Players from the Sydney Swans AFLW team will be back in action this weekend, taking on a combined Adelaide Crows / Brisbane Lions outfit in an off-season practice match.
The match will kick off at 12pm at Blacktown International Sports Precinct on Saturday.
Sydney co-captain Lucy McEvoy says the team wants to use the game to set itself up for the upcoming pre-season in May.
"From a team point of view, it's probably just to be able to put in place what we've been practising over the last 10 weeks or so," McEvoy said.
"It gives some of our new girls a chance to play with a few of us and just allows us to get to know each other and how we play.
"I suppose to set ourselves up for pre-season in the next few weeks, it's always a good opportunity to play, we love it, love running around, having a kick, it's just nice to get some game time in the legs as well."
McEvoy enjoyed a solid campaign in 2024, averaging 15 disposals and three tackles in her role down back and on the wing.
The 23-year-old said she is keen to use the off-season training period to improve her fitness ahead of the 2025 AFLW season.
"For me personally, it's probably similar to what I said from a team point of view, just to get some game time under your belt because it's so long in between seasons, all I want to do is play, you train to play, you don't train to keep training," McEvoy said.
"To get that match fitness this early in the year is always a good thing and playing on the wing, it can never hurt.
"Hopefully, it sets me up then for a steady and strong pre-season and I can build from there for our actual season in August."
The Swans' side will be made up of 12 AFLW players and Academy prospects.
"We've got a nice spread of the new girls, they've been training really strongly over the last few weeks, so it's nice to play with them and get to know how they play," McEvoy said.
"Find out what makes them tick on the field, and build that understanding this early, which is really nice."
All games will be free to attend.
Can't make it to the game? Be sure to follow the Sydney Swans AFLW squad on socials to keep up with the action on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok.
Official pre-season training is set to begin on Monday, May 19 ahead of the 2025 NAB AFLW season starting in August.
