There will be plenty to play for on this weekend when the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos run onto Casey Fields to face Melbourne.

Months of preparations will be put to an early test, as the Roos face Melbourne, their first official practice match ahead of the inaugural AFLW campaign.

With just shy of three weeks until the first bounce of the 2019 season, there’s plenty to prove.

“Obviously the core of the group is there, but there’s four of five spots up for grabs,” AFLW Senior Coach Scott Gowans told North Media.

“If you asked the other coaches to give their best 21, the last four or five positions would all be different, which is great.

“It’s a hard decision, but it’s exciting. There’s still a lot of testing at this stage.”

Since returning for training in the new year, Gowans has signalled the importance of a consistent approach to the Roos’ preparation.

“It’s all about the process,” he continued.

“We’ve tried to emphasise that for each training session. Since they’ve been back, it’s been good. It’s now a chance to put what we’ve been working on against opposition.

“In this case, it’s not about winning and losing. It’s about keeping it focused on the process and putting the learnings into practice.”

Despite the limited time that the entire squad has been together, including the Tasmania-based contingent, Gowans is excited by the group’s progress.

“From a training perspective, I think we’d have a bit more cohesion,” he added.

“Having said that, I think what it does do is give the coaches up here a chance to focus on 22 girls, so that they all get a little one-on-one time.

“As an ideal situation, you’d probably like the group together, but we’re going with what we’ve got and we’re pleasantly surprised every time we go down there, especially with how far they’ve advanced individually.

“It’s now a matter of getting the group of 30 players to play together, cohesively.”


What: AFLW practice match v Melbourne
When: Saturday, January 19, 10.00am
Where: Casey Fields, Casey