Thanks everyone who followed along with the live blog, and happy researching/watching youtube videos of all your new favourite players.
Just to reiterate, there’s a rookie draft on Friday at 12pm AEDT. Clubs can have three rookies, one cross-code, one aged under 21 and one of either. There’s also potentially a free agency period depending on how many list spots were filled.
Looking forward to next season!
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Hannah Mouncey
Still really feeling for Hannah Mouncey, who was ruled ineligible for today’s draft (erroneously, in my opinion). She was all class on Twitter after the announcement.
Good luck to all the girls who nominated for the AFLW draft tomorrow, especially my mates from Canberra. I can’t wait to see you all at the highest level and to play with and against you back in Canberra next year!
— Hannah Mouncey 🤾♀️ (@hannahmouncey1) October 17, 2017
Round Seven
Pick 43: Leah Mascall (Fremantle)
Pick 44: Sophie Conway (Brisbane)
Pick 45: Pass (Adelaide)
Pick 45: Cora Staunton (GWS Giants)
Pick 46: Jessy Keefe (Brisbane)
Pick 47: Pass (GWS)
Well, with that anti-climax, that’s it everyone! Rookie draft is Friday at 12pm for those eligible.
Round Six
Pick 39: Alicia Janz (Fremantle)
Another Docker to get a second chance. Plays ruck.
Pick 40: Ruby Blair (Brisbane)
May have got the biggest cheer - perhaps family? Someone yelled ‘YES!’ A defender with plenty of upside.
Pick 41: Rheanne Lugg (Adelaide)
Pick 42: Philippa Smyth (GWS Giants)
From Nelson Bay
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Round Five
Pick 33: Emily McGuire (Fremantle)
Unable to attend the combine but often one of WA’s best in national championships.
Pick 34: Pass (Western Bulldogs)
First pass off the round may be so that the Bulldogs have spots for rookies. That means pick 34 is now considered Collingwood’s.
Pick 34: Ashleigh Brazill (Collingwood)
Age: 27
Position: Midfield-Forward
Height: 175cm
Collingwood netballer who played football in WA earlier in life.
Pick 35: Bridie Kennedy (Carlton)
Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Height: 174cm
Club: Cranbourne/Dandenong Stingrays
Incredible combine results - was first in the 2km time trial, and first in the Yo-Yo.
Pick 36: Emma Pittman (Brisbane)
Pick 37: Ruth Wallace (Adelaide)
24-year-old, led the goalkicking in Adelaide league this year.
Pick 38: Phoebe Monahan (GWS Giants)
Updated
Round Four
Pick 25: Courtney Gum (GWS Giants)
From Adelaide University
Pick 26: Ashlee Atkins (Fremantle)
Pick 27: Emma Mackie (Western Bulldogs)
Played for Box Hill Hawks in the VWFL this season
Pick 28: Sophie Li (Carlton)
Represented Adelaide University, like Courtney Gum, new GWS Giants player
Pick 29: Reni Hicks (Carlton)
Diamond Creek
Started as a midfielder, now plays as a small defenders in the VFLW, and often takes on the best opposition medium and small forwards. Selected in the 2016 AFLW Under-18 All-Australian Team.
Pick 30: Claudia Whitfort (Melbourne)
Pick 31: Kalinda Howarth (Brisbane)
Works for the Gold Coast Suns - that could get awkward.
Pick 32: Marijana Rajcic (Adelaide)
Updated
Round Three continued...
Pick 21: Kristy Stratton (Collingwood)
Box Hill Hawks
Pick 22: Tegan Cunningham (Melbourne)
Age: 29
Position: Key position
Height: 185cm
Former WNBL basketballer. Smoky.
Pick 23: Renee Cowan (Brisbane)
28, a defender. A stand-out at the Combine – third in the vertical jump, equal-second in the 20m sprint and fifth in agility.
Pick 24: Eloise Jones (Adelaide)
Played for the Allies in the Under-18 championships (where she must have impressed coach Bec Goddard).
Updated
That rounds out the top 20:
Round Three
Pick 17: Tanya Hetherington (GWS Giants)
Co-captain of Diamond Creek in the VWFL.
Pick 18: Jodie White (Fremantle)
36-year-old veteran gets her chance. Came back to the WAWFL after two year out of the game, winning the league best and fairest.
Pick 19: Daria Bannister (Western Bulldogs)
From Launceston, nominated for the Victorian draft. Small forward but can also play midfield.
Pick 20: Sarah Dargan (Collingwood)
From Pascoe Vale, shot up the draft ranks. Wasn’t expected to go this early.
Updated
All coming in quickly now.
Pick 13: Iilish Ross (Collingwood)
Born: 1999
Position: defender
Height: 169cm
Club: Wodonga/Murray Bushrangers
Has pace, and uses the ball well on her preferred left foot. Selected for the 2017 TAC Cup Girls Team of the Year.
Pick 14: Madeleine Guerin (Melbourne)
Age: 17
Position: Defender-Midfielder
Height: 172cm
Club: Fitzroy JFC/Northern Knights
Outstanding past 12 months. Quick, agile and versatile player with good footy smarts. Member of the 2017 TAC Cup Girls Team of the Year
Pick 15: Arianna Clarke (Brisbane)
Defender, Queensland Under-18 captain
Pick 16: Jasmyn Hewett (Adelaide)
Forward/ruck, from St Mary’s in Northern Territory. Completed an excellent combine of testing.
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Pick 12: Georgia Gee (Carlton)
Age: 18
Height: 158cm
Club: Beaconsfield/Dangenong Stingrays
All Australian, TAC Cup Girls Team of the Year. Starred in NAB AFLW Under-18 Championships. An excellent decision-maker.
Pick 11: Jenna Bruton (Western Bulldogs)
Age: 22
Position: Midfield-Forward
Height: 156cm
Club: St Kilda Sharks
Stayed on the family farm in Trentham last year rather than nominate for the draft. Won the St Kilda Sharks VFLW best-and-fairest this season.
A midfielder/forward with great balance, excellent, fast disposal by hand and foot and a good football brain. Named in 2017 VFLW Team of the Year.
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Pick nine: Darcy Guttridge (Collingwood)
|Age: 17
Position: Defender-Midfielder
Height: 171cm
Club: Cranbourne/Gippsland Power
Great leadership skills, is a strong inside midfielder, but also versatile.
Elite talent who was captain for Victoria Country in NAB AFLW Under-18 Championships. Named All-Australian Under-18 Captain and a member of the 2017 TAC Cup Girls Team of the Year in 2017.
Fifth in the running vertical jump (56cm) and fourth in the agility test (8.723 seconds).
Pick 10: Evangeline Gooch (Fremantle)
Updated
Round Two (picks nine-16) now underway
If this goes particularly quickly, I’ll just give you minor details and fill them back in after!
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Second chances
Great to see Steph get another chance with the Dockers after being delisted at the end of last season. Freo fans, you can check out some footage of her speaking here.
Comeback Kid @stephcain_ 💪 #AFLWDraft #ForeverFreo pic.twitter.com/fejOAXYI67
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) October 18, 2017
Meet your No1 draft pick
Get excited, Doggies fans. Here’s the woman they call ‘Izzy’ Huntington in action.
A sample of what is to come...
— WesternBulldogs AFLW (@BulldogsW) October 18, 2017
Take a quick look at some of top pick Isabel Huntington's highlights. #RealStrength #AFLWDraft pic.twitter.com/X0jntqs3wR
Melbourne University juniors off to Western Bulldogs
Love this photo of Huntington (pick one) and Conti (pick four) from their junior days who are both off to the Western Bulldogs.
With picks 1 and 4 both our girls are off to the Kennel! 🐶🖤💙 @BulldogsW #AFLWDraft pic.twitter.com/g0reJ71Vhf
— MUWFC (@MUWFC) October 18, 2017
Meanwhile, I have to say I agree with Nic. We’ve got another break now, before more draft action.
You know this is an AFL event because it's twice as long as it should be... #AFLWDraft
— Nic Negrepontis (@NicNegrepontis) October 18, 2017
Photos of your top eight
Introducing your 2017 #AFLWDraft Top 8! pic.twitter.com/cUkr29yrPn
— South Metro JFL (@SMJFL) October 18, 2017
Give me a moment!
Just going to fill in the blanks on some of those draftees that I knew less about (some left-field choices there!)
Apparently Aasta O’Connor was very, very happy that the Bulldogs went with Huntington at No1. Says her character will add to and enhance the culture.
Pick eight: Jess Allan (Adelaide)
Age: 18 years
Position: Ruck/key forward
Club: Salisbury/Glenelg
Despite having ruck Rhiannon Metcalfe on its list, Adelaide welcome another ruck in Jess, whose older sister Sarah plays for the club. Goddard says what she admires most about Allan is that she’s “such a good teammate”. Although she says it’s “a cliche”, Goddard knows the Crows will be the “hunted” this year. Reflects on seeing Sarah Perkins leave the room in tears last year.
Congratulations @GlenelgFC Jessica Allan. Pick No.8 for @Adelaide_FC #AFLWdraft @statewidesuper pic.twitter.com/Xh0nAV2Otu
— SANFL (@SANFL) October 18, 2017
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Pick seven: Jordan Zanchetta (Brisbane)
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder
Height: 154cm
The smallest AFLW player. Did her ACL 18 months ago, which derailed her chances of playing last season. Has been in the best three midfielders in QLD for a while. Good mates with existing Lions player Emily Bates.
Two-time All Australian at Youth Girls level and joint QWAFL best and fairest in 2015.
Updated
Pick six: Eden Zanker (Melbourne)
Age: 17
Position: Forward
Height: 183cm
Club: Woorineen/Bendigo Pioneers
Eden is a country girl from near Tooleybuc, and only returned to football this year. She plays at centre-half forward and/or full-forward. She’s tall and athletic, aggressive and has a strong mark and good kick.
She finished 10th in the agility test in the combine, and is developing as a forward/ruck. Was selected in the 2017 TAC Cup Girls Team of the Year and AFLW Under-18 All-Australian side. Rarely beaten overhead.
Updated
Pick five: Jodie Hicks (GWS Giants)
Age: 19
Club: Belconnen Magpies
Didn’t attend the combine, but coach McConnell says she’s strong over the ball, makes good decisions and distributes the ball very well.
Sydney Sixers WBBL player, but also played under-18s, and two time All Australian.
Updated
Pick four: Monique Conti (Western Bulldogs)
Age: 18
Position: Midfielder
Height: 161cm
Club: Melbourne Uni/Calder Cannons
Monique is a small midfielder but she has elite power, very clean hands and an “uncanny ability to get in and out of traffic” according to coach Groves. Another dual athlete - an elite basketballer with the Melbourne Boomers. Was the 2016-17 Women’s National Basketball League Rookie of the Year and member of the 2017 TAC Cup Girls Team of the Year. She’s very competitive and strong overhead for her size.
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Pick three: Chloe Molloy (Collingwood)
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Height:172cm
Club: Diamond Creek/Calder Cannons
Not a huge surprise here either, the Pies have a future superstar in Molloy. She made a name for herself in the grand final against Darebin, kicking a goal despite sustaining significant ligament damage to her collarbone after being crunched by Melbourne star Karen Paxman. She was the VFLW Rising Star as well as a joint winner of the TAC Cup Girls Best and Fairest and 2017 VFLW goal-kicking awards. Selected to be part of the Team of the Year in both the TAC Cup Girls and VFLW competitions.
Supported the Pies growing up.
Updated
Pick two: Stephanie Cain (Fremantle)
Age: 21
Position: Midfielder/half-back
Club: Swan Districts
Was on the Dockers’ list last season and Michelle Cowan says she’s been re-drafted after all the hard work she’s put in, and deserves the second-chance.
Won best and fairest for Swan Districts this season. Has improved her running capacity, fitness, application and professionalism.
Updated
Pick one: Isabel Huntington (Western Bulldogs)
Age: 18
Position: forward
Height: 180cm
Club: Melbourne Uni/Sandringham Dragons
Here we go - no surprise with pick one. The other option was of course Chloe Molloy. Huntington missed the entire 2016 season with an ACL, but was admired for her dedication to rehab, and leadership potential.
Huntington is tall and athletic with excellent skills, she’s clean and has great football IQ. She played a starring role in the 2016 Under-18 national championships, where she kicked five goals and racked up more than 30 possessions in a single game.
She should line up alongside Katie Brennan in a very dangerous forward line.
Updated
Two live feeds
Just in case you’re interested - there’s a couple of live feeds happening simultaneously. If you’re on the AFL website, you can watch official proceedings, whereas on Facebook Sam Lane and Aasta O’Connor (Western Bulldogs) are hosting the draft and answering fan questions.
They’re currently discussing how big a loss Tayla Harris is for the Lions. Harris has returned to Melbourne and will line up for Carlton this year.
We’re very close to starting the draft.
Dana Hooker
Great story up on the Fremantle FC website about their inaugural best and fairest winner. Hooker wasn’t selected until pick 130 - in round 17, and said she doubted that she had a career in the AFLW.
“I was sitting on the end of my seat towards the end of it thinking - I don’t know if (senior coach) Michelle (Cowan) is going to pick me anymore,” Hooker said.
“I felt maybe it wasn’t going to happen.”
Speeches underway
We’re still hearing from NAB and other representatives. Great to hear that in the last 12 months, there have been more than 500 new clubs nationally, and participation in women’s football has tripled.
Waiting on new teammates
Hannah Scott from the Western Bulldogs is eagerly awaiting her newest teammates.
My sense is that ‘Izzy’ Huntington will go at No1, leaving Collingwood to swoop on Molloy at No3. The Dogs could then take Huntington’s teammate Conti at No4. Fremantle, with pick two, may go for key forward Emily McGuire, who was unable to attend the combine, or mature-age prospect Ashton Hill. GWS may then look at Haneen Zreika with pick five - or Kate Bartlett, the Western Australian who nominated for NSW draft pool.
The suspense is killing me, can't wait to meet my new team mates. #AFLW #AFLWdraft pic.twitter.com/ebuU6R4EUx
— Hannah Scott (@Scotsford32) October 18, 2017
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We’re on!
Finally, we have a stream. Angela Pippos, author of Breaking the Mould: Taking a hammer to sexism in sport, is kicking off proceedings.
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In the dark
Again, according to the AFL website “players, coaches and families are literally in the dark as to clubs’ selections due to a power outage”.
We’re all just riding a wave of suspense right now.
Is the power back on yet??? Can't see the live stream... The suspense is killing me! #AFLWdraft https://t.co/QG4ed2bxUW
— Bobby Macumber (@BobbyMacumber) October 18, 2017
The AFL has done their own ‘mega preview’ of the draft at this link, if you’d like to check out their assessment of what each team needs.
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Nervous players, happy coaches
Apparently we have a room full of nervous potential draftees, but Adelaide coach Bec Goddard and Collingwood captain Steph Chiocci are looking nice and relaxed. The Crows will be confident of another successful season after blitzing the competition earlier this year. In 2016 the club took AFLW 2017 rising star Ebony Marinoff with their first pick.
The #AFLWDraft isn't far away! We've got picks 8, 16, 24, 32, 38, 42 & 46 #weflyasone pic.twitter.com/pK8gRFzRDm
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) October 18, 2017
Updated
Awaiting live feed
Still no luck here on the live feed front, but apparently we are minutes away from starting. Back shortly.
Nicola Barr’s open letter to draftees
Nicola Barr has the honour of being the first player drafted in AFLW history – going to GWS. She’s written an open letter to this year’s pool, which you can read here.
Here’s a preview:
“The inaugural AFLW draft was an incredibly empowering moment for young girls and women within the sphere of football and in everyday life.
Heading into the draft, I had mixed emotions — excitement, anticipation, nerves, doubt and gratitude.
Fortunately for me, I was in a position where I knew I would be taken at No. 1, so the pressure to be picked by a team was off.
However, having the ‘No. 1’ title came with a different kind of pressure and expectation. Walking into a building filled with incredible female footballers that I’d heard about and looked up to was intimidating. Coming from NSW and with little AFL experience, I felt almost out of place.”
Power outage
According to the AFL website, there is a “power outage at the venue which is causing a slight delay. The draft will now kick off at 12.10pm AEDT”.
I knew the live feed was too good to be true.
In case you’re wondering, here’s what it looks like inside the secretive venue:
The stage is set... 🙌#AFLWDraft pic.twitter.com/VvCPkSbPjf
— Melbourne FC (@melbournefc) October 18, 2017
Updated
Club by club picks and rookie draft
Western Bulldogs: 1, 4, 11, 19, 27, 34
Fremantle: 2, 10, 18, 26, 33, 40, 44
Collingwood: 3, 9, 13, 20, 21, 35
Greater Western Sydney: 5, 17, 25, 39, 43, 47, 49
Melbourne: 6, 14, 22, 30
Brisbane Lions: 7, 15, 23, 31, 37, 41, 45, 48
Adelaide: 8, 16, 24, 32, 38, 42, 46
Carlton: 12, 28, 29, 36
Draft order is determined by reverse ladder order, plus whatever happened in the trade period (the Dogs nabbed pick one in the trade that sent Jamie Lambert to Collingwood).
In case you’re wondering, every club has a primary list of 27, as well as three rookie spots. They are allocated a number of draft selections depending on the state of their list (so Collingwood has six selections while Melbourne has only four).
There is a rookie draft on Friday — clubs have three rookies; one cross-code and one aged under 21 and the third, one of either.
Who will go at No1?
Mystery surrounds who will be taken at pick one by the Bulldogs. The most likely candidates are Isabel Huntington, Chloe Molloy and Monique Conti.
Chloe Molloy, a key forward who is 19 years old and co-captained VWFL side for Diamond Creek, shot into contention after swapping from basketball to AFL (she was previously listed as a development player by WNBL side Melbourne Boomers). She kicked the equal-most goals in the VWFL competition (alongside Western Bulldogs star Katie Brennan), and was taken under the wing of current Collingwood AFLW captain Steph Chiocci. Molloy’s uncle Jarrod played 49 of 200 games for Collingwood, and both Chloe and Chiocci will be hoping she falls to Collingwood at three.
That will happen if the Dogs opt to draft Isabel Huntington with their first pick. Huntington is also a key forward and starred in the 2016 AFL youth girls before she missed 2017 with a ruptured ACL (she also broke her leg in 2015!) The 18-year-old school captain of St Michael’s Grammar School wants to study medicine, and has until recently prioritised study over football given the limited options available to women. She currently plays for the Melbourne University Women’s Football Club (MUWFC).
Finally, there’s Monique Conti, Huntington’s teammate at MUWFC. She’s hoping she can follow in the footsteps of Erin Phillips and become the next high profile dual footballer/basketballer to make her mark on the AFLW. She’s a Melbourne Boomers guard who represented Australia at the world u/19s, and won 2016-17 Women’s National Basketball League rookie of the year. She’s an ever-handy goalkicking midfielder and will be an asset to her team.
Luckily for the Bulldogs, they hold picks one and four, so they’ll almost certainly nab two of these stars.
Here are the two MUWFC team-mates at the draft:
#AFLWDraft is here! @izzyhuntington @moniiquecontii 🖤💙 pic.twitter.com/yQ9FJQhv07
— MUWFC (@MUWFC) October 18, 2017
Updated
Welcome to our coverage of the second draft in AFLW history. Today, 49 players will find their way onto an AFLW list.
There will be a mix of Under-18 players, state-league players above the age of 18, and delisted AFLW players from last season drafted, with all players being offered one year contracts.
Unlike the men’s AFL draft, players nominate which state they would like to be drafted from, and can only be drafted by clubs from that state (unless they are overlooked entirely, in which case they can be picked up by interstate clubs as free agents, should a list spot remain – see Sarah Perkins last year). Therefore, interstate teams effectively chose from their own pools, while Victorian clubs vie for top local talent. This makes draft order less important than in the AFL, but promises for intriguing tactical manoeuvres amongst the Victorian clubs.
It all begins at 12pm AEST (AFLW Facebook live feed permitting - fingers crossed!) I’ll be back in a moment with some speculation on who will go at No1, as well as details like club by club picks.
Stay tuned!
Kate will be here shortly. In the meantime, have a read of her piece on yesterday’s decision to preclude Hannah Mouncey from nominating for today’s draft.
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