MELBOURNE'S 2024 AFLW pre-season officially kicked off last week, with the Dees getting stuck into preparation for the ninth season of the competition. 

The Dees will spend the next three months working on their skills, connection and game plan focuses. 

Take a look behind the scenes of a day at Casey Fields, as we follow the team for a full pre-season session...

9:15AM | Arrive at Casey Fields 

10AM | Pre-training skills 

Shae Sloane runs a pre-training skills session in the Thurin High Performance Centre prior to hitting the track. The session gives players an opportunity to work on fundamental skills such as handballing, kicking and footwork. 

10:30AM | Team meeting 

Prior to getting started on the track, the team comes together to go through the schedule, focus areas and key learnings for the day. 

10:45AM | Prep

To get the team prepped for hitting the training track, the players complete activations and mobility in the gym that help with injury prevention and readiness for high-intensity work on the ground. 

11:10AM | Conditioning 

To get started on-ground, the team completes conditioning to get them game-fit for the 2024 season. Pre-season schedules often include high levels of conditioning to help players with the transition into match fitness. 

11:25AM | Training 

Training can vary from 90 minutes to a two-hour block of work on the track with varying focuses. Throughout pre-season, the team will work on skills, individual craft, team connection and game plan execution. 

1PM | Lunch 

1:50PM | Strength 

The team completes a session in the gym following lunch that focuses on building and strengthening muscles. In addition to this conditioning, the strength session also assists with injury prevention. 

2:30PM | Education

Education is an important part of pre-season as it focuses on players honing their understanding of the game plan and their individual roles within the team. 

3:20PM | Recovery 

To finish the day, players can spend their allotted recovery time completing varying activities including sauna, contrast baths (hot and cold), pool time, stretching and massage.