Women's Footy AFLW season 2023 - Season 8

[greatgatsby]

Fremantle AFLW recruit Serena Gibbs opens up about her mental health journey​

Serena Gibbs thought her AFLW career was over. She talks to ELIZA REILLY about why she chose Fremantle to continue her career.


@ByElizaReilly

4 min read
April 6, 2023 - 8:00AM

Serena Gibbs with Fremantle coach Lisa Webb (left).

Serena Gibbs thought her AFLW career was over.
Two years into a promising career at the Blues, the black dog started barking.

Gibbs didn’t want to give up. But she also didn’t want to let her teammates down.
She had to walk away, at least for one season, to focus on her mental health. Carlton placed her on its season six inactive list and what followed was an ongoing journey with anxiety and depression.
But after joining Fremantle in the AFLW trade period, Gibbs has a new lease on life. She’s ready to share her story in the hope it will help others.
“When I first started experiencing mental health symptoms, it was hard for me to accept the fact that I was suffering from depression and anxiety. The hardest part for me was speaking out and being honest with myself,” Gibbs tells CODE Sports.
“I wanted to push through season six but it wasn’t fair on my teammates. If I couldn’t give 100 per cent to myself, I couldn’t give 100 per cent to my team. That’s not fair on them. If I had to take a season off to look after myself, I meant it. Did I miss footy? Definitely. Was I at the games every weekend supporting the team? You bet I was.
“It’s still with me every day as it is with thousands of other Australians. But the more open and honest I’ve become with myself and those around me, the more calm I’ve been able to find. Anyone who’s helped me the past four years has helped me through stresses and highs and lows.
“I’m still here today able to work towards playing senior football again. I never thought I was going to be able to do that again and I’m quite proud of where I’ve come from and the journey I’ve been on. But I’m excited for the journey that’s ahead.”

The 22-year-old returned to Carlton for season seven and took her career tally to six games with another three in the navy. Her mental health had drastically improved but Gibbs’ on-field output didn’t.
That’s when she decided she needed a change of scenery.
“I was reviewing my season and I realised I thought I had reached my peak and achieved all I could in Victoria. I’d plateaued,” Gibbs says.
“I still want to grow as a person and a player but I thought I might not be able to do that in Melbourne.”
Gibbs has never been to Perth. She’ll touch down in Western Australia for the first time in May when she makes the move across the Nullabor. But she knew it was the perfect place for her to flourish.
“From what I’ve heard about the Perth lifestyle, it’s a much more relaxed lifestyle. I know how intense the football environment can be in season so I wanted somewhere a bit more slow-paced,” she says.
“We did a few scratch matches last season so non-selected players. I wasn’t looking for football clubs at the time but they (Fremantle) were so wholesome and welcoming. Fremantle was looking for a player of similar ability and I was looking for a new professional home. It matched up quite nicely.”

Serena Gibbs played six games for the Blues. Picture: Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images

Gibbs requested a trade and Fremantle and Carlton got to work to strike a deal for the 179cm key position product.
“There was a bit of waiting time. It was a bit scary if I’m honest because sometimes trades don’t go through, and other options pop up. I knew I wanted to get to Fremantle but there was a bit of anxious waiting in the background,” Gibbs says.
Eventually, Gibbs was exchanged for Fremantle forward Tahlia Read. The Dockers believe the tall utility can play across all three lines. First, Gibbs wants to prove herself to her new club, her new teammates and turn around a stop-start career.
“It’s been a long four seasons at Carlton,” she says.
“My goal is to push back into a senior side and be playing every week. It’s not going to be easy and I don’t want it to be easy. I want it to be hard work so I know I’m growing and developing.
“I want to improve my ability to read the game a bit quicker and where my role sits within the sport. I want to work on my inside skills as well. Things like handballs so I can stay involved in the game more.”
Gibbs has already had the chance to meet new coach Lisa Webb. The pair met for the first time since the trade during Fremantle’s round one AFL game against St Kilda and forged an instant connection.
“I can’t speak highly enough of her. She’s a great leader. She’s been real, honest and raw with who she is as a person but then it was straight down to business with where the football club is heading,” Gibbs says.
“For them to let me know I’ve been seen is huge for me.”
Nerves are punctuated by excitement. The next stage of her career begins now. But Gibbs couldn’t be happier with her decision.
“I see nothing but sunshine and new friends ahead but also working really hard to get back to playing senior football. I already feel like I’m part of the purple hearts family,” Gibbs says.

 

[DragoDelph]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02eTytUJ9jxe7RWE99cNUpbpk44Hz8fVw2hzWKQMbUa6ZWQD4dmD2N9RdYkJQNAwNDl&id=100090686768877&mibextid=5zvaxg

 

[DragoDelph]

 

[rgauci]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02eTytUJ9jxe7RWE99cNUpbpk44Hz8fVw2hzWKQMbUa6ZWQD4dmD2N9RdYkJQNAwNDl&id=100090686768877&mibextid=5zvaxg

 

[DragoDelph]

Yeah, didn’t embed.

Screenshots above

 

[Tonga Bob]

New season kicking off early September.

Confirmation of 2023 NAB AFLW Season start date

The AFL has announced the start weekend of 2023 NAB AFLW Season

www.fremantlefc.com.au

 

[footyknut]

So nothing about the number of games?

 

[ignoramus]

So nothing about the number of games?

“Season length and structure continue to be discussed as part of CBA negotiations. Planning is well underway and we are excited for the AFLW season ahead.” — Andrew Dillon

 

[Scham]

I saw Zipporah Fish play today, going to be a champion. We any chance of getting her?

 

[freo_leo29]

I saw Zipporah Fish play today, going to be a champion. We any chance of getting her?

Depends on how AFLW want to set up the draft, believe it should still be state drafts with an option for national by next season

if she nominates state then we either have the first or second pick (barring any concessions but WCE may be a chance to jump us this year)

 

[greatgatsby]

New Fremantle AFLW coach Lisa Webb weighs in on finals, game plan and CBA as new pre-season kicks off​

New Fremantle AFLW coach Lisa Webb has declared the Dockers are capable of returning to finals on day one of pre-season. ELIZA REILLY goes inside Freo’s return to training.

6 min read
May 30, 2023 - 2:00PM

New Fremantle coach Lisa Webb has her eyes on finals footy. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

New Fremantle AFLW coach Lisa Webb has wasted little time setting out her ambitions for 2023, declaring the Dockers are capable of returning to finals on day one of pre-season.
The Dockers were one of the biggest disappointments of last season, failing to make finals for the first time since 2019 while crippled by an injury-decimated list. It saw Trent Cooper make way as head coach, eventually replaced by former Fremantle player Webb after an extensive search.

The Dockers have been further hit this off-season by the retirement of former captain Kara Antonio and the loss of All-Australian defender Janelle Cuthbertson (Port Adelaide) and emerging forward Amy Franklin (West Coast) during the sign and trade period.
But the first-time senior coach believes Fremantle can return to finals this season.
“I definitely think so. There’s a lot of things we need to put in place and things we need to work through but I won’t put a cap on this group,” Webb told CODE when asked if finals were a possibility.
“They’re a fantastic, connected and passionate group. We’ve just got to get back to our process, what our roles are around the club and what we can do to put our best foot forward. Whatever else happens in that time will take care of itself. But they’re a great group and I’m really lucky to coach them.”

The Dockers won just three games last season. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Webb was impressed with how her group have been quick to respond to off-season change and move past instability.
“They’ve worked through it really well. They’ve been nothing but supportive since I got here,” she says. “They’ve embraced me with open arms and it’s been nothing but, ‘What do I need to do to be better?’ They’ve got a real growth mindset. That’s enough talking though, it’s time to get back on the track and do what they love.”

Day one of pre-season​

It was pre-season with a difference.
The Dockers officially returned to training on Monday night at Victor George Kailis Oval for the first session of the new Webb era.
Players began filtering into the club throughout the afternoon but the first official commitment was a player meeting just before 5pm. There Webb ran the list through an education block, introducing new drills, outlining expectations, showing footage from last season and highlighting areas for improvement.

Lisa Webb hits the training track for the first time as Fremantle coach. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

Then, it was time to hit the track at around 5.45pm.
“We want to be really clear with each drill we do with the girls having a purpose,” Webb says. “(For example) ‘The reason why we are doing this drill tonight is because this is an area of our game we want to improve on’. If I can be clear with the girls around that communication and messaging, it’s going to be easier for us out on the ground to attack each drill with a clear focus.”
On that, night one presented an early look at Fremantle’s contest focus. The Dockers spent a considerable chunk of the session refining their in-tight ball movement. That included work on ground balls, transition from the inside to the outside of the contest and switching from defence to attack.
Captain Hayley Miller was in the thick of the action despite suffering an off-season calf injury. The same setback saw the 27-year-old miss the entirety of Fremantle’s last pre-season. But Webb says another occurrence of the injury wasn’t a concern for the skipper.
Ebony Antonio is close to returning to full training after having off-season knee clean-out surgery. Madeleine Scanlon ran laps after suffering a thumb injury. Aine Tighe was on lighter duties, spending part of the session away from the group kicking on goal. While Serena Gibbs and Orlagh Lally remain in Melbourne and Ireland respectively but are expected to join the group in the coming weeks.

Fremantle captain Hayley Miller completed most of the session despite suffering an off-season calf injury. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

The session finished with a short conditioning block. Phil Seth, Airlie Runnalls and Kiara Bowers led the way. Runnalls in particular is says to have vastly improved her running capacity over the off-season.

The game plan​

Webb believes it’s time for Fremantle to take the next step with its game plan in a bid to compete with some of the more tactically evolved sides in the league.
The likes of inaugural AFLW outfits Adelaide and reigning premiers Melbourne have been able to implement advanced game plans as a result of retaining large portions of their playing lists across several seasons. Fremantle by comparison, despite being a formation club, was one of the younger teams in the competition last season. And several players on the Dockers list aren’t first-choice footballers, meaning Fremantle has previously stuck to a simpler game plan to help players get up to speed with Australian rules.
But according to Webb, that will soon change.
“I reckon the time is now, to be honest. We want to reset in a number of areas. It’s a great time for us to learn and grow,” she says. “I’ve put a bit of a mantra around it and embracing these challenges as a group but also embracing a will to want to learn.
“We’ve done a massive amount of work in the resourcing department and creating areas where girls can come at any time … whether it’s they want to have another look at the game plan or sit down with a coach. There’s a lot of ways we can upskill the players while they’re at the club but there’s also ways for them to grow when they’re not at the club as well and do work on their phones, which they’re on a fair bit, as an example.”

Fremantle’s playing group is notorious for returning to pre-season in excellent shape, allowing the Dockers to move into football earlier instead of spending time on conditioning. Webb says that trait will be crucial given her desire to build on the existing pillars of Fremantle’s game plan.
“There’s a really great program that’s been in place here and there’s some things that have been done really well. There’s just some things I’d like to tweak around how maybe we move the ball, some of the skill execution parts,” she says. “You have a look at particular areas where you sat in the game and what we can do better. It was almost good being an opposition coach last year and seeing areas where we could work through and potentially beat them. But there’s obviously massive strengths this team has as well.”
After taking the equal most amount of supplementary draft picks alongside Carlton, Webb also expects versatility from her somewhat new-look squad.
“I said to the players I want them to be really flexible and be able to play across a number of different positions,” she says. “You try and do that a lot but it’s one thing I’ve been pushing, that girls are across two positions and that involves upskilling and education. There will be some new faces across the forwards, mids and backs and that will help with any player movements we have across the season.”

CBA strain​

Pre-season started across the country for AFLW clubs sans a pay deal or season length.
The Players Association and AFL remain a fair way apart on negotiations as men’s and women’s players push for a joint agreement.
“We’re working through these challenges but we can only control what we can control at the moment. We’ve got enough to work through with a new game plan, new coach and new players,” Webb says.
While the season length remains a sticking point, with players eager to play more than 10 home and away games, Webb didn’t have a view on how many matches should make up the season.
“It’s one of those things I try not to concern myself with. That’s one I’ll leave to the pros,” she says.
While it’s hoped those details will be finalised before the season starts, the league is already moving towards greater professionalism. As part of a push towards full-time athletes, the Dockers will train during the day on Thursday, spending around six hours at the club from midday.

Fremantle hit the training track for day one of pre-season. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

As a former player herself and teammate of some remaining Dockers, Webb says she’s been forced to draw the line at times between coach and friend.
“It’s hard and at times it has been challenging. But I think they know how much regard I hold them in,” she says. “I respect and value the players we have. So when I do say something that might not necessarily be pleasant, they know it comes from a good place of me wanting them to improve and as a group, us wanting to be better.”

 

[Tonga Bob]

This is awful news.

AFLW: Mikayla Morrison update

Mikayla Morrison has been ruled out for the 2023 NAB AFL Women’s season

www.fremantlefc.com.au

 

[Purplrrr]

She must be shattered. Work so hard and then bam. And she was the player I was most excited about.

 

[apuchar]

Really disappointing

 

[freo_leo29]

*KKKKKK HOW UNLUCKY CAN YOU GET

AFLW robbed of a rising star of the comp

 

[poshman]

New Fremantle AFLW coach Lisa Webb weighs in on finals, game plan and CBA as new pre-season kicks off​

New Fremantle AFLW coach Lisa Webb has declared the Dockers are capable of returning to finals on day one of pre-season. ELIZA REILLY goes inside Freo’s return to training.

6 min read
May 30, 2023 - 2:00PM

New Fremantle coach Lisa Webb has her eyes on finals footy. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

New Fremantle AFLW coach Lisa Webb has wasted little time setting out her ambitions for 2023, declaring the Dockers are capable of returning to finals on day one of pre-season.
The Dockers were one of the biggest disappointments of last season, failing to make finals for the first time since 2019 while crippled by an injury-decimated list. It saw Trent Cooper make way as head coach, eventually replaced by former Fremantle player Webb after an extensive search.

The Dockers have been further hit this off-season by the retirement of former captain Kara Antonio and the loss of All-Australian defender Janelle Cuthbertson (Port Adelaide) and emerging forward Amy Franklin (West Coast) during the sign and trade period.
But the first-time senior coach believes Fremantle can return to finals this season.
“I definitely think so. There’s a lot of things we need to put in place and things we need to work through but I won’t put a cap on this group,” Webb told CODE when asked if finals were a possibility.
“They’re a fantastic, connected and passionate group. We’ve just got to get back to our process, what our roles are around the club and what we can do to put our best foot forward. Whatever else happens in that time will take care of itself. But they’re a great group and I’m really lucky to coach them.”

The Dockers won just three games last season. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Webb was impressed with how her group have been quick to respond to off-season change and move past instability.
“They’ve worked through it really well. They’ve been nothing but supportive since I got here,” she says. “They’ve embraced me with open arms and it’s been nothing but, ‘What do I need to do to be better?’ They’ve got a real growth mindset. That’s enough talking though, it’s time to get back on the track and do what they love.”

Day one of pre-season​

It was pre-season with a difference.
The Dockers officially returned to training on Monday night at Victor George Kailis Oval for the first session of the new Webb era.
Players began filtering into the club throughout the afternoon but the first official commitment was a player meeting just before 5pm. There Webb ran the list through an education block, introducing new drills, outlining expectations, showing footage from last season and highlighting areas for improvement.

Lisa Webb hits the training track for the first time as Fremantle coach. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

Then, it was time to hit the track at around 5.45pm.
“We want to be really clear with each drill we do with the girls having a purpose,” Webb says. “(For example) ‘The reason why we are doing this drill tonight is because this is an area of our game we want to improve on’. If I can be clear with the girls around that communication and messaging, it’s going to be easier for us out on the ground to attack each drill with a clear focus.”
On that, night one presented an early look at Fremantle’s contest focus. The Dockers spent a considerable chunk of the session refining their in-tight ball movement. That included work on ground balls, transition from the inside to the outside of the contest and switching from defence to attack.
Captain Hayley Miller was in the thick of the action despite suffering an off-season calf injury. The same setback saw the 27-year-old miss the entirety of Fremantle’s last pre-season. But Webb says another occurrence of the injury wasn’t a concern for the skipper.
Ebony Antonio is close to returning to full training after having off-season knee clean-out surgery. Madeleine Scanlon ran laps after suffering a thumb injury. Aine Tighe was on lighter duties, spending part of the session away from the group kicking on goal. While Serena Gibbs and Orlagh Lally remain in Melbourne and Ireland respectively but are expected to join the group in the coming weeks.

Fremantle captain Hayley Miller completed most of the session despite suffering an off-season calf injury. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

The session finished with a short conditioning block. Phil Seth, Airlie Runnalls and Kiara Bowers led the way. Runnalls in particular is says to have vastly improved her running capacity over the off-season.

The game plan​

Webb believes it’s time for Fremantle to take the next step with its game plan in a bid to compete with some of the more tactically evolved sides in the league.
The likes of inaugural AFLW outfits Adelaide and reigning premiers Melbourne have been able to implement advanced game plans as a result of retaining large portions of their playing lists across several seasons. Fremantle by comparison, despite being a formation club, was one of the younger teams in the competition last season. And several players on the Dockers list aren’t first-choice footballers, meaning Fremantle has previously stuck to a simpler game plan to help players get up to speed with Australian rules.
But according to Webb, that will soon change.
“I reckon the time is now, to be honest. We want to reset in a number of areas. It’s a great time for us to learn and grow,” she says. “I’ve put a bit of a mantra around it and embracing these challenges as a group but also embracing a will to want to learn.
“We’ve done a massive amount of work in the resourcing department and creating areas where girls can come at any time … whether it’s they want to have another look at the game plan or sit down with a coach. There’s a lot of ways we can upskill the players while they’re at the club but there’s also ways for them to grow when they’re not at the club as well and do work on their phones, which they’re on a fair bit, as an example.”

Fremantle’s playing group is notorious for returning to pre-season in excellent shape, allowing the Dockers to move into football earlier instead of spending time on conditioning. Webb says that trait will be crucial given her desire to build on the existing pillars of Fremantle’s game plan.
“There’s a really great program that’s been in place here and there’s some things that have been done really well. There’s just some things I’d like to tweak around how maybe we move the ball, some of the skill execution parts,” she says. “You have a look at particular areas where you sat in the game and what we can do better. It was almost good being an opposition coach last year and seeing areas where we could work through and potentially beat them. But there’s obviously massive strengths this team has as well.”
After taking the equal most amount of supplementary draft picks alongside Carlton, Webb also expects versatility from her somewhat new-look squad.
“I said to the players I want them to be really flexible and be able to play across a number of different positions,” she says. “You try and do that a lot but it’s one thing I’ve been pushing, that girls are across two positions and that involves upskilling and education. There will be some new faces across the forwards, mids and backs and that will help with any player movements we have across the season.”

CBA strain​

Pre-season started across the country for AFLW clubs sans a pay deal or season length.
The Players Association and AFL remain a fair way apart on negotiations as men’s and women’s players push for a joint agreement.
“We’re working through these challenges but we can only control what we can control at the moment. We’ve got enough to work through with a new game plan, new coach and new players,” Webb says.
While the season length remains a sticking point, with players eager to play more than 10 home and away games, Webb didn’t have a view on how many matches should make up the season.
“It’s one of those things I try not to concern myself with. That’s one I’ll leave to the pros,” she says.
While it’s hoped those details will be finalised before the season starts, the league is already moving towards greater professionalism. As part of a push towards full-time athletes, the Dockers will train during the day on Thursday, spending around six hours at the club from midday.

Fremantle hit the training track for day one of pre-season. Pic: Tom Fee/Fremantle FC

As a former player herself and teammate of some remaining Dockers, Webb says she’s been forced to draw the line at times between coach and friend.
“It’s hard and at times it has been challenging. But I think they know how much regard I hold them in,” she says. “I respect and value the players we have. So when I do say something that might not necessarily be pleasant, they know it comes from a good place of me wanting them to improve and as a group, us wanting to be better.”

Any news on what they are looking for from a pay perspective?

As to length of season, a ten game season is long enough given spread of talent and skills.

 

[freo_leo29]

Any news on what they are looking for from a pay perspective?

As to length of season, a ten game season is long enough given spread of talent and skills.

Ten game season is garbage

They need to expedite it to 17 games

The AFL is currently manipulating the draw to try and make the competition even but it doesn't work

Wth the AFL season, it's not equal either but atleast there are 22/23 games in a season so the best teams do usually end up on top

In the AFLW shorter seasons, you could realistically not play 5 of the bottom 10 all year AND there isn't the length of the season to fall back on that allows the best teams to gain enough wins for finals

 

[poshman]

Ten game season is garbage

They need to expedite it to 17 games

The AFL is currently manipulating the draw to try and make the competition even but it doesn't work

Wth the AFL season, it's not equal either but atleast there are 22/23 games in a season so the best teams do usually end up on top

In the AFLW shorter seasons, you could realistically not play 5 of the bottom 10 all year AND there isn't the length of the season to fall back on that allows the best teams to gain enough wins for finals

I agree it is garbage, I just think a 17 game season will be worse.

There will be more injuries and not enough depth to cover them. I think there will be less people interested with the longer season and it will run into the hotter months which will make it harder as the season extends.

I understand why the AFL increased the amount of teams. Wish they had limited it to ten. At least until the league was ten years old.

 

[freo_leo29]

I agree it is garbage, I just think a 17 game season will be worse.

There will be more injuries and not enough depth to cover them. I think there will be less people interested with the longer season and it will run into the hotter months which will make it harder as the season extends.

I understand why the AFL increased the amount of teams. Wish they had limited it to ten. At least until the league was ten years old.

I do agree with some of your points but I reckon the fixture is a worse compromise, when Freo dropped 2 games they should have won early last season, we knew the year was over as we had mostly top teams left


It sucked watching teams we were better than making finals and winning games against easier Oppo


What really stung was when they ****ed us over for the draft too, finally get a good pick and it's a heavily compromised draft lol

 

[poshman]

I do agree with some of your points but I reckon the fixture is a worse compromise, when Freo dropped 2 games they should have won early last season, we knew the year was over as we had mostly top teams left


It sucked watching teams we were better than making finals and winning games against easier Oppo


What really stung was when they ****ed us over for the draft too, finally get a good pick and it's a heavily compromised draft lol

No Easy fix - in this regard I am not sure whether they can afford not to extend it. I still think they put themselves in a crap position and thinkthe game will be harmed by such a large extension.

I would be interested to see what they are trying to negotiate financially. The women's game is a long way from being financially viable.

 

[DragoDelph]

 

[nurries]

Josh Corbett getting some of his salary paid as a part time AFLW coach?

 

[DragoDelph]

Josh Corbett getting some of his salary paid as a part time AFLW coach?

Or a way to have a coach outside of the soft cap…

 

[arsesmart]

Bloody Knees

 

[rgauci]

Geez not looking forward to this season. Our list has been gutted the last 2-3 off seasons. Hopefully Webb is some sort of genius, and can make do with the players we have. Mind you, it’s possible Cooper was holding them back. We did play a very hard running, combative style that would get killed by the better teams. Looked like old school Ross ball without any finesse.