Erin Phillips, the AFLW's most decorated player, says beginning a pre-season without a competition start date or pay deal is not ideal.
But Phillips is urging her playing cohort to focus on football as negotiations continue over an AFLW collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
Port Adelaide captain Phillips and her teammates, as well as other AFLW clubs, began their pre-season training on Monday.
A start date for the eighth AFLW season is yet to be confirmed, other than early September, while the players' union and AFL hierarchy are also yet to bed down a fresh CBA.
"Obviously it's not ideal," said Phllips, a triple premiership player at the Adelaide Crows and a dual league best-and-fairest winner.
"But it's not something we're thinking about.
"We know roughly about when the season most likely will start and that will probably be, from what I hear is that (AFL men's) bye weekend in August, September.
"And that's all we're really focusing on at the moment ... we have got 12 weeks at the moment to get as good as we can in that time and get ready to play our first game.
"So, control the things that you can control and we're certainly doing that."
The players' union is understood to be pushing for AFLW players to be given contracts covering a 12-month period, rather than the current nine months.
"That is a long-term focus and goal," Phillips said.
"Right now, the aim is just to really get the start date, get a fixture for this year.
"Looking long-term, I know for the players, that is the goal eventually to become full time athletes.
"When that will happen, I'm not sure.
"But certainly the girls are really just focused on now, and trying to be the best players that they can be and put a product on the field that's exciting."
Phillips, 38, said she had yet to seriously contemplate retirement.
"It has been my last season probably for the last five years," she said.
"At the moment, I'm really enjoying having the first off-season where I actually haven't had a scope or surgery or any kind of setback.
"I'm just looking at this season ... and then we'll see what happens after the year but I certainly haven't made any decision yet.
"Honestly, even though I am 38 I feel youngish ... I come in to this team just feeling excited and grateful that every year that I get to play footy, I'm very lucky.
"Because this, to me, it's the greatest game and I never thought I'd be in this position. This is year eight, it's just incredible what I am doing."
