The 10th AFLW season will be a milestone year in more ways than one.

When Ash Centra and Havana Harris take to the field tonight in the two opening matches, the first and second draft picks will show why all the hard work to grow female footy is paying off.

They are leading a crop of young players who have benefited from the AFL’s grassroots investment to nurture girls from Auskick all the way to AFLW stardom.

Channel Seven expert commentator and Talking W co-host Kate McCarthy believes 2025 will be a watershed season for the competition.

“I’m really excited about these girls that are coming through. And that’s not to take anything away from the current superstars that we have, but just to see the girls that have now come through, sort of the second or third year that we’ve got draftees that have played football their entire life. I think the benefit of that is going to be huge,” she said.

Centra has the hopes of one of the AFL’s biggest clubs riding on her shoulders to pull their AFLW team out of the doldrums, but McCarthy says she has what it takes.

“From what I’ve heard from people at the club, it’s her ability to just make the very difficult look very easy, whether it’s through a contest or choosing the best option with the footy or even executing the skills,” she said.

“I think she’s someone that is extremely classy with football in hand. I think that’s something that I’m super excited about seeing.

“Collingwood would probably say themselves they haven’t had the most successful AFLW program in the past, and that’s something that they’re very intent on building.

“We know what it’s like in men’s footy as well, when the powerhouse clubs are playing good footy, that makes the competition even better.

“Having a successful Collingwood would mean a lot of support for the AFLW.”

The first match of 2025 will be a repeat of the inaugural AFLW match between Collingwood and Carlton at Ikon Park in 2017 – which was an historic sellout.

“I like that we are going back to Ikon Park. I think it’s really cool to honour that part of our tradition, because we get to kind of make our own traditions in the AFLW, and they’ll naturally evolve. So, in order to have them, you have to respect them,” McCarthy said.

“I think it’ll be a pretty close match. Collingwood are without a couple of their bigger name players, with Brianna Davey and Sarah Rowe out injured. Carlton have some really good youngsters coming through. Abbie McKay, their new captain, will be looking to make an impact from the first round. They got Tara Bohanna over from the Gold Coast, who you think would go pretty well hitting the scoreboard in the first round.”

In tonight’s second match in Perth, the Eagles will be hard-pressed trying to stop Harris when they host the Suns.

“She’ll play through the ruck and in the forward line. From all reports, she is ready to explode onto the stage. West Coast will have their job cut out if their mids aren’t getting the job done. And if they’re in genuine one-on-ones, it’s going to be pretty hard for them to stop her.”

Reigning premiers North Melbourne start their campaign against Geelong on Saturday and start the season as raging favourites to go back-to-back.

“You can’t really go past the reigning premiers, who didn’t lose a game last year,” McCarthy said.

“They’ve only sort of increased their stocks by getting Eli Sheeran across from the Tigers, one of their best players last year, which will give them more run and dash.”

Runners-up Brisbane and three-time champions Adelaide will again be North’s fiercest rivals, but two teams yet to play in a grand final could be dark horses this year.

“Two others that are sort of on the cusp would be Melbourne and Fremantle. Melbourne looked really good in their practice matches, I think they just sort of fly under the radar a little bit from where they were last year,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said she and Talking W co-host Riley Beveridge will be looking to up the ante to make the analysis of the AFLW more dynamic and sometimes controversial like their stablemates on The Agenda Setters.

“I think there will be some back and forth for sure, which will be healthy. Because I think that’s something that’s probably missing from the women’s game, is that debate on what it should be looking like, or what players should be doing, or what they shouldn’t be doing, which I think is great,” she said.

The AFLW has had to fight to justify its existence for a decade, and McCarthy said to those who keep wanting the league to mirror the AFL they needed a reality check.

“This is our 10th season, but when you compare that to the length of time that men’s football has been going on, there’s absolutely no need to draw comparisons between the two,” she said.

“And if you’re watching women’s football expecting to see men’s football, well you’re probably not watching the right thing, because it’s not going to ever look like men’s football, because we’re women playing football, and it’s different.”

“All you have to do is look at the growth in participation from both young boys and young girls since the inception of the AFLW.

“I have a nephew that’s four and a half, and in his eyes, there’s no difference between men and women playing football, and that’s a beautiful thing.

“I think that’s something that will continue to just be normal in our game, which we need to get to.

“Be critical of it, but be critical of it in a way that is coming from a place that wants to grow the game, not sort of tear it down.”

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