NOMINATIONS for the NAB AFL Women's Draft open on Monday, and for the first time, players based in Victoria will have three options to choose from.
With Geelong joining the competition next year, and with players not yet being full-time, the AFL has accommodated for players not able to travel to GMHBA Stadium (at least an hour's drive south-west of Melbourne's CBD) for training several times a week while working or studying.
Players will need to weigh up three options:
- Nominating for the whole of Victoria (Carlton, Collingwood, Melbourne, North Melbourne, the Western Bulldogs and Geelong)
- Nominating for metropolitan Melbourne (the five clubs excluding Geelong)
- Or nominating just for the Cats.
Under-18 side Geelong Falcons had seven representatives in the Vic Country squad which played in the NAB AFLW Under-18 Championships in July, with five – Olivia Purcell, Nina Morrison, Denby Taylor, Tarryn Love and Zoe Inei – eligible to be drafted this year.
Morrison (the co-player of the championships) and Purcell (the Falcons' best and fairest) in particular are tipped to be selected very early in the draft.
It's a tough decision to make for players; if they nominate solely for Geelong in an attempt to dictate their club of choice, they run the risk of not being drafted at all if the Cats don't choose them.
By contrast, if players choose to nominate for Victoria, they can be selected by six clubs.
The Cats have shown a tendency to sign local players, with 13 of their VFLW list also on their AFLW list.
They added two more open-age signings on Friday, with former Bulldog and current Darebin defender Meghan McDonald and Hawthorn VFLW midfielder Julia Crockett-Grills joining.
Fellow expansion club North Melbourne also added three players: winger Jess Trend (Essendon VFLW), versatile key position Taylor Mesiti (Casey Demons) and inside midfielder Alison Drennan (Southern Saints).
Drennan has played college basketball in the United State, but now has two years of football under her belt.
North Melbourne now has 23 players and one rookie on its list, while Geelong has 18 players.
All AFLW clubs have until Friday, September 28, to sign up to three rookies (there is no rookie draft), with the NAB AFLW Draft to be held on Tuesday, October 23, in Melbourne.
