The Sydney Swans head to Hobart this weekend to take on the ladder-leading North Melbourne in Round 7 of the AFLW season.
Having won the last 5 matches, the Kangaroos are 2-points clear on top but have the remarkable percentage of 311.1% signalling they are the team to beat this season.
Last weekend North Melbourne accounted for the Western Bulldogs with ease, beating the Dogs by 55-points with Ash Riddell and Jasmine Garner dominant all day.
The Sydney Swans are sitting in 13th on the ladder after three narrow losses to the Bulldogs, Essendon and Geelong.
Sydney coach Scott Gowans is excited for the challenge of taking on the Kangaroos.
“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,” Gowans said.
“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.”
The Swans injury curse has continued, however, with star midfielder Laura Gardiner likely to miss the remainder of the season with a broken hand suffered in the match against Geelong.
“Laura went for a tackle last game against Geelong and her hand hit the body of the opposition player awkwardly,” Gowans said.
“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.”
The last time these two sides met was the Swans first season in the AFLW competition. It was back in Round 6 of the 2022 season, and the Kangaroos were far too good, winning by 66 points.
On that occasion Tahlia Randall booted three goals for the Roos while Riddell and Garner lead the ball winners with 25 and 18 disposals respectively.
