Round 1 WAFLW Preview v Peel Thunder

The 2023 WAFLW season for Swan Districts begins this Saturday evening in Mandurah up against Peel Thunder in a resumption of what could well be the strongest rivalry so far in the formative years of the competition.

The 2023 WAFLW season begins this weekend and for Swan Districts that means a trip to Lane Group Stadium in Mandurah to take on Peel Thunder.

The action gets underway with the Rogers Cup match up which bounces down at 3.30pm before the WAFLW contest begins at 5.30pm.

It's a fitting way to open the new season for Swan Districts to take on Peel Thunder with the two clubs having developed quite the rivalry already in the early years of the WAFLW competition.

You can go back to the Grand Final of 2021 where Peel Thunder pulled off the upset win against a Swan Districts team who had been the standout team in the competition right throughout the season.

The rivalry continued last year with Swans ending the quest for a premiership hat-trick of the Thunder with the black-and-whites winning the first semi-final to reach the preliminary final before losing to eventual premiers Claremont.

Both teams are now coming into the 2023 WAFLW season looking to remain in the premiership hunt and getting off to a strong start on Saturday evening in Mandurah will be just the boost they are hoping for.

On the back of being the standout team of 2021 before losing heartbreakingly in the Grand Final to Peel Thunder, Swan Districts were again around the mark in 2022 and reached the preliminary final before just falling short of Claremont.

There have been significant changes on the personnel front at Steel Blue Oval coming into 2023 as they look to put themselves back in the premiership hunt.

There are the arrivals at Swan Districts of Daisy Rigby, Indiana West, Brooke Edwards, Jasmine Ware, Lauren Quaiffe and Meg Clayton. Some quality and experienced players have also moved on including Lauren Osborne, Ashley Sharp, Emily McGuire, Amy Ralph and Melisha Hardy.

With Adam Dancey remaining in charge as coach, he'll be looking to take Swans to that elusive first WAFLW premiership.

"We underperformed last year and when it came down to it, we were outplayed in the second half of the preliminary final in a game we always believed we could win," Dancey said.

"It’s been energetic the preparation for this season and we have a lot of new players so the energy has increased which makes the environment more fun.

"Minor tweaks have been made during pre-season but it’s been pretty similar to previous years. On game day this year our focus will be on making the most of our opportunities when we have the ball and connecting better in the forward half of the ground."

Jess Cox is entering her second season as WAFLW captain at Swan Districts and is setting high hopes of what the team can achieve in 2023 starting on Saturday night.

"I believe we’re improving as a team. We have a young side this year with different strengths, but our ambition is to win the premiership and we’re not afraid to declare that.

"The game evolves every year and player movement changes a lot of aspects within clubs, so you just never know where each team is at. You have to back yourself in at all times I think.

"The biggest strength of the squad is our character. We have a lot of belief in each other and a natural connection and this will be our best asset on and off the field."