AFLW senior coach Scott Gowans appeared in a weekly press conference on Wednesday, October 9 and discussed the upcoming match. Unfortunately, he also confirmed the loss of midfield star Laura Gardiner due to injury. 

See what he had to say below.

On Laura Gardiner

“Laura went for a tackle last game against Geelong and her hand hit the body of the opposition player awkwardly. Unfortunately she’s done some damage to her hand so she’s off to see a specialist but Laura will be out for extended time. We won’t know how long until we get the results but it’s not looking good – it’ll be a bonus if we see her again this season.”

On the growing injury list

“It's a challenge for us, we get challenged in lots of ways and on game day and injuries are part of the game. It's not great but the good thing is it's just your next player in and it gives opportunity to others. We're really confident that we've done enough work. We always talk about being a 32-member squad and each member is as important as the others so it really is just about getting the next one in and playing a role and taking their opportunities.”

On the up-and-coming midfield group

“I've actually enjoyed Holly Cooper's work too the midfield. She’s a young player coming through and she's learned a lot. Maddy Collier down back has found a spot and is able to distribute the ball for us which has been a nice little find.”

On group morale

“We had a really good week down in Melbourne together you know the connection piece was really good with the condensed fixturing so that's been a bonus. The attitude of training - we've just come off the track now - the group's really positive and excited I think because we're not out of games. We found find ourselves in games and we have really good moments and it's just putting all that together… If you do a lot right, you give yourself a chance to win and we've been pretty good at that so far.”

On the main takeaways from the close games

“The way we're looking at it is that we've had the opportunity to be in those games and that's exciting and we've learned a lot. From a game sense point-of-view we're getting better and better at protecting moments, then taking advantage of other moments and that puts us in good stead for 2025.”

On Montana Ham

“She trained today and trained well. We have match committee this afternoon and she'll be up for selection this week which is great.”

On taking on North Melbourne

“We've got a job to do down there and we trust (the team) and we've got a bit of belief our effort and intensity has been really good. Pressure has been through the roof, so if we bring that then you just never know. We're all about improving in increments and I think we've improved each week over the last month or so. It's a big challenge but it's a great challenge and nothing to lose. We go down there and take them on and learn a lot about ourselves and how we connect with each other and that's the main message.”

On Paris McCarthy’s performance against Geelong

“Paris' performance was amazing and what I liked about her performance wasn't just the goals, it was actually what she did pressure wise up the ground. She really took her opportunity and I think what it's actually done is given others hope that if you if you get an opportunity in the team, you’ve just got to take it.”

The Sydney Swans will return to Henson Park in Round 8. Get your tickets to the Saturday afternoon clash HERE.