Before we deep dive into the upcoming match against the Kangaroos, let's take a look back at the past few weeks and what has taken place since my last contribution.

The playing group travelled to Adelaide to face another expansion side in Port Adelaide. As mentioned previously, they are a high pressure team, who look to surge the ball by foot, and give the opportunity for their players to beat their opponent 1 on 1 and that is exactly how they outplayed us. It was wet and windy at Alberton Oval, and right from the outset we were outmuscled around the ball, and couldn’t get the ball forward of centre. Port Adelaide had the game on their terms right from the start, and full credit to their playing group. The game definitely gave the playing group, and coaches plenty to take away from the game. 

Following Round 4 against Port, the group flew directly to Melbourne to spend a week together in the club's birthplace and to prepare for Friday's match against the Hawks. The week was a great opportunity for the team to review the previous game and identify where we need to improve whilst also spending quality time together to continue to bond. The team did various activities throughout the week

It was also fantastic to be apart of Grand Final week in Melbourne with our men's team in the Grand Final. We were able to support them at the Grand Final parade on the Friday and then be at the MCG for the match. Although the result didn't go the club's way, the team had great pride in the team and take a lot of inspiration from the season they had.

Most importantly though for the AFLW group, the time together allowed us the best possible preparation to take on Hawthorn, who were also looking for their first win of the AFLW competition.

As many of you would have seen, the group brought a sense of confidence from the first centre bounce, and it saw us kick four goals in the first quarter. Brooke Lochland had a superb game and set the tone, kicking three of the four first term goals.

Following a shift in momentum in the second which allowed the Hawks back into the game, the group gathered together and continued to fight, in what ended up being an arm wrestle. Although all stats in the game lead in the favour of our playing group, we just couldn’t get a major on the scoreboard to assist us in getting across the line. 

Despite the disappointment, there were plenty of positives to take from the match. It was great to see our co-captain Maddy Collier play her first game after being sidelined with injury for the first part of the season. As already noted, Brooke Lochland had a fantastic game and she, Montana Ham and Cynthia Hamilton were recognised in the coaches votes. And in other news from the game, Bec Privitelli's first quarter goal saw her nominated for the Goal of the Week.

It was also fantastic to see so many Swans fans at Punt Road cheering the girls on, it was a great atmosphere and I know they really appreciated the support.
 
As hard as it was to take at the time, we are seeing that the players are putting the learnings into place, and results will come. They understand how important it has been over the last fortnight to continue to drive the best out in each other, trust the process and the scoreboard will follow.

The playing group are now looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead of them this week, that being the North Melbourne Kangaroos. They bring good form, and a side full of very classy footballers. It will be a great test for our group, and what better way to see where we are at, then against one of the best teams in the competition. Sunday afternoon will provide some fireworks, and the playing group are very much up and about for the occasion.

Baker