Since the days of Ellyse Perry committing to the Australian women's cricket team, we've seen the battle of the codes hit fever-pitch in the women's game.

Melbourne Victory recently made headlines by securing AFLW star Jenna McCormick for the upcoming W-League season, with McCormick - fresh from a Matildas camp - saying she was fully focused on football now in the hopes of representing the national team.

The opportunities for women to make a living across any sport they choose have never been greater, and the pressure on each sport to keep their most talented athletes is following suit.

Adelaide United coach Ivan Karlovic is witnessing the changes in women's sport first-hand. As boss of some of the brightest young footballers in the country, he says the demands and the benefits of semi-professional women's sport will soon make those choices impossible.

"The days off cross-code or dual sport athletes are numbered," he told The Women's Game.

"The demands from each code are quite significant.

"In regards to players swapping codes, the minimum wage has increased and that helps if you want to keep young athletes in the game. Australia is showing that we're on the international stage which helps, because not every code is able to offer that."

As for how the W-League keeps its best young stars? For that question, Karlovic is a little more coy.

"Look, I'm not sure how to ensure we keep players in the W-League. It's going to be a challenge," he admits.

"But I think as all the sports evolve, it's going to be more difficult to change, because the quality will be a lot higher."

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