The second season of the AFLW competition starts on February 2nd and as usual, Before You Bet will provide a team by team preview for the 2018 AFLW season. Who are the top chances to take out the Permiership in the compeitions second season? Who will be the unlucky wooden spoon winners? See our preview and tips for the 2018 AFLW season below.
Adelaide Crows
Adelaide will start as the favourite for the flag after winning the inaugural season in 2017. They have received a huge boost in the offseason as well. Star Erin Phillips has decided to retire from Basketball and will focus on AFLW. On their way to the Grand Final, the Crows were the best attack with 45 goals and 38 behinds. Sarah Perkins kicked 11 goals and Phillips had 8. They start the season with the Grand Final rematch and a good start to the season will be the key. Looking at the end of the season, the Crows have one of the better runs which will help them finish in the top two.
Predicted Finish: 1st-2nd
Premiership odds: $4 at CrownBet
Carlton
The Blues hopes of making the Grand Final improved instantly when they recruited Tayla Harris from the Lions. She improves their forward line and with Darcy Vescio, they’ll be hard to stop up forward this season. They finished second in total goals last season and that will be even more improved with Harris. They also recruited Nicola Stevens from the Magpies and that will add extra spice to that rivalry. The Blues start with a fairly easy schedule as they play a few sides below them on the ladder from last season. So with their new additions, the Blues are tipped to be one of the most improved sides in the 2018 AFLW season.
Predicted Finish: 1st-2nd
Premiership odds: $5 at CrownBet
Melbourne
Melbourne missed the 2017 Grand Final by percentage and will be confident of rebounding in 2018. They have gun midfielder Daisy Pearce and recruited well in the offseason. They picked up Ashleigh Guest from the Giants and Deanna Berry from the Bulldogs. In the draft, they also added Tegan Cunningham. She kicked 3 goals in the preseason against the Magpies and will be one to watch. The Demons start the season with two home matches and Round 2 against the Crows will be the key. We’re predicting another close finish for the Dees and they should be in the race for the Grand Final once again.
Predicted Finish: 2nd-3rd
Premiership odds: $5 at CrownBet
Western Bulldogs
The Bulldogs finished in 6th last season but they were missing Kate Brennan for most of 2017. She played just 2 matches and is arguably one of the best players in this league. So we can see the Bulldogs improving in 2018. They had a 102.2% percentage at the end of the season and if they can close out matches in 2018, they’ll be one of the more improved sides in AFLW.
Predicted Finish: 3rd-4th
Premiership odds: $7 at CrownBet
Brisbane Lions
Despite losing the Grand Final, Brisbane would deem their first season as a success. They were the only undefeated side in the regular season and easily ranked 1st in defence. However, they’ve been given middle of the table odds due to the loss of Tayla Harris. Her impact in the forward line will be missed.
Predicted Finish: 4th-5th
Premiership odds: $8 at CrownBet
Collingwood
The Magpies finished mid-ladder last season with a 3-4 record and it’s hard to see any different in 2018. They had troubles in defence and finished with the third worst percentage. They’ve also lost Stevens and Eva in the offseason. They picked up Jaimee Lambert from the Bulldogs as a consolation. But to make matters worse, pick 9 Darcy Guttridge will miss most of the season.
Predicted Finish: 5th-6th
Premiership odds: $8.50 at CrownBet
GWS Giants
The Giants earned the first AFLW wooden spoon last season and the bookies haven’t been kind. They struggled for goals all season with just 23 in 7 matches. To make matters worse, they start the 2018 season with a clash against two flag favourites: Demons and Blues. But they did beat the Demons last season so there is hope. They also get Renee Forth back from injury and recruited Alicia Eva from Collingwood. They also have Irish International Cora Staunton up forward and she should improve their scoring shots from last season. It looks like the Giants will improve in 2018 but it’s hard to see them winning the flag.
Predicted Finish: 6th-7th
Premiership odds: $13 at CrownBet
Fremantle
Fremantle have been hit by injury bug already and it’s not looking good for their flag chances. Star recruit Kellie Gibson is expecting to miss most of the season and Kiara Bowers is also out for the first few matches. To continue the injury crisis, Kirby Bentley is out for the season with a knee injury. They finished second last in 2017 and it’s going to be another tough year for the Dockers.
Predicted Finish: 8th
Premiership odds: $11 at CrownBet
2018 AFL Women's Prediction
The Crows are the team to beat once again but it is tough to win back to back finals in any league. In saying that, they should comfortably make the Grand Final against either the Blues or Demons. In the end, we like the additions to the Blues side so they’re the value play in 2018.
TIP: Carlton to win 2018 AFLW - $5 at CrownBet
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