The Tamworth Swans will have a handy inclusion this week when they play a grand final rematch against the Gunnedah Bulldogs.
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"I've got a few out but Billie Mitchell is back this week," Swans women's coach Andrew Donohue said.
Donohue was thrilled to have the reigning AFL North West women's best and fairest player back, even though it was only temporary.
"She's back for a little bit. We cleared her back this weekend and then she'll play another two weekends," Donohue said of Mitchell who has moved to Newcastle.
"Her voice and the structure she provides is going to add to the versatility of the side."
The match on Saturday at No. 1 Oval will provide a special moment for Mitchell as well.
"Ella [Mitchell] is playing too. The sisters get to play together," Donohue said.
Donohue missed the first two rounds of the season but was back on deck for the local derby against the Kangaroos last week.
He came back to a pleasant surprise. The Swans, who have at least 13 new players this year, had come a long way in a short amount of time.
"Out of sight - plain and simple," Donohue said of how much his side had improved.
"They're getting more and more confident carrying the footy and we've been working on game plays and it just clicked."
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One of the leaders for the Swans has been Kathleen Voon.
She has been named in the side's best the last two weeks.
"She's just on fire. She's a ball magnet," Donohue said.
"She has great run off the backline and that's what we've been lacking. We've always had a strong backline and now we're using that run more."
Donohue has also been using Daisy George in the backline as well as in the midfield.
The service from the backline has helped the likes of Haley Joseph, in the centre, as well as Ella Mitchell and Erin Allan, up forward, thrive.
While Donohue is thrilled by the improvement of his own side, he's also keen to see the competition as a whole move forward.
"It's gonna be scary," Donohue said on how good the women's competition can be.
"Look at the Roos, there's a lot of potential there. That game on the weekend, we just clicked a bit earlier than them. They're not far off."
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Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
