GameDay Squad is excited to be launching our very own Women's Fantasy Footy game on to the platform! To compliment the launch, we will be releasing team reviews for each of the 18 teams and highlighting some key players that you need to keep an eye on over the course of the 2023 pre-season! Finally, we have the Sydney Swans, West Coast Eagles and the Western Bulldogs! Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
Sydney Swans
Overview:
Sydney finished season 7 on the bottom of the ladder losing all 10 games by an average of 37 points. They have recruited well but its only their second season in the competition so it may take a few more seasons for their talent to develop. Season 8 will be tough.
Player Scouting:
Name: Chloe Molloy
Position: Midfield
Season 7 average: 80.8
Review: In a new and struggling team, Chloe Molloy will brin[]; a wealth of experience. She was traded from Collingwood this off season, where in the past five seasons she’s won the national rising star, Collingwood's best and fairest and had two All Australian Selections. It’ll be interesting to see how the new club impacts her scoring with more freedom but less support.
Name: Montana Ham
Position: Midfield
Season 7 average: 71.29
Review: Montana Ham is a name for the future. At just 19 years of age, she is a contested ball winner with a lot of class. Ham was taken with the number 1 pick in the 2022 draft and finished runner up in the club best and fairest in her debut season. As Sydney continue to develop she will hopefully push into that elite tier of midfielders. She’s the definition of a legacy player.
Name: Lucy McEvoy
Position: Defender
Season 7 average: 62.5
Review: Lucy McEvoy is another example of great recruiting completed by Sydney in the off season. Although her average isn’t anything to get excited about, she’ll be slotting into a role that will hopefully see more point scoring opportunity with the new club. She also has an impressive ceiling, so she has a lot of positives. She’s unlikely to make any top average lists this season but definitely playable in my eyes.
Points conceded:
Last season Sydney were one of the easiest teams to score against in an actual football sense as well as a fantasy sense. On average, midfielders and forwards scored the most points against Sydney by a reasonable distance. Rucks were also able to capitalise but not by as much. Based on ball position, defenders didn’t get as much opportunity as the others.
West Coast Eagles
Overview:
Another side that struggled in season 7 were West Coast. They did however manage a couple of wins, but they were against the only 2 teams who finished below them on the ladder. Bookmakers have West Coast as the winners of the wooden spoon which I think is harsh, but it’ll be tough again in season 8.
Player Scouting:
Name: Emma Swanson
Position: Midfield
Season 7 average: 106.4
Review: Swanson is an experienced midfielder who lead the club in a fantasy sense by a distance. She also lead the club in a traditional sense as their captain and back to back best and fairest winner. Swanson was second in the competition for centre clearances in season 7 so you know she’ll be around the ball. With all this experience and awards, you might expect her to be coming into the end of her career, but she’s only 28 and in her prime. Expect more of the same this season.
Name: Charlotte Thomas
Position: Defender
Season 7 average: 72.7
Review: Emerging as one of the brightest talents in AFLW, Thomas already sits as one of the elite defenders at just 19 years of age. She had the 3rd highest average for a defender in GameDay Squad for season 7 with a top score of 115. She was 3rd in the competition for rebound 50’s and with her talent, I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts to see some midfield minutes. With a lack of fantasy quality outside of the midfield, Thomas should be one of your number one targets.
Name: Ella Roberts
Position: Forward
Season 7 average: 66.5
Review: Another star for the future is Ella Roberts. At just 18 years of age, she has burst into the AFLW with an excellent debut season. As a key forward I would expect her scoring to increase further as her team lifts around her. She managed the 7th highest average as a forward whilst only kicking 2 goals in 10 games. Normally in gameday squad we don’t love key position players, but I think her marking and kicking abilities will allow her to dominate the competition in the future.
Points conceded:
West Coast were another team that were easy to score against last season. Like Sydney, all positions apart from defenders scored well against them. With such a young and developing side this could change over the coming season so keep an eye on it.
Western Bulldogs
Overview:
The Western Bulldogs were one of the founding teams in season 1 and have had mixed success since then. They did manage to make finals last season but didn’t push very far. They are probably one of the main teams at risk of falling below some of the newer sides, so they’ll have to be careful if they want to play finals again this year.
Player Scouting:
Name: Katie Lynch
Position: Defender
Season 7 average: 70.6
Review: Katie Lynch is a player who has benefited from a position change from forward to defence. She’s a key defender which normally I wouldn’t be interested in, but she finished second in the competition for marks last season and is well rounded in other areas. Season 7 was the best (fantasy wise) of her career, and she could still improve further. Definitely playable.
Name: Ellie Blackburn
Position: Midfield
Season 7 average: 99.9
Review: Ellie Blackburn is a premiership captain in her prime. She’s a three time All Australian and four-time club best and fairest so you know she oozes talent. Blackburn was fifth overall in the competition for kicks last season and 3rd for inside 50s. She also put up good tackling numbers which seems to be the defining stat for the elite midfielders. Blackburn has also shown she’s capable of the big scores with a highest score of 138 for season 7.
Name: Alice Edmonds
Position: Ruck
Season 7 average: 76.9
Review: Edmonds is an excellent ruck option who continues to improve. She lead the competition last season for hitouts, but unfortunately her scoring was let down in other areas. If she matches up against an inexperienced ruck, she could put up a massive score. I wouldn’t chase her, but if you have one in your squad she could be a nice point of difference some weeks.
Point conceded:
With Edmonds dominating the hitouts, the bulldogs were easily the hardest team for opposition rucks to score against. I’d be avoiding that match up like the plague. In other positions they sit in the middle of the pack so not really significant.