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Reigning AFLW premiers Adelaide are battling a mounting injury list to start the 2020 season, as Melbourne, North Melbourne and Richmond eye their crown.

More teams, state rivalries, a lengthened season and finals series and the return of elite football to heartland grounds - there's a lot to like about this AFLW season.

After the addition of North Melbourne and Geelong last year, the league has expanded to 14 teams in its fourth season with the inclusion of Richmond, St Kilda, Gold Coast and West Coast.

AFLW chief executive Nicole Livingstone says their No.1 priority for this year's newcomers is "embedding them into the competition", with a steep learning curve ahead.

"We never want to put high hopes on them," she said.

"We were at North Melbourne having a look at training a couple of nights ago and they were breathing a sigh of relief that this is the second year and it's not this year of the firsts.

"There's now an expectation of what it's going to be like and what they need to do.

"No doubt those four new clubs are experiencing that right now."

Under the league's new three-year collective bargaining agreement, the 2020 season will feature eight regular-season rounds and three weeks of finals.

The home and away season will then rise to nine rounds in 2021 before settling at 10 for 2022.

Livingstone insists there is no bad blood stemming from the protracted CBA negotiations despite the players voting down their original offer.

"Everybody's moved on," she said.

"The three-year CBA offer was effectively a three-year employment deal and they (the players) had never entered into anything like that before in Australian football history for women."

The much-criticised conference system has survived the fixture overhaul.

But pools are now arranged in a "snaking pattern", taking into account last season's results in a bid for greater balance.

Each team will play one another within their respective pool, plus two additional inter-conference clashes.

Richmond are tipped to make the biggest splash of the new arrivals after poaching a number of big-name stars from rival clubs.

None more so than inaugural Western Bulldogs captain Katie Brennan in perhaps the most seismic trade in AFLW history to date.

She's been joined at Punt Road by former Dogs teammate Monique Conti and fellow boom forwards Sabrina Frederick (Brisbane) and Christina Bernardi (GWS).

Mimicking the men's traditional season opener, the Tigers will face last year's beaten grand finalists Carlton - led by Tayla Harris and Darcy Vescio - on Friday night.

And the league is preparing for another packed house at Ikon Park.

"We've got a big screen on the northern lawn in case the overflow needs to go out there and what we hope is that the Tiger Army does march down Royal Parade," Livingstone said.

"It helped that they had a win against West Coast in their practice match and they looked good.

"To see Katie (Brennan) flying and Sabs (Sabrina Frederick) was great."

After a dismal one-win season, Collingwood traded for Carlton skipper Brianna Davey to address their slide and will add Chloe Molloy back to the mix after the 2018 Rising Star winner sat out last season with a foot injury.

Vying for a third premiership in four years, Adelaide have been bitten by the injury bug.

All-Australian defender Chelsea Randall and midfielder Hannah Martin are out for the season after having knee reconstructions.

But co-captain Erin Phillips is hoping to return early in the season after making good progress in her recovery from the ACL injury suffered in last year's grand final.

Should the Crows stumble, Melbourne and North Melbourne shape as contenders to snatch their crown.

The Demons have welcomed back Daisy Pearce after missing last season to give birth to twins.

Across town, the Kangaroos will no doubt harbour high hopes as well after being denied a finals berth in their debut season despite having the third-best record.

Top-flight football will return to the Roos' spiritual home of Arden Street in round four against Gold Coast, while St Kilda host the Bulldogs at Moorabbin in a fitting start to their first AFLW campaign.

The Saints - like fellow newcomers West Coast and Gold Coast - aren't considered strong chances to make the finals in their first year.

But low expectations didn't stop Geelong upsetting the apple cart last year, reaching the preliminary finals before falling to the eventual premiers.

Fremantle and Brisbane have bore the brunt of West Coast and Gold Coast's entry into the league, losing several players to their new state rivals.

It adds some extra spice ahead of their first meetings, with the WA derby set down for round two at Optus Stadium and the Q-Clash to be held at Metricon Stadium the following week.