AFLW: Fremantle confident of meeting August start date and captain Hayley Miller believes it’s Dockers’ turn

Fremantle are confident their players will be ready to embark on another AFLW season in August as collective bargaining agreement negotiations drag on. AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said an agreement would be struck this week and an August start date was all but confirmed. But players continue to push for adequate terms considering the AFL Players’ Association wants the current deal to serve as a stepping stone to a full-time competition by 2026. Dockers coach Trent Cooper said the club would be prepared to play whenever the next season started. “They’ll do whatever is asked as they always do. We’re planning for that August start,” he said at the club’s awards night on Saturday. “As a coaching group and high performance group, we’re lucky that our girls are super motivated and look after themselves. “We don’t need the girls together and training to get them to their best physically. We’ll make adjustments to our pre-season training program to make sure we’re at our best at the end of the season.” Captain Hayley Miller said there was anxiety among the AFLW playing cohort with key dates still not finalised. “It’s tough. Our season is hanging in the balance. There’s a lot of uncertainty,” she said. But Miller, who was crowned Fremantle’s fairest and best, is also eager for the chance to go one better after the Dockers were defeated in a preliminary final by eventual premiers Adelaide. “I’m pretty sick of building now. I just want to get out there and get the job done. We’ve unfortunately fallen short a few times now and it’s about time it’s our turn,” she said. Cooper added: “We’ll be really disappointed if we’re not up and challenging and I know there’s a big drive within the group to go further than what we did this year.” Winger Ebony Antonio has re-signed with Fremantle for another two seasons. The 30-year-old finished runner-up in the fairest and best and will finish her career at the Dockers after being linked to expansion clubs. “I’ve been here since year one. It’s exciting I’ve signed on for a couple of years,” she said. “I’ve been a part of the club, been a supporter of the club for such a long time and I’m thoroughly relieved it’s all been put behind me and I’ll be a Docker for life.” Her wife and former captain Kara is still weighing up her options.