VFLW Head Coach/AFLW Assistant Coach Aasta O’Connor looks back on the 2025 VFLW season while looking ahead to the upcoming 2025 AFLW season.
Here’s what she had to say:
Wrapping up VFLW round 14:
“I was really proud of our players and how they were able to compete throughout the game, Box Hill are a very good team and they will make finals deservingly so.
“Last game of the year and that kind of thing I think they were really dialled into the contest and our leaders led really strongly throughout the week to set our players up with the right mindset.”
On Scout Howden kicking her first VFLW goal after a near season ending injury:
“Yeah opening goal for us, happy for Scouty. She's such a good person to have in and around your football program and unlucky with injury and it cost her 12 games of VFLW.”
“Her development in a way has been halted on field but off field the way that she continued to seek learning and improvements has been really impressive.
“Really happy for her and she's apart of our AFLW train on group too, so she will continue to learn and have that exposure at that level.”
On Charlotte Brewers performance in her Carlton debut:
“Strong and that's not easy to step into a program or AFLW injury replacement but she’s certainly the right character type for it.
“Such a great runner, really opens up the ground with her running power and she's learning the system and I think that she will be better having played on Friday night with the group.
“As a coach you sort of say to her lets adjust this or ask her, she's always open to feedback and wants to learn and improve, so the right type of person to have in our program
“It's more about her coming in and learning.It's not about putting pressure on a person who's come in with two weeks to learn, I don’t think that's really fair so it's about her being able to absorb as much knowledge as possible around our system and her endearing herself to our teammates which i’m pretty confident, she’s already got a nickname so she well and truly in.”
Newest Irish recruits Siofra O’Connell and Aisling Reidy developments:
“So I can probably speak to Ash as she's a part of the midfield group in AFLW, playing that wing type role for her running power again, she's taller than you think as well.
“Big focus on their fundamentals coming from another sport, Siofra holding down that key position defensive post for us and working closely with Glenn as the backline coach to unpack and review that.
“They're definitely headed in the right direction and taking good steps forward.”
Overall AFLW development:
“When we look across the game and the mechanism of VFLW or that state league program really should be a sort of a space for your AFLW or AFL players to come in and learn their craft and get really confident before you then expose them at a senior level.
“Im pretty strong on my belief, it's a space for them to learn and almost like a feeder pool really is what it should be before they jump into the big pool, so for people like Meg and Yas Duursma, the confidence she got out of playing a handful of games at VFLW level and watching her execute at AFL level now has just been so impressive.
“Keely Skepper is probably a little bit the same, she had that shot from the boundary against Collingwood at Vic Park and nailed it and she had the same on the weekend against GWS at AFLW level and nailed it.
“So the proof is there that with the right development, the right sort of patience and the right teaching that the VFLW is really important for that.”
Final preparations coming into round one:
“At the moment we're sort of winding up our VFLW exits that kind of thing so certainly that happening in the background but yes its round one and its important but it's not your grand final and we've been prepping all off season and pre season to have sustainable success and we will have ups and downs throughout the year its how we respond to those.
“As a person who came to the first ever game here as a spectator and supporter im as much as fan of AFLW as the next person so to still be part of it 10 years on and to see people come along to the Collingwood Carlton rivalry is pretty cool and I really think that people like Moods and Darc and Gab and those that were here for the very first game as players, it's a really special thing for them and that sentiment around it is really quite nice.”
On the AFLW squads attitudes for the 2025 season:
“They are just really determined, they care so much about their team mates and thats why they've been voted into those positions. I think Abs and Mim and I could coach them in the midfield group and just how dedicated they are to those around them and helping them improve, but they do that through role execution, understanding what they need to do on game day, and what's required at training and how to be a high performing athlete so they live our values, that's for sure.
“I’m sure they're probably a bit nervous as well but the last couple of practice matches we've seen them just be able to go out and execute their role which is what we expect of everyone and then as leaders just supporting those around them which I think they do so well.”
On the review of the Sydney practice match:
“It was a bit of a slog and the game opened up late but I was really proud of our midfield group and how they were able to execute the plan.
“Our groundball work was you know in testing conditions was really strong and then that offensive look we get from that.
“They’re really clear on what they need to go out and do and I'm really proud of them for how they were able to do that up in Sydney in really trying conditions.”
