Optus WAFL Women's Premiership Season Preview

THE inaugural season of the Optus WAFL Women's Premiership is now upon us beginning this Sunday with the five competing clubs from Claremont, East Fremantle, Peel, Subiaco and Swan Districts ready to begin the new era in West Australian football.

The WAFLW competition will be launched with the opening two matches this Sunday afternoon with East Fremantle playing Peel Thunder at East Fremantle's New Choice Homes Park. 

Then also on Sunday afternoon, Swan Districts will host Subiaco at Bassendean's Steel Blue Oval.

The new WAFLW competition begins with the five competing teams with two games per weekend with one of those to be live streamed. 

The new league will be filled with players from the AFL Women's teams and it will all concluded with a Channel 7 televised Grand Final on the weekend of September 14 and 15.

Each team will play one another three times across the 15 rounds ahead of three-week final series.

Each team will have three byes and there will also be two general byes throughout the season, providing an opportunity to play talent development exhibition games, including an AFLW WA 18s versus WAFLW All-Stars game and WA versus Queensland State under 23s game.  

The format of the matches will be that teams will consist of 21 players with no more than 16 on the field at any one time. All quarters will last for 18 minutes without time-on being added.

All five teams have plenty of talent which should make for a tremendously entertaining and competitive competition in the WAFLW inaugural season.

East Fremantle won last year's WAWFL premiership at league level and look like being a powerful force again, coached by Nikki Harwood and with the team including Evie Gooch and potential AFLW No. 1 draft pick Roxanne Roux.

Subiaco was runner-up to East Fremantle last year and they too look strong coming into 2019, coached by Sarah Michell and with the likes of Kiara Bowers, Dana Hooker and Hayley Miller part of their squad.

Swan Districts has been a powerful force right throughout the WAWFL competition and the Black Ducks will be coached by Kara Donnellan in WAFLW in 2019. Their squad will also include Taylor Ferguson, Ebony Antonio and Gemma Houghton.

Claremont will be coached by Andrew Di Loreto and will have the likes of Parris Laurie and Jasmine Stewart at their disposal.

Peel Thunder also have assembled an impressive squad to be coached by Adam Dancey with Sabreena Duffy, Cassie Davidson and Tayla Bresland all part of their line-up.

CLAREMONT
Coach: Andrew Di Loreto

Players with AFLW Experience: Parris Laurie, Laura Pugh, Matilda Sergeant, Brooke Whyte, Jasmine Stewart

Fixture: Bye, Swan Districts (away), Peel Thunder (home), Subiaco (home), East Fremantle (home), Subiaco (away), Swan Districts (home), Peel Thunder (away), Bye, East Fremantle (home), Bye, Swan Districts (away), Peel Thunder (away), Subiaco (away), East Fremantle (home)

EAST FREMANTLE
Coach: Nikki Harwood

Players with AFLW Experience: Ashlee Atkins, Melissa Caulfield, Evangeline Gooch, Gabby O'Sullivan, Phillipa Seth

Fixture: Peel Thunder (home), Subiaco (away), Swan Districts (home), Bye, Claremont (away), Bye, Subiaco (home), Swan Districts (home), Peel Thunder (away), Claremont (away), Peel Thunder (home), Subiaco (away), Swan Districts (home), Bye, Claremont (away)

PEEL THUNDER
Coach: Adam Dancey

Players with AFLW Experience: Kate Bartlett, Tayla Bresland, Cassie Davidson, Sabreena Duffy, Katie Jayne Greive 

Fixture: East Fremantle (away), Bye, Claremont (away), Swan Districts (away), Subiaco (home), Swan Districts (away), Bye, Claremont (home), East Fremantle (home), Subiaco (home), East Fremantle (away), Bye, Claremont (home), Swan Districts (home), Subiaco (away)

SUBIACO
Coach: Sarah Michell

Players with AFLW Experience: Kiara Bowers, Beatrice Devlyn, McKenzie Dowrick, Renee Forth, Lara Frocamo, Dana Hooker, Leah Mascall, Hayley Miller, Georgie Parker, Aimee Schmidt, Courtney Stubbs, Jodie White 

Fixture: Swan Districts (away), East Fremantle (home), Bye, Claremont (away), Peel Thunder (away), Claremont (home), East Fremantle (away), Bye, Swan Districts (away), Peel Thunder (away), Swan Districts (home), East Fremantle (home), Bye, Claremont (home), Peel Thunder (home)

SWAN DISTRICTS
Coach: Kara Donnellan

Players with AFLW Experience: Taylah Angel, Ebony Antonio, Stephanie Cain, Kellie Gibson, Gemma Houghton, Alicia Janz, Tayla McAuliffe, Emily McGuire, Ashley Sharp, Angelique Stannett 

Fixture: Subiaco (home), Claremont (home), East Fremantle (away), Peel Thunder (home), Bye, Peel Thunder (home), Claremont (away), East Fremantle (away), Subiaco (home), Bye, Subiaco (away), Claremont (home), East Fremantle (away), Peel Thunder (away), Bye