View source for AFLW Players Bracing For COVID Chaos

<br>'Dodging COVID' will be the theme of the 2022 AFLW season as clubs prepare to lose up to half of their playing squad on any given day.<br> <br>Brisbane's bid to defend their flag will be put to the test against the talent-laden squads of Fremantle, North Melbourne, Melbourne, Brisbane, Collingwood, and Adelaide.<br> <br>But luck is set to play a huge part in this year's premiership race, with teams bracing themselves to be ravaged by COVID-19 setbacks.<br> <br>Under the AFLW's rules,  [https://tacticalartofcombat.com/ tacticalartofcombat.com] games will continue to be played if 16 of each club's 30 primary-listed players plus five train-on players are available for  [https://doctormanju.com/ https://doctormanju.com/] selection.<br> <br>If the minimum 21 players aren't available, AFLW officials will seek to reschedule the game for another time in that round or later in the season.<br> <br>It means the teams who can avoid COVID cases the best are likely to flourish against their virus-hit counterparts.<br> <br>"It comes down to the team that can best field a team and [https://sixnationsupdates.com/ Keep Reading] everyone fit and healthy and out of positive cases and close contacts," Lions skipper Breanna Koenen told AAP.<br> <br>"It will be the team who can roll with it the best that will come out on top at the end of the year.<br> <br>"It's pretty stressful and everybody is a little bit anxious at the moment, but we're doing everything we can to stay fit and healthy and  [https://rockonmp3.com/ capsa online] stay isolated as much as we can.<br> <br>"But we all work, we all have jobs. You can only control what you can control."<br> <br>Koenen said she was doing everything possible to steer clear of COVID-19.<br> <br>"I'm a hermit at the moment, just sticking to myself and my family and my friends and people who I know who are doing the right thing," she said.<br> <br>"But I'm a physio, so I see multiple people all day every day, and I have no idea what they've been doing. It's going to be difficult."<br> <br>The Lions upset the Crows by 18 points at Adelaide Oval in last year's grand final to snare their maiden flag.<br> <br>Koenen, who took over as captain from the retired Emma Zielke, is confident the Lions won't suffer from a premiership hangover.<br> <br>"The girls are hungrier than ever," she said.<br> <br>"They're wanting to improve. I've been really impressed with the work everyone has put in.<br> <br>"I think everyone is fitter, faster, stronger, and more determined.<br><br>Hopefully that translates onto the field."<br> <br>One of the big player moves during the off-season was Tayla Harris' switch from Carlton to Melbourne.<br> <br>Harris booted just four goals from eight games last season, but is desperate to regain the form that saw her named in the 2017 and 2018 All-Australian sides.<br> <br>The 2022 season will feature 10 rounds before finals, up from nine rounds last year.<br> <br>The vast majority of AFLW players are desperate for a fuller schedule in future years in which they play each team at least once.<br> <br>The 14-team competition will expand to a full 18 teams from 2023 in a move that will initially stretch the talent pool before bearing fruit in years to come.<br>