FREMNATLE has discovered a batch of potential future recruits for its women's team from a talent search at the weekend.
The elite dozen, with basketball and cricket backgrounds, were identified from 60 hopefuls put through a series of trials, including ball skills, beep testing, sprinting, jumping and agility.
The Dockers, already guaranteed a powerful team in the 2017 AFL women's league, plan to develop the untapped group at the club over coming months.
"We'll definitely have players who will represent Fremantle out of that day," Dockers women's coach Michelle Cowan said.
"We have 12 girls who we're really keen to have further discussions with and get them down to the club to do further football testing over the next three weeks.
"We've got time on our side in terms of nominating for the draft. Their athletic ability certainly ticks the boxes, but we're looking whether the football ability does as well."
Cowan will scrutinise the WAWFL finals series over the next three weeks as she prepares to compile her playing list from the draft in October.
More than 300 women who registered for last Saturday's talent search at Emmanuel College will be encouraged to join local football clubs to bolster future recruiting stocks.
"We'll use those (finals) games to have a look at established players and the talent search day was to unleash some new talent we weren't aware of," she said.
The AFL marquee player selections last month underlined the strength of Western Australia's women's football, with half of the 16 picked originally from the state.
Aside from Dockers' midfielders Kara Donnellan (Swan Districts) and Kiara Bowers (Coastal Titans), the other westerners in demand were forwards Chelsea Randall (Swan Districts) and Kellie Gibson (Swan Districts and now Morphettville Park), who will join Adelaide; midfield duo Renee Forth (Coastal Titans) and Emma Swanson (East Fremantle), who will play for GWS; forward Sabrina Frederick-Traub (South Fremantle), who will call Brisbane home, and ruck Emma King (Coastal Titans), now a Magpie.
