Fit Phillips and sharper skills will be the Crows key weapons in new AFLW season

They have the inaugural league best and fairest back to full fitness and better skills will be the cornerstone for the Crows to soar again in the AFLW, says coach Matthew Clarke.

A fit Erin Phillips will make a big difference to the Crows’ AFLW campaign. Picture. Phil Hillyard

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Adelaide AFLW coach Matthew Clarke believes sharper skills will be the key to open up the game and play more attractive football as the Crows seek to replicate their historic premiership win two seasons ago.

And he is buoyant to have a fit Erin Phillips back, with the inaugural league best and fairest struggling with injury through the competition’s second season but is now back in full flight ahead of Saturday night’s season opener against Western Bulldogs at Norwood Oval.

She will be a key player both around the ball and in attack as the Crows have had a sharp focus on skills and moving the ball over summer.

“The most pleasing things is that the skill level has increased every session; you can notice it,” Clarke said. “They’re really getting better.

“All of the (new) rules are essentially designed to open up the game and we want to play a pretty attacking brand of footy.

“So those rules play to our advantage.

“Congestion’s OK because you get great contests in congestion.

“There will be moments of congestion.

“But I think as the skill broadly across the competition increases that enables chains of play to be unfold more readily and for the ball to get out into that space.

“We’ve seen that in our training and we saw that in our trial match.”

Matthew Clarke and Erin Phillips during the Crows pre-season camp in Darwin. Picture: Liz Walsh

Clarke has vowed not to become to Erin-centric — she was this week the league captains’ pick as the most likely leading goal kicker for the year — but conceded she would make a massive difference.

“I think for her particularly, she just loves playing; she loves competing,” Clarke said. “I think there was genuine frustration that she wasn’t able to do that at the level she expects of herself.

“And clearly a fit Erin is going to be a big asset for our team.

“One of the things that we are really conscious of is to try to make sure that our style of play isn’t relying on individuals.

“But if you’ve got good individuals it doesn’t hurt.”

There will be a raft debutants against defending premiers the Bulldogs on Saturday night.

The Crows’ list of 30 players have 10 new names and Clarke was particularly looking forward to seeing former basketballer Jess Foley and three-time SAWFL under-18 best and fairest Chloe Scheer.

“Jess Foley has come out of basketball but has had an immediate impact,” Clarke said. “She’s an elite sportsperson anyway so we thought she’d be pretty good.”

Rucks Rhiannon Metcalfe and Jasmyn Hewett and midfielder-forward Jessica Sedunary will miss the game to injury.

ADELAIDE CROWS v WESTERN BULLDOGS

Saturday, 8.10pm Norwood Oval

CROWS

B: R. Forth 27, S. Allan 39, C. Cramey 22

HB: A. Foley 3, C. Randall 26, S. Thompson 14

C: E. Marinoff 10

HF: D. Varnhagen 9, A. Hatchard 33, C. Scheer 4

F: E. Jones 2, M. Rajcic 32, J. Mules 23

1R: J. Foley 24, E. Phillips13, D. Cox 31

INT: M. Nankivell 12, H. Martin 6, J. McCormick 5,

A. Considine 16, S. Li 19

EMER: S. Riley 8, D. Ponter 15

BULLDOGS

B: L. Birch 18, L. Spark 11, B. Hunt 21

HB: N. Callinan 10, T. Ernst 19, H. Scott 22

C: B. Smith 12

HF: N. Ferres 16, K. Brennan 3, M. Conti 8

F: K. McLeod 6, E. Mackie 25, A. Utri 23

1R: K. Rennie 24, K. Lamb 27, E. Blackburn 2

INT: B. Toogood 28, C. Moody 13, E. Brown 9,

A. Gogos 36, D. Berry 7

EMER: A. McCarthy 15, S. Karlson 26

Originally published as Fit Phillips and sharper skills will be the Crows key weapons in new AFLW season