As the Sydney Swans AFLW side prepare to face Essendon in the AFLW's Pride Round, AFLW Head Coach Scott Gowans spoke to the media this afternoon (Tuesday, October 11, 2022).
The Swans will face another expansion side, Essendon, in Round 8 of the AFLW this Saturday and the team will wear the Sydney Swans Pride Guernsey. The guernsey is the same design that the men's team have worn the past two AFL Pride Games, a fixture the club has played in since 2016. View more for details.
The team will be confirmed at 5:30pm on Friday, October 14 via sydneyswans.com.au
Essendon v Sydney Swans AFLW - Round Eight
Saturday, October 15, 2022. 3:10pm
Ikon Park, Victoria
See some of the key quotes from this morning's press conference below.
Facing Essendon this weekend
It is going to be a good game this weekend, we are ready to go.
It’s another expansion side this weekend so it is going to be a good opportunity to play a side that has had similar preparation to us.
We are keen on seeing if we can improve on last week.
Gradual improvement
We can see gradual improvement. We have some internal statistics that we are doing and each week we see improvement in them.
The trick now is putting it all together. We have seven targets and last week we got three of the seven targets, so hopefully we can put a little more together.
Potential team changes
I think we will look at team changes tonight and I think we will definitely look at some changes.
It’s the position we are in, you may as well try a few things so we will throw something new at Essendon.
We are also planning on playing a little bit different this week and trying something we have been tossing about for a few weeks.
Goal for the last few rounds of the season
We have three games to go and we have broken this last part into a mini season.
What we want to do is use those seven KPIs we have internally and see where we can finish on the ladder compared to the other sides.
For instance, we are ranked 13th overall at the moment, out of the 18 for those seven stats so we firmly believe that if we hit five of the seven, we are going to be competitive and if we get all seven we win.
It is a case of following that and that will really be the focus.
Demeanour of the squad
The main thing is perseverance. That is the key word.
We have been so good at it and internally the girls train with intensity and effort, and they play like that, so that is a great building for anything in football.
And for me, off field, the connections we have built, they are already talking about how we can better that in season two so internally you wouldn’t know that we haven’t won a game, and I think that is a great starting point for a club.
Any players who have impressed recently
Ella Heads, off half back, everyone has been watching her and seeing how her game has developed.
Also in our midfield, Montana Ham continues to impress and build her game. Sofia Hurley is also in the middle now and she has had goes on the wing and inside as well, so the young ones are probably the ones that have done very well.
On top of that, Rebecca Privitelli and Lisa Steane have probably shown the way from a leadership point of view as well.
AFLW Pride Game
It is very special we get to play in the pride jumper this week. I know it means a lot to the girls and inclusion is a big part of what we do at the Swans.
It is going to be a special weekend and the girls are really looking forward to it.
The boys wear the same jumper and I think that is very important for the club.
