Footy fans won’t be left twiddling their thumbs this weekend with the AFL having their scheduled pre-finals bye, as the AFLW season is set to commence on Friday, August 30th. It’s the ninth season of the competition and will undoubtedly be the most competitive and best yet. We take you through the season format as well as our best bet for the AFLW premiership below!
Also, make sure to check out our AFL Tips page regularly throughout the season as we've got you covered with free previews and expert betting tips for each and every AFLW match!
2024 AFLW Season Preview & Betting Tips
AFLW Season Format
- This is the third season with all 18 clubs having representation in the AFLW.
- The home and away season has been extended from 10 rounds to 11 rounds, although it will still be a 10-week season, with each club set to play two matches at some stage during rounds 4-7.
- The brand-new “smart footy” will be introduced for the first time and will be available at all venues. The new footy’s have the much talked about ball-tracking technology which helps with goal reviews as it alerts officials when a ball is touched, hits the post, or has crossed the goal line.
AFLW Premiership Market
The usual suspects are expected to be contending for glory again in the 2024 AFLW season, with Brisbane, North Melbourne, Adelaide, Melbourne and Geelong the main fancies. These five clubs were head and shoulders above the rest of the competition last season, and although there are a couple of clubs who are expected to improve with another preseason under their belt, it’s hard to see any team other than the aforementioned five winning the premiership. So, let’s take a look at the chances of each of them.
Brisbane ($4.50 at Ladbrokes) – It’s no surprise to see last season’s premiers at the top of the market for the upcoming season. The Lions didn’t have the best home and away season in 2023 but found form at the right time to take out their second AFLW premiership. Incredibly, the Lions have contested 5/7 grand finals in the competition's history and will once again be around the mark as they’ll bring back a very similar squad. However, they’ll need to defy history as no reigning premier has ever made the grand final in the following season.
North Melbourne ($5.50 at Bet Right) – Were finally able to break through in the 2023 season to contest their first grand final although they couldn’t complete the job as they finished as the runners-up. Still, the Roos will take confidence from the fact they were finally able to knock off some of the big teams in big finals, and they have a list that will only get better due to their age demographic. Importantly, the Roos bring back the core that took them to the big dance last season, and I think they’re primed to go one step further in 2024.
Adelaide ($6.50 at Bet365) – The Crows dominated the 2023 home and away season with only one loss to their name as they took out the minor premiership. However, the finals didn’t go to the plan for the 3x premiers (2017, 2019, 2022-S1) who devastatingly lost by a single point to the Kangaroos in the preliminary final. The good news for the Crows is their two midfield superstars in Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff return for another season which will always give them a chance at success.
Melbourne ($10 at Ladbrokes) – The Demons entered the 2023 season as the reigning premiers and put together another terrific home and away season to finish second. Unfortunately, they went out in straight sets with losses coming against the Kangaroos and the Cats. The Dees lost a number of key players in the off-season and that makes me less bullish on their chances, although their rich history in the competition cannot be overlooked.
Geelong ($10 at Neds) – The Cats were one of the surprise packets last season when they made it to the preliminary finals despite finishing sixth on the ladder. The Cats had a pair of handy finals wins against the Bombers and the Demons before bowing out to the eventual champions in the Lions by only four points in the prelim. A number of their star midfielders are only young and will improve, namely Georgie Prespakis and Nina Morrison, so the Cats are well poised to have another good crack at it and are the best value chance at $10+.
Also Backing: Geelong Premiers $10 (1 Unit)
North Melbourne Premiers
$5.50 (2 Units)
