Sydney Swans forward Cynthia Hamilton spoke to the media on Tuesday, following the Swans' Round 1 victory over Richmond.

On her goal of the year nomination

"I think the way the girls got around me, I feel like, and the way the crowd was up and about, definitely made it feel a bit better. But, no, I love getting around the girls, so either way it was just exciting."

On her goal celebration being compared to Tom Papley

"I haven't seen him just yet, but I have been told by the girls that my celebration is a bit similar to Papley. It's just once you kick the goal, you go red and you don't want to be in the line of ball.  Once the goal's been kicked, you get out of the way of Papley because he's either going to break someone's hand, giving them a high five. But no, I haven't seen him yet, so we'll see what he has to say today."

On the positives taken from the win

"I think a massive thing for us was starting strong, I think our pressure was probably the highest it's been, and we made a good impact around the ground. Especially with North Sydney being a smaller oval, it was good to see our ball movement really working well and not trying to just resort to long down the line. We were still hitting up those 45 targets, which was a massive takeaway for us."

On the debutants

"I think it's always nice to have a few debutantes, and all of them made such a huge impact on the team. They all bring something special that doesn't go unrecognised. So I think it's really cool to, one, get the win, but also to get around them and show them how special it is and how much it means to the club for them to be playing for us."

On Chloe Molloy

"I don't think you can really explain what she brings, her goal sense, her goal ability, on top of that. But also just having her back on the field as our captain is such a huge thing for our team. I think last year we really missed her voice and her direction out there, so having her back, yeah, it will make a huge difference this year."

On Zippy Fish

"I think we were all expecting something amazing, but then she goes out there and did it. And I think as a young talent, it can be so nerve-wracking for her, I don't think she was that nervous, which is crazy because coming to my fourth year, I was coming out nervous. So to be able to come out there and do what she did as a debutant is pretty cool. So hopefully she continues on for the next 11 weeks and brings out every single week. But no, what she was able to produce on the field on Friday night was crazy."

On the next generation of players coming into the AFLW

"I think it's actually really exciting because I think a lot of us have also been talking about this draft pool that's just come through are going to make a huge difference. The skill, the footy IQ they bring, it's just going to make the game so much better.  I think this pool coming through, the growth is going to skyrocket even more than it already has. So I think it's definitely very exciting for the AFLW, but also it shows for the young girls coming through how much talent that the more that they've been in the system, the better it's going to come through as well."

On the competition for spots this season

"Not that there wasn't probably a fight for the previous years, but I think it's definitely been a lot more competitive this year. We've had a lot more girls come through that have a lot more experience around the comps. So I think it's definitely a huge thing for us, that depth, which we probably haven't struggled with in previous years, but it's definitely probably our best year where we've had really great depth below the playing 21. So I think it's a really good year for us to have people knocking on the door, really pushing for each other's spots."

On the importance of early wins 

"Yeah, exactly that, it's very important. I think we've got a good draw the first couple of games. Towards the end, we've got our tougher opponents, North and Melbourne and stuff. But even every year, I think it's the exact same with the season being so short. Every game matters, every win, every loss, it counts and you've got to take every opportunity that you can to make sure that it does count to the leaderboard."

On the challenge of the Suns on Saturday

"They're a very good side and I think that it will definitely be a really good game. But hopefully we can produce what we did on Friday night and come out and I think the best way that we can play is play as a team. Everyone plays their role but yeah, they're a very respectful team, so we definitely will go there with the respect on their name."

On the Swans' "one club" approach and support from the men's team

"Oh, it's huge, I think the Swans haven't been at other clubs, but by what we hear and by the experience that you have in this club, it's massive. Everyone's around it, just the love that you get also walking through the doors around the club. Everyone's always getting around you, I think that's huge. I think if you can have that, it just shows how much support and how much everyone respects you and has your back around what you're doing. I think it makes going on the field and kicking the footy around a lot easier when you know what's behind you and what's being produced behind the scenes."

On Tanya Kennedy's 25th game

"She's an absolute weapon, I think she's probably one of our best recruits, honestly. Who would have thought that what she could bring is what she's brought, I think she's a huge part of our group and the girls love her, everyone loves her. She's a spark to be around but I'm also just so glad that she's on our team. I would hate to come up against her, that's for sure."