NEW AFLW team Gold Coast made a massive splash on Monday, poaching a trio of Lions including captain Leah Kaslar and her deputy Sam Virgo and experienced Western Bulldogs defender Tiarna Ernst.
The Lions’ concerns about being decimated by expansion signings weren’t an exaggeration, with five players already joining the Suns and power forward Sabrina Frederick heading for a Melbourne-based club.
They did re-sign vice-captain Emma Zielke, ex-Blues skipper Lauren Arnell and young midfielders Jordan Zanchetta and Gabby Collingwood.
Kaslar had been travelling from the Gold Coast to Brisbane, with her move to the Suns based on “work and lifestyle reasons”.
The 33-year-old Kaslar is the second captain to leave her club, with Katie Brennan last week quitting the Western Bulldogs for Richmond. And there could be a third, with Carlton skipper Bri Davey officially asking for a trade to Collingwood.
The Suns also locked away young defender Jacqui Yorston and ruck Lauren Bella, who had one season each with the Lions.
Ernst, who played 22 games for the Western Bulldogs from 2017-19, is moving north for work.
North Melbourne announced it had re-signed captain Emma Kearney and 2019 best and fairest Jenna Bruton to two-year contracts, as well as All-Australians Emma King and Jas Garner, vice-captain Britt Gibson, Kate Gillespie-Jones and Kaitlyn Ashmore. All-Australian defender Jess Duffin remains unsigned.
The Roos also extended the contract of coach Scott Gowans, who will coach the AFLW team and the club’s VFL team Melbourne University in 2020.
Richmond continued to bolster its stocks by adding forward Christina Bernardi, who spent 2019 with Greater Western Sydney. Bernardi, who signed a two-year-deal, played for the Tigers’ VFLW team last year.
Adelaide announced the re-signings of eight premiership players, including All Australian midfielder Anne Hatchard on a two-year contract.
The 21-year-old joins fellow Crows Deni Varnhagen, Eloise Jones, Chloe Scheer, Renee Forth, Justine Mules and Hannah Martin in putting pen to paper, while Irish recruit Ailish Considine has been retained as a rookie.
St Kilda boosted its tall stocks, bringing Selena Karlson back from the Western Bulldogs to Moorabbin.
The key back played three games in her first AFLW season after being drafted from the Saints' VFLW side.
The initial AFLW Trade and Signing Period concludes on Thursday, with a second period (only for non-expansion team) and a free agency window for teams to sign delisted players from April 23-26.
CONFIRMED LIST CHANGES
ADELAIDE
Signed: Ailish Considine, Renee Forth, Anne Hatchard, Eloise Jones, Hannah Martin, Justine Mules, Chelsea Randall, Chloe Scheer, Deni Varnhagen
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: N/A
BRISBANE
Signed: Lauren Arnell, Emily Bates, Gabby Collingwood, Jade Ellenger, Natalie Grider, Jessy Keeffe, Kate Lutkins, Brianna McFarlane (rookie), Jesse Wardlaw, Sharni Webb, Jess Wuestchner, Jordan Zanchetta, Emma Zielke
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Bella Ayre (retired), Lauren Bella (Gold Coast), Sabrina Frederick (move to Victoria, club TBC); Tori Groves-Little (Gold Coast), Leah Kaslar (Gold Coast), Paige Parker (Gold Coast), Sam Virgo (Gold Coast), Jacqui Yorston (Gold Coast)
CARLTON
Signed: N/A
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Shae Audley, Kirby Bentley, Reni Hicks, Bridie Kennedy (all delisted); Rhiannon Watt (St Kilda)
COLLINGWOOD
Signed: Sophie Alexander, Britt Bonnici, Lauren Butler, Mikala Cann, Steph Chiocci, Sarah Dargan, Erica Fowler, Eliza Hynes, Jaimee Lambert, Stacey Livingstone, Chloe Molloy, Ruby Schleicher
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Darcy Guttridge (St Kilda), Iilish Ross (Richmond)
FREMANTLE
Signed: Ebony Antonio, Kiara Bowers, Tayla Bresland, Steph Cain, Kara Donnellan, Sabreena Duffy, Evie Gooch, Katie-Jayne Grieve, Gemma Houghton, Leah Mascall, Hayley Miller, Gabby O'Sullivan, Laura Pugh, Matilda Sergeant, Philipa Seth, Ashley Sharp, Angelique Stannett, Alex Williams
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Ashlee Atkins, Brianna Green, Courtney Guard (nee Stubbs), Dana Hooker (all West Coast)
GEELONG
Signed: N/A
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Erin Hoare (retired)
GOLD COAST
Signed: Lauren Bella (Brisbane), Tiarna Enrst (Western Bulldogs), Tori Groves-Little (Brisbane), Charlotte Hammans (u/18), Ellie Hampson (u/18), Leah Kaslar (Brisbane), Paige Parker (Brisbane), Jamie Stanton (North Melbourne), Sam Virgo (Brisbane), Kitara Whap-Farrar (u/18), Jacqui Yorston (Brisbane)
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: N/A
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
Signed: N/A
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Christina Bernardi (Richmond), Phoebe Monahan (Richmond), Emma Swanson (West Coast)
MELBOURNE
Signed: Harriet Cordner, Tegan Cunningham, Chantel Emonson (rookie), Maddison Gay, Madeleine Guerin, Tyla Hanks, Kate Hore, Sarah Lampard, Lily Mithen, Aliesha Newman, Elise O'Dea, Karen Paxman, Lauren Pearce, Shelley Scott, Casey Sherriff, Shae Sloane (rookie), Katherine Smith, Eden Zanker
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Maddy Brancatisano (Richmond)
NORTH MELBOURNE
Signed: Kaitlyn Ashmore, Jenna Bruton, Jasmine Garner, Britt Gibson, Kate Gillespie-Jones, Emma Kearney, Emma King
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Alison Drennan (St Kilda), Moana Hope (delisted), Jamie Stanton (Gold Coast)
RICHMOND
Signed: Christina Bernardi (Greater Western Sydney), Maddy Brancatisano (Melbourne), Katie Brennan (Western Bulldogs), Phoebe Monahan (Greater Western Sydney), Iilish Ross (Collingwood)
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: N/A
ST KILDA
Signed: Alison Brown (academy), Alison Drennan (North Melbourne), Darcy Guttridge (Collingwood), Selena Karlson (Western Bulldogs), Molly McDonald (u/18), Isabella Shannon (u/18), Rhiannon Watt (Carlton)
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: N/A
WEST COAST
Signed: Ashlee Atkins (Fremantle), Mikayla Bowen (u/18), Rosie Deegan (u/18), Brianna Green (Fremantle), Courtney Guard (nee Stubbs, Fremantle), Dana Hooker (Fremantle), Emma Swanson (GWS)
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: N/A
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Signed: Deanna Berry, Ellie Blackburn, Eleanor Brown, Naomi Ferres, Isabel Huntington, Kirsty Lamb, Brooke Lochland, Aisling McCarthy, Kirsten McLeod, Celine Moody, Hannah Scott, Lauren Spark, Bonnie Toogood
Delisted/Traded/Expansion Signing: Katie Brennan (Richmond), Tiarna Ernst (Gold Coast), Selena Karlson (St Kilda)
