After a tough match against the Brisbane Lions last week our AFLW side are fired up for a home game at Henson Park. Assistant coach Tanya Hetherington has previewed the upcoming game, touching on resilience, game style and our 2023 Irish debutants.

Playing the Brisbane Lions proved to be a challenge. What are the key learnings from Round 3?

We took plenty of learnings from one of the best teams in the competition. One of those learnings is to start well. You can’t give a team like Brisbane a head start, as they will punish you. But the girls showed that they have plenty of fight in them and worked their way back into the contest. They played their way through parts of the game which was pleasing. 

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Swans all class with measured Ham finish

Montana Ham drills her first goal of the season after Sydney run and chip their way through traffic with terrific composure

You could see the resilience in our girls. Has that been a talking point?

Absolutely, it’s the third week running where the girls have got themselves back into the game after being behind by a significant margin.That is definitely something to build and pride ourselves on. They have the ability to get the game back on our terms.

We return to the Henson Park for the first time this season. How does a bigger ground change playing style?

We look forward to playing on bigger grounds.

We feel it aids our game style and how we want to play so we are really looking forward to getting on Henson Park and making it a fortress!

Our Irish debutants have hit the ground running. What have you made of their game so far?

All our Irish debutants have showed incredible determination and grit. Not only have they learned the game so quickly, but they bring a competitive edge that really aids the team. They are just scratching the surface of what they can be so it’s very exciting for those girls and our fans to continue following their development.

What is the message to players coming into Round 4?

To keep backing themselves in and play our way. As we have shown, we are on the right track to compete with the better teams, we just need to do it for longer.

The Sydney Swans will face the West Coast Eagles at Henson Park this Sunday, September 24 and the match will be a celebration of the Irish community in Sydney. Purchase tickets below.