Captain Cox 'wildly optimistic' over Swans WAFLW prospects

New Swan Districts WAFLW captain Jess Cox is 'wildly optimistic' over what the black-and-whites can achieve in 2022, but at the same time she's humbled and honoured to have been voted to lead the group.

Swan Districts is coming off reaching the WAFLW Grand Final in 2021 so expectations are high of another impressive season in 2022 at Steel Blue Oval, and Cox isn’t shying away from that in her first season as captain.

Cox is still yet to even turn 21 years of age, but on the back of sharing the McSherry Medal with Dana East last season as Swan Districts fairest and best, she was voted in as captain this season.

She will be joined in the leadership group by Ashley Sharp, Jaime Henry, Amber Ugle-Hayward, Lauren Osborne and Naomi Baker. While honoured and humbled by being voted for, she's looking forward to embracing the role.

"Being voted in by your peers is a huge respect shown from them and I'm obviously incredibly humbled and honoured to get the opportunity," Cox said.

"I was definitely a bit surprised and I wasn’t expecting it in the fact that I think there are so many great other options in our team.

"If you look at our leadership group and the quality of the people there, honestly anyone could have done the role. So I was quite surprised when the votes came back but stoked at the same time."

The 2022 season for Swan Districts begins this Sunday against Claremont at Revo Fitness Stadium. While the season has crept up, Cox can't help but be excited about what Swans might be able to achieve in 2022.

"It definitely has crept up on us a bit earlier than you are expecting and already the season is here now. It doesn’t quite feel like Round 1 already but I definitely think after the jumper presentation night we'll start getting a little bit excited for the season to start. We can't wait," she said.

"There's really some exciting talent coming through the doors in our team and we've got a great coaching panel and staff, and support team behind us.

"We're all really excited for the season ahead and I think the main thing really as a group is that we are wildly optimistic about what we can create. We're excited now for Round 1 to get it all started."

Cox doesn’t think she needs to do too much different despite now being captain either. She knows she was voted into the role because of what she's been doing, so she just wants to keep that rolling and that includes not thinking too much about what she'll say in pre-match speeches.

"Honestly it hasn’t really crossed my mind just yet what I'm going to say. I think I'll just go with whatever comes to mind at the time and just let it be natural I guess," Cox said.

"I definitely think that from the start you are voted in by your peers because of the person you are so it's important you keep being that same person. There's no point in me trying to change now just because I'm captain, I just have to stay grounded and stick to my morals and ethics.

"If I do that then I can just keep being myself and it's all about the footy and forging my own leadership path, and keeping on growing along the way. The main thing is just keeping on being yourself."

Cox, like most players in the WAFLW competition, has her sights on getting a crack in AFLW at some point of her career, and the captaincy will certainly help put her name up in lights a bit more.

But really, she just wants to do what she can to help the team on the field and help all her teammates reach their potential.

"I think it's another avenue for me and another aspect that I can put in my belt to show those leadership qualities," she said.

"It will definitely help me grow as a person even more and I also want to support the other girls at our club as well so we can all bring out the best in each other, and empower other players. I think it's going to evolve not only my game but others as well as a team and a club as a whole."

Cox grew up in the small Wheatbelt town of Kellerberrin, with a population of under 1000 people. That will always be home but she's loving life in Bassendean and at Swan Districts now, and always knows her family will be watching either in person or via the live stream.

"I think over the last few years and right from the start I always missed home, but I came here when I was 16 and you keep growing with the people around you. It definitely does become your family and another home away from home I guess," Cox said.

"It's definitely hard for my folks to get down too often because they are back home on the farm, but when they can they definitely try to get here. If not, at least they can watch on the live stream and giving me a call after so it's great to know I've always got their support.

"It's awesome to have that option especially when you're from a small country town. A lot of people back home in Kellerberrin definitely jump on the live stream so it's great that it exists."

It's going to be a hot start to the season in more ways than one for Cox and Swan Districts with things getting underway in the summer heat, but she is confident that won't be an issue and is looking forward now to Sunday.

"The heat definitely hits you a lot harder than you expect when you are out there in the middle of a game, but we've had a few scratch matches in the pre-season so I think we're definitely prepared and aware of that too so we'll be ready to deal with it the best we can," Cox said.

"I think we just need to do what we've been practicing over the pre-season. It will be good to see a lot of the girls in action and watching them grow, and seeing what we can create as a Swan Districts women's side. It will be good to just play some footy, that's the main thing."