Hayley Miller and her teammates are eager to prove that Season 7 was an aberration with a return to finals in 2023.
The Fremantle captain said she and the group were embracing the high expectations that come with being a historically strong team in the AFLW, making four straight finals series between 2019 and the first season of 2022.
Freo are four weeks away from a round one RAC Derby at Fremantle Oval on Sunday 3 September.
Their pre-season preparations will ramp up again this Saturday with a scratch match, also against the Eagles.
“We're looking to return to form,” Miller said.
“We had pretty disappointing season last season and it's not the way that anyone in the Club or team wanted it to go.
“We're certainly looking to return to finals this year.
“I don't think it adds any extra pressure, the girls put enough pressure on themselves to perform day to day.
“We're looking to improve on last season and take a few steps forward.”
She is hopeful a new gameplan under Senior Coach Lisa Webb will play a significant part in seeing the team return to playing their best football.
“Lisa brings a great connection piece. She was a player with a few of us back in the day (then) she was an assistant coach,” Miller said.
“She's built a lot of relationships over that time. She's put the onus on us to learn the game plan and I think the girls have really taken that on and are taking the time to educate themselves.
“It'll be a fast game plan, we’re not the tallest team so we look to find other ways to move the ball in terms of playing to our strengths.
“Lisa has been great in instilling confidence in individuals to play their role and if we can all play our role within the team, you're going a long way to winning games off the back of that.”
Miller said Fremantle were fortunate to have a relatively healthy list and hopes they can capitalise on their fitness when the season commences.
“Really the only season that we (disappointed in) was last season and there were a few reasons for that in terms of injuries and whatnot,” Miller said.
“If you can keep a healthy list, that's the first step to having a lot of success. Our S&C (strength and conditioning) department has done a fantastic job in preparing us for this season.”
