the talent gets spread all over the country.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the most part, I think certainly the top 10 or 15 picks are just cleaner by foot and they\u2019re more efficient with their ball usage. I think their game sense is a bit stronger because they\u2019ve played a lot of footy, they\u2019ve been really well coached in development programs over a good period of time and I think they\u2019re conditioning is stronger as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe three things you need to do to play elite footy: You\u2019ve got to kick elite, run elite and think elite. I think the gap between the young kids coming up and what\u2019s needed at this level is really closing in.\u201d<\/p>\n Painter earned the Rising Star nomination, but Swan Zippy Fish (Pick 5) must\u2019ve been mightily close.<\/p>\n Young West Coast down Suns in opener | 01:08<\/p>\n Fish finished with 26 disposals \u2013 the equal-highest AFLW disposal tally on debut alongside Collingwood\u2019s Bri Davey, who was 22 in the comp\u2019s inaugural match when she was playing for Carlton \u2013 to go with 11 rebound 50s, nine intercepts and 549m gained against the Tigers.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019d probably say it\u2019s the most prolific debut from a young player beyond that first round of footy,\u201d Kurdas said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just that she racked up a lot of touches \u2013 the ball did go inside their defensive 50 a lot, so she was in the play \u2013 but it was more about how she attacked the ball. She didn\u2019t look nervous, she looked like she\u2019d been playing at this level for years.<\/p>\n \u201cI love her pace. She\u2019s got the ability to play slow if needed and she looks like she\u2019s got all the time in the world. But then she\u2019s got amazing pace with her run and dash. She\u2019s happy to go for the one-two, get it back and then she transitions back really nicely. Her defensive discipline is really solid. <\/p>\n \u201cIt just looks like nothing fazes her. In the rooms after the game, I asked her: \u2018What was the hardest thing about playing tonight?\u2019 She thought for a second and went \u2018nothing\u2019. So I think we\u2019ve got that to look forward to.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s got to be able to back it up, but it was a really good start.\u201d<\/p>\n SWANS STATEMENT<\/p>\n Fish was integral in Sydney\u2019s impressive 20-point win over Richmond at North Sydney Oval.<\/p>\n The Swans blew the game open in the third term, booting 4.3 to 1.3 to set up the victory.<\/p>\n Superstar Chloe Molloy, who missed most of 2024 with an ACL injury, returned with a bang, booting 4.2 from 14 disposals and three contested marks, while fellow 2023 All-Australians Ally Morphett and Laura Gardiner were prolific in the midfield.<\/p>\n Kurdas said she saw glimpses of why she felt confident to predict Sydney would jump back into the top eight this season.<\/p>\n \u201cScott Gowans really prioritises good systems and expects players to play to that. They also recruit players to play to their systems, but they tweak their system based on who they\u2019ve got as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought their team defence was really solid for the most part \u2026 and I thought their recruits that came in were really solid. Darcy Maloney is going to be really handy for them, she was excellent, as was Jas Grierson \u2026 She was just really composed, she looked mature, she didn\u2019t look frantic. It\u2019s the most calm and relaxed I\u2019ve ever seen her in her role and I really liked her behind the footy.\u201d<\/p>\n But Kurdas was most bullish on Montana Ham, who finished with 19 disposals, 10 contested possessions, five marks and five inside 50s. She could\u2019ve had a massive night if she\u2019d kicked straight, booting 0.3 for the game.<\/p>\n \u201cMontana has just been interrupted since she\u2019s come into the competition. But she\u2019s bench pressing more than ever \u2013 apparently her numbers are off the charts \u2013 and we saw that upper body strength on Friday because she just monstered some established opposition players,\u201d Kurdas said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got Laura Gardiner and Sofia Hurley who rack up the touches, but Ham\u2019s contested touches and her ability to get out of traffic is just phenomenal and then use the ball well. She\u2019s really come on.\u201d<\/p>\n GREAT INTENT, BAD EXECUTION? VERDICT ON STARK RULE TWEAK<\/p>\n One of the most significant aspects to the 2025 AFLW season is a new holding the ball interpretation. And it was hard to miss across the weekend.<\/p>\n The AFL in June announced there would be a stricter interpretation of the holding the ball rule regarding \u2018genuine attempt\u2019, while players who either dived on or dragged the ball in would be scrutinised more harshly. The intention behind the move is to keep the ball in motion, with a view it\u2019d lead to more scoring. <\/p>\n