SYDNEY was the surprise packet of the AFLW in 2023, but the Swans face a huge challenge to repeat their success of last year.
After failing to win a game in its inaugural season, Scott Gowans' side saw a significant uptick in progression last year, making finals for the first time.
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The Swans had a win-loss record of 6-4 at the end of the home and away season and won their first ever final, downing Gold Coast by 17 points before ultimately coming unstuck against a well-rounded Adelaide outfit in a semi-final.
No one was expecting the Swans to go as well as they did in 2023, at least externally anyway.
But now there are expectations.
The Swans were able to harness their momentum last year in a scintillating season, but can they maintain their upwards trajectory and back it up?
Gowans says his side is as hungry as ever to taste success.
"I love the saying that hungry dogs run faster. It's a really good saying and I can tell that we're hungry," he told AFL.com.au in an exclusive interview earlier this pre-season.
"I think the expectation will wash over us a little bit, because we're so young, and with being young, it still has that little bit of naivety to it. They're really focused on listening and wanting to be educated on not just how they go on-field, but how the mindset and philosophy stuff goes as well."
AFL.com.au has taken a closer look as to whether or not the Swans can continue their progression in 2024.
The fixture
As a result of last season's barnstorming run, the Swans have copped a far more difficult fixture for 2024.
The Swans' run home is about as hard as it can get.
In the final six weeks, they take on Essendon and the Suns, who both made finals last year, plus Geelong, which was knocked out in the preliminary final, as well as both grand finalists in North Melbourne and Brisbane.
So, they must have an easy start to the year, right?
Not by any means. In the first month of the season, the Swans take on Collingwood and Richmond who are looking to bounce back into the finals after down 2023 seasons and St Kilda, which only missed out on the finals action last year by percentage.
"There's no gimme wins," AFL.com.au reporter Sarah Black said on the Credit to the Girls podcast.
The Swans will have to ensure they're at their best for the entirety of the AFLW season this year if they're to feature in the finals once more.
Breakout bonanza looms
The Swans have one of the most exciting lists in the competition and with that comes some promising youth who are ready to take the next step.
Young ruck Ally Morphett had a breakout 2023 campaign which culminated in her first All-Australian blazer. Her season was so outstanding she still received that honour, despite having her year end after their round seven clash against Hawthorn where she suffered a fractured scaphoid.
Morphett averaged the most disposals (17.2), clearances (5.1) and hitouts (29.3) of any ruck last campaign. She regularly gave her midfielders first use and was a strong presence around the ground.
It's Montana Ham's time in 2024.
The former Western Jets star has had a disrupted AFLW career to date, having juggled year 12 in Melbourne during her first season on the big stage and injury in her second year. Now she's ready to put her name up in lights as one of the AFLW's hottest prospects.
"She has the potential to surge into the top five players in the competition,” AFL.com.au's Gemma Bastiani told Credit to the Girls.
The former No.1 draft pick could be anything. She combines sheer strength and power with an elite overhead marking ability. Ham is a beast at the coalface and is more than capable as a forward as well.
Fellow midfielder Sofia Hurley is right on the cusp of entering the game's elite as well and is going to be a star of the competition for the next decade.
The former Sandringham Dragon has been forced to bide her time out on a wing at different stages during her AFLW career, but the star youngster is in line for added inside midfield minutes this campaign.
Hurley has an elite endurance base and is as good a two-way worker as you'll find. Hurley averaged 14.8 disposals and 7.5 tackles last season but look for her to improve that drastically in 2024.
The stars
Sydney co-captain Chloe Molloy is one of the biggest and brightest stars in the League.
The former Pie made waves when she crossed the border to join the Swans at the start of last year and what a masterstroke that proved to be by Gowans and his recruiting team. Molloy had an instant impact, winning the club's leading goalkicker award and adding a third All-Australian to her cabinet.
The Swans jet finished second in the club's best and fairest having averaged 16.5 disposals, 4.3 tackles, 3.2 marks and 2.9 clearances a game. She booted 18 goals throughout the campaign (ranked eighth competition wide) but most importantly, she made her teammates stand taller around her. Alongside veteran Bec Privitelli, the Swans had a dynamic duo causing havoc inside forward 50.
Molloy's partner in crime, Lucy McEvoy, also had a profound impact on the side as co-captain. Like Molloy, McEvoy also made the move north, having already played 33 games for Carlton. McEvoy has provided plenty of stability down back and is a calming influence on what is one of the youngest sides in the competition.
Then there's breakout star Laura Gardiner.
The ex-Cat took the AFLW world by storm last season, flourishing with the added responsibility and opportunity in the red and white.
Gardiner ranked second in the entire competition for average disposals (29.1) and was in the top 15 for both inside 50s (3.8) and clearances (4.5).
Gardiner arrived at the Swans in exchange for picks 1 and 27 in the season eight supplementary draft. That's an incredible return for a player who they got for absolute peanuts.
Her season was so impressive she won the Swans' best-and-fairest award and polled second in the AFLCA AFLW Champion Player of the Year.
This trio of superstars, alongside their dynamic young duo of Ham and Hurley, are set to be at the forefront of Sydney's charge in 2024.
Can they maintain the rage or was 2023 simply a fluke? Only time will tell.
