The AFLW heads back to Darwin next Saturday when the Adelaide Crows take on Fremantle in a trial match.
The Crows will play the Dockers at 8pm on Saturday 19 January at TIO Stadium after a full day of Round 14 TIO NTFL action.
The practice game, which has become a yearly highlight since the inaugural AFLW season in 2017, will be a good indicator of things to come, as the two teams will meet again in Darwin for Round 4 of the 2019 NAB AFLW season.
In good news for fans, there will be free entry to TIO Stadium from 6pm next Saturday with both main entry gates (Bonson and Ah Mat) also operating from 6pm.
Fans living in South Australia, Western Australia or anywhere else in the world will also be able to follow along with AFLNT once again broadcasting the game live on its YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/AFLNorthernTerritory
The practice match comes in the middle of the Crows annual visit to Darwin for their pre-season camp, with all players, coaches and key staff expected to make the trip to the Top End.
AFLNT CEO Stuart Totham said the start of the AFLW action was an exciting time of year.
“We look forward to this match, and so too do our local AFLW players like Jas Hewett and Danielle Ponter, because we get the opportunity to soak it up and get ready for the start of the season.
“It’s also beneficial for our aspiring youngsters, the players in our Thunder VFL W program and for fans, who get great access to two elite teams. We have the Northern Territory Government to thank for its continued affiliation and backing of the Crows women’s team, and thus allowing these opportunities,” he said.
Totham said he also appreciated the assistance of the NTFL clubs in helping shuffle games in Round 14.
“When we put out the NTFL fixture the date and time of the AFLW game wasn’t yet set, so we’ve been pleased with the response by the clubs to help facilitate and support the game.
“There haven't been too many changes; namely Palmerston’s games have moved to their home venue with a full day of action lined up. And we swapped the Women’s Premier League game with a Men’s Div 2 game on TIO Oval 2 to allow the St Mary’s and Wanderers players to get along and support their former teammates and friends,” he said.
The full fixture (as of Friday 11 January) for Round 14 of the TIO NTFL season can be downloaded here.