The Sydney Swans AFLW side will open the 2024 NAB AFLW season this Friday night when they clash with Collingwood at North Sydney Oval. Ahead of Round 1 assistant coach Tanya Hetherington reflected on the squad's preseason preparation and shared a preview for their upcoming campaign. 

After an incredibly successful 2023 season what were the focus areas this pre-season?

As a club, we continually focus on getting better everyday and that is no different coming into this season. We know the competition improves each year so the focus was on internal improvement, as well as adding another preseason of learning and implementing the game plan.

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BTS: AFLW Practice Match v Hawthorn, SCG

Go behind the scenes and into the inner sanctum during our Practice Match against Hawthorn at the SCG.

What were the key takeaways from the preseason matches against GWS and Hawthorn? What do you want to improve on?

Practice matches are a great temperature check on where you're at. Whether you win or lose, you take learnings and we certainly have taken a lot of learnings from those games. Both on what we do well and what we can improve on, and what to fine tune coming into the season.

What players have impressed you the most so far?

It’s hard to single out players, but firstly Montana Ham has had a great preseason, uninterrupted from an injury front and that’s a credit to her preparation she has put in over the offseason.

Secondly, our two players returning from long-term injuries in Maddy Collier and Hayley Bullas. They’ve slotted in seamlessly after long injury lay offs and again it’s a huge credit to their diligence and resilience in their rehab journeys to come back into the team and have an impact.

We play at North Sydney Oval this Friday night. What makes the ground so unique?

That’s an easy one: the atmosphere! It’s a great local football ground where you can really feel the atmosphere on the field

The players feed off the crowd energy and can’t wait to experience that again this Friday night.

What can members and fans expect from the Sydney Swans this season?

We want to take our members and fans on the journey this season. They should expect a competitive unit to play an exciting brand of football that they can be proud to get behind.