AS THE END of the 2026 NAB AFLW season nears, players have started making decisions about their playing future.
This piece will be updated as retirement announcements are made.
KATE DEMPSEY (RICHMOND)
RICHMOND veteran Kate Dempsey has announced her retirement, effective immediately.
The 31-year-old has struggled at selection this year, playing just two games, but was a regular in the Tigers' line-up on the wing, playing 66 matches since her debut in 2020.
She was signed by Richmond from its VFLW team ahead of its inaugural season, and finished third in the club's best and fairest in both 2023 and 2024.
"This playing group means the world to me and is the reason I have had this career for so long," Dempsey said.
"To my babies Summer and Pip, and my wife Ellie - it has meant the world to me through the back end of my career to be able to experience this with you all.
"I have tried to get through as much as I can this year, and it has not been about selection. But my heart has not really been in it. It was time to put my family first and that is why this decision has had to come mid-way through a season.
"My body and my mind have given me all the information to know this is the right decision. I am really grateful for the opportunities I have been given here all the way through."
Fremantle key defender Ash Brazill is the only other active player to have publicly confirmed their retirement, with the Docker to play out the year before taking the senior coach reins at WAFLW club Peel Thunder.
A number of players – including Adelaide champion Chelsea Randall – announced retirements in month leading into pre-season.
ASH BRAZILL (FREMANTLE)
FREMANTLE'S Ash Brazill will retire at the end of the 2026 season and take up a role as head coach of Peel Thunder's WAFLW side.
A decorated international netballer, Brazill joined Collingwood ahead of the 2018 season before moving to Fremantle in 2024.
Brazill made the announcement in early September and said she was all in on enjoying her final season.
"Everyone probably thought it would be a tough announcement for me, but it’s something I’m really proud of, really excited for,” Brazill said.
“It's not every day - and not every person - who gets to say that they had a 17-year career as an elite athlete. So yeah, I've been in this position where I've thought about it. I've achieved everything that I wanted in my career and it’s now time to give back to the sport.”
Class of 2026
Chelsea Randall (Adelaide)
*Ash Brazill (Fremantle, will finish season)
Claire Ransom (GWS)
Katherine Smith (GWS)
Aileen Gilroy (Hawthorn)
Kate Dempsey (Richmond)
Sophie McDonald (West Coast)