NOMINATIONS are now open for the AFLW's first pre-season draft, which will be held on May 4.
The draft will be covered exclusively on AFL.com.au, womens.afl and the AFL and AFLW Live Apps.
A new mechanism for clubs to round out their lists, the draft will be held one week before pre-season begins on May 11.
The pre-season draft will replace the slew of injury replacement signings that occur in the lead up to pre-season, and the ability to have a full squad able to hit the ground running in May is vital.
Players may be ruled out for the entirety of a season for several reasons, including injury, pregnancy, mental health or work commitments.
Who is eligible and how can they nominate?
Players who nominated for the 2025 draft but were not selected. In previous years, injury replacement players have commonly been 19-year-olds who were just overlooked in the draft (e.g. likely to be selected if there were a further 10 picks) or top-rated state league players.
Nominations are now open until 5pm AEST on April 29, and can be made here.
Clubs occasionally opt for players who have been "train-ons" with the team in the past. Train-ons work with the team once a week to boost numbers for match simulation-type drills, and are already familiar with the gameplan and setup of the club.
Which teams will make a selection?
Gold Coast and Hawthorn have a vacant list spot, after passing on their final selections in last year's Telstra AFLW Draft.
Greater Western Sydney and West Coast will also be replacing retired duo Katherine Smith and Sophie McDonald, while Essendon will also be covering for Bess Keaney, who is continuing her parental leave.
It's understood St Kilda is set to have a pick, while Melbourne will be looking for a replacement for Blaithin Mackin, who will remain home in Ireland this year.
Sydney had initially held a spot open in the national draft, but has since filled it with Irish rookie Mary-Kate Lynch.
Clubs can continue to make players inactive until Friday, May 1 if they wish to participate in the draft.
Clubs will be able to make players inactive up until a certain date before the draft.
How is the order determined?
Picks are allocated on a reverse-ladder basis on last year's results.
Based on current information at mid-April, the draft order is likely to be as follows:
- Gold Coast
- Greater Western Sydney
- Essendon
- St Kilda
- West Coast
- Hawthorn
- Melbourne
Why has it been implemented?
The pre-season draft will act both as a small equalisation measure, and also as a way of harnessing the rush of injury replacement signings that occur before the start of pre-season.
The reverse ladder order of the picks ensures that the weakest-performing side of the previous year gets access to the best possible unsigned talent.
Clubs may indeed opt to go down a needs-base path when it comes to their pre-season selections (e.g. a ruck to replace an injured ruck, rather than best overall talent), but the reverse order ensures that if a weak team is in the market for a ruck, they can have first access.
Who might be in the mix?
A lot will depend on which clubs have list spots available, and their relevant needs.
Undrafted players have another few months to work on their areas of improvement, with a clear trend to athleticism among those who were drafted in December.
Exposed form may be an issue depending on the player's home league – the shifted VFLW season won't kick off till May 16, after the beginning of AFLW pre-season.
The SANFLW and QAFLW seasons have just started, while the WAFLW has now been running for a few weeks.
South Australian forward Eloise Mackereth, Vic Country key back Ella Stoddart and GWS Academy midfielder Isla Wiencke were arguably the highest credentialed potential draftees to be overlooked, with all three having been in the national academy.
Ex-Docker Makaela Tuhakaraina has returned to WAFLW after having a baby, and has been floated as a ready-made AFLW player if she chooses to return.
There's been a little bit of love for Northern Territorian speedster Marika Carlton after a strong NTFLW season over summer, while South Australian key back Tiffany King could be an option for a team after some height.
Gold Coast Academy midfielder Annabelle Foat missed out on the draft and has impressed so far as an over-ager in the Talent League, with West Australian ball-winner Juliet Kelly also overlooked.
When it comes to recently delisted AFLW players, it's more likely to be a needs-based selection, given the exposed form at the national level or in scrimmages, and injury history is likely to be an issue for some players.
Denby Taylor (ex-Melbourne) can plug multiple holes across the field, as can Gabby Biedenweg-Webster (Fremantle) and Gabbi Featherston (Geelong), while Indi Williams couldn't crack a tough Brisbane team.
