Sydney Swans recruit Chloe Molloy joins growing support for expanding AFLW season

Sydney’s star recruit Chloe Molloy is still waiting for the 2023 AFLW fixture to land, but she is determined the season only goes in one direction.

AFLW players will have to wait at least one more weekend before the schedule for season eight of the competition is confirmed.

It comes as uncertainty continues around the length of the season. The preference of the AFL Players’ Association is 12 weeks, eventually expanding to 17 weeks in future years.

Incoming AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said this week that the length of this year’s season is still undecided, however, most teams are preparing for the status quo of 10 matches plus finals to remain.

Sydney Swans recruit Chloe Molloy is confident the AFLPA is working hard on the best solution for the players in getting to a 17-week campaign as soon as it is feasible.

The AFLPA is pushing hard for the expansion of the AFLW season. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Andrew Dillon has come in (and) he made a statement that the AFLW is going to grow and he’s going to heavily invest into it,” Molloy said.

“That gives us a lot of faith that we will reach 17 (matches).

“We want more games, now it’s just being patient, doing our thing and trusting that it will come with the growth of the game.

“We’re not going to accept anything less, we see a future for the AFLW and we’re going to push for that.”

Molloy said players were used to waiting for the fixtures to be confirmed.

“In the AFLW space, we’ve never really had a fixture release, it just comes when it comes,” she said.

“It would be nice to be able to foresee the future of who you are playing, and you can then probably put some things into training, but it’s not a distraction at all.

“It creates a lot of hype and excitement, especially when you have opponents and you can see who’s coming up. Especially coming from Collingwood, I hope we get drawn because I would love to play against them.”

Chloe Molloy has traded colours ahead of season eight of the AFLW. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Molloy’s arrival in Sydney created headlines during the off-season as the Swans swooped in on Collingwood’s 2018 best-and-fairest.

The 24-year-old signed a whopping five-year deal and believes Sydney is capable of something special.

“I wanted to show faith and loyalty to the club that I wasn’t going to come for a couple of years to put a pay cheque in,” Molloy said.

“Within that five years, or more if I can stick around, I hope to have a premiership. I wouldn’t put pen to paper on a program that I didn’t think could have that potential.

“This was like the (real) first year and I wanted to be part of something from the beginning because if we get that premiership, it’s a lot more fulfilling.”