THE GROUP of players set to join the AFLW in the 2025 draft is widely considered to be one of the deepest pools of top-end talent the game has seen in since the competition began.
The last time there was such a deeply talented addition of players was ahead of the 2020 season, where the AFLW landscape was very different
Four new clubs were on the horizon in 2019, which meant expansion signings were announced throughout the year before the official draft took place in October. In total, 135 new players arrived on lists for 2020, and their impact on the game has proven to be significant.
Those whose first season was in 2020 have played an average of 60.4 per cent of possible home and away games since round one that year. This is the second-highest proportion of games played on average by any one season's cohort, and an indicator of just how important the class of 2020 has been across the competition.
Two-time premiership forward Dakota Davidson, the first ever Irishwoman to be named All-Australian Orla O'Dwyer, and record-breaking ruck Mim Strom are just three of those whose careers began in 2020.
Outside of the first season, in which 226 players were inducted to fill the inaugural eight club lists, and the final round of expansion in 2022 (S7) where 146 new players were signed, 2020 is the biggest intake of talent across the competition's history.
Of 2020's 135 players, 65.9 per cent were technically 'mature-aged' signings, meaning they were born prior to 2001. This is the fourth-highest percentage of mature-agers added to AFLW lists in the competition's history, including the first intake of players (93.8 per cent) and the 2023 supplementary intake (85.1 per cent) which was used as a stop gap after two seasons in 2022.
This is largely a result of the expansion period forcing clubs to rely on broad talent identification methods, rather than focusing heavily on the products of the talent pathways alone. It was the start of the boom in Irish signings, with 13 Irish rookies recruited – only the supplementary intake in 2023 had more with 14 – while older draftees were identified across state league competitions.
Given the nature of that expansion phase, Brisbane and Fremantle were hit hardest by the introduction of cross-town rivals Gold Coast and West Coast respectively. The Lions farewelled 15 players throughout the off-season – half their list – while the Dockers lost 12 players in that time.
In order to replace those lost, both clubs relied heavily on recruiting new faces, opting to utilise both the draft and the other sport rookie spaces afforded to AFLW clubs.
It was that pivot in list management from both clubs that bore Áine Tighe, Greta Bodey, and Orla O'Dwyer as rookies, while the likes of Dakota Davidson, Cathy Svarc, and Emma O'Driscoll were all identified as mature-aged draftees.
Brisbane still boasts nine players who first landed in the AFLW in 2020, including six recruited directly to the club at the time, and three who have made the move from the Suns in Taylor Smith, Ellie Hampson, and Dee Heslop.
Between them, the class of 2020 has won 23 premierships – the second most of any season's intake – and earned 20 All Australian guernseys, while three – Janelle Cuthbertson (Port Adelaide), Lucy McEvoy (Sydney), and Hannah Priest (St Kilda) – are current club captains.
It is this cohort's achievements that the new crop of players will be out to best, and with names like Ash Centra, Zippy Fish, Sierra Grieves, and Emma McDonald in the mix, there's no reason to think they won't do just that.
