SANFLW teams get a shake-up with the competition’s expansion in its second year

SANFL women’s club captains are entering the league’s second year with excitement following the addition of two teams.

SANFLW club captains: Glenelg - Cassie Hartley, Sturt - Caitlyn Swanson, West Adelaide - Alli Evans, Norwood - Rebekka McMahon, North Adelaide - Britt Perry and South Adelaide - Kristi Harvey at Adelaide Oval. Picture Sarah Reed

SANFL women’s club captains are entering the league’s second year with excitement following the addition of two teams.

South Adelaide and Sturt will make their debuts this season, joining Glenelg, North Adelaide, Norwood and West Adelaide.

The new-look league, which kicks off with three matches this weekend, has led to many players shifting clubs after being placed in a draft pool so talent could be more evenly distributed.

Norwood captain Rebekka McMahon.

Norwood’s inaugural premiership captain, Rebekka McMahon, expected it to be difficult for her side to defend its title after a major shake-up to the list.

“The vibe is new, it’s fresh and we are almost back to where we were (at the start) of last year,” McMahon said at yesterday’s season launch.

“For the girls who are coming into the club, it’s super exciting for them to take that next step.”

West Adelaide skipper Alli Evans – the younger sister of Sturt dual premiership player Fraser Evans – will lead the Bloods again this year.

She said the list overhaul helped renew some hope after West’s winless 2017 campaign.

“The draft and the reshuffle meant that everyone really only got to retain eight players,” Evans said.

“The new girls bring that new energy and that drive to win and enthusiasm and we feed off that.”

Double Blues captain Caitlyn Swanson said her club had embraced the women’s team and she was looking forward to being part of the competition.

“It’s been very exciting with a whole new bunch of girls coming together,” Swanson said.

South and Glenelg face off in the season-opener on Friday night at Noarlunga Oval, while Sturt makes its debut against West Adelaide at Richmond on Saturday.

Norwood and North will battle before the AFLW match between Adelaide and Brisbane at The Parade on Saturday.

This year, the top two sides will also receive a share of $20,000 in prizemoney – the largest cash pool of any female state league football competition in Australia.

SANFL chief executive Jake Parkinson said the prizemoney was a huge boost as the league tried to build on last year’s success and be a pathway for players into the AFLW.

“The competition, which is the launching pad for South Australia’s elite female footballers on a pathway to playing AFLW, has been taken to a whole new level in 2018,” Parkinson said.