Holding two AFLW seasons in one year was always going to be messy.
When season six ended with the sealing of an Adelaide Crows dynasty in April this year, rumours were already swirling that the following season would be pulled forward, beginning just a few months later.
After years of holding AFLW in the sweltering heat of the Australian summer — in search of somewhat-mythical "clean air" in the sporting calendar — headquarters, and many of the playing cohort, were keen to try something new.
