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News 2021 St.Kilda AFLW Media Thread

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Just found a little write-up about them.

27-year-old midfielder Drennan and 30-year-old ruck Watt both earned VFLW Team of the Year selection and spots on AFLW lists (North Melbourne and Carlton respectively) following standout 2018 seasons. Drennan was prolific in averaging 22 disposals, eight tackles and six clearances per game in 14 VFLW matches, while Watt dominated at stoppages to average 15 disposals, 27 hitouts and four clearances in her 14 appearances.

Also saw that based on the players in the VFLW Team of the Year, Ali was 2nd for disposals, 1st for contested disposals and 2nd for tackles
 
Persevering Saint said:
So, for those who have followed these players, how are we looking? Like, could we be a force,
or is this just going to be a get used to the comp year?
Click to expand...

We scooped a whole heap of mid range players, which is great for depth as it's vitally important in W. Lack of marquee/s sticks out like a sore thumb though, so no I don't think we'll be a force next season. What would work in our best interest is to play the long game and build through the draft because we will never have the $$$ or endorsements to entice established A-grades like Richmond, Carlton and Collingwood can do (they can package careers, cars, sponsorships outside the official "salary cap" - which for semi-professional athletes is a big big carrot, just like the old days). We just gotta develop our own and hope like hell they stay loyal, the fact that we signed a large chunk of the Southern Saints who got drafted last year is a great start.

The Brisbane duo are comfortably our best signings, but there is a 2nd sign and trade window coming up this week so there's still time to pull a surprise (OG Saints fan Darcy Vescio pls :praying:).
 
Last edited:
CHBench said:
The Brisbane duo are comfortably our best signings, but there is a 2nd sign and trade window coming up this week so there's still time to pull a surprise (OG Saints fan Darcy Vescio pls :praying:).
Click to expand...

You know... there's a Melbourne AFLW player who didn't play this season, hasn't been announced as signing on with the Dees yet for 2020... and previously played under St Kilda AFLW coach Peta Searle at Darebin...


Daisy Pearce.
 
CrowdedHouse said:
You know... there's a Melbourne AFLW player who didn't play this season, hasn't been announced as signing on with the Dees yet for 2020... and previously played under St Kilda AFLW coach Peta Searle at Darebin...


Daisy Pearce.
Click to expand...
Is there anything to this or just speculating?
 

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Wright 1 said:
Yeah very controversial that. It’s expected they will trade it to the Dogs & that’s why they got it. Queries over the AFLs reasoning
Click to expand...
Convenience by the AFL.

Pick 1 from will go to Bulldogs in a trade for Conti
Pick 2 from Collingwood will go for Davey

Joke.
 
As we prepare to enter the AFLW competition in 2020 I figured we should get this sub-forum created now.

I will leave the AFLW thread on the main board for now, as we slowly fill this sub-forum with news, game day for the VFLW, etc.

We will be relying on our members to keep this forum updated and thriving and we will have player threads just as we do for the men's team.

Thanks & enjoy!
 

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APR 17. 2019. 1:14 PM
'Tragic Saints fan' takes the reins of inaugural AFLW side
Sarah Black

FROM standing behind the boundary in a pocket at Moorabbin Oval as a young fan to being named inaugural coach of St Kilda's AFL Women's team.

It's been quite the journey for Peta Searle.

The well-credentialed coach has officially accepted the AFLW senior coach role at the Saints, after long being expected to land the job.

The self-described "tragic Saints fan" has been at the club since 2014 as a development coach with the AFL side. She's also coach of the club's VFLW team, the Southern Saints.

Before that, she spent time at a host of clubs – she was an assistant under now-Carlton AFLW coach Daniel Harford at VAFA club St Kevin's, a development coach at now-NAB League side Western Jets and an assistant to Gary Ayres at VFL club Port Melbourne. And she coached the Darebin Falcons to five straight flags in the VWFL (now the VFLW).

"We're going to be a young side. It's an expansion team, but you should expect to see some really good young kids who can handle the ball," Searle told womens.afl.

"We'll surround them with really good leaders. We believed we had really good leaders last year (at VFLW level) and hopefully they'll be back with us. Saints fans will see a really exciting, good bunch of girls who know what they're doing and how to play the game.

"Bringing footy back to Moorabbin, the club's heartland, will be great. I live 500 metres from (the Western Bulldogs' home ground) Whitten Oval, so to think we could create that atmosphere – if not better – here, and bring footy back to Moorabbin via the girls, is a great result."

Searle said having two years heading the Saints' VFLW program before the team joins the AFLW competition in 2020 would be incredibly beneficial.

"It's like a trial run … it seemed like a natural progression for me to start coaching that team," she said.

"We obviously did too good a job, because quite a few got drafted (seven in 2018) and we have to find another group of players this year."

Searle is full-time at the club, oscillating between her development role with the AFL team and heading up the women's program. Having one person working full-time overseeing the program allows female players time to work directly with her on developing their skills.

"A lot of the girls do extras … oftentimes the (AFL players) are on the basketball courts working on skills when the girls are.

"Just to have that natural integration has been really positive for the club. It hasn't just been, 'Here's a girls' team, get used to it' … it's just naturally evolved," she said.

"The other day, I was doing some stuff with the girls, and (former Blue) Kate Shierlaw ,who has a broken hand, was trying to get involved.

"'Ratts' (Brett Ratten, an assistant coach with the AFL team) came down and started working with her one-on-one. That just happens now naturally. It's positive, not just for the girls coming into the club, but the club as a whole."

To date, St Kilda has signed midfielder Alison Drennan (from North Melbourne), flanker Darcy Guttridge (Collingwood), ruck Rhiannon Watt (Carlton) and key defender Selena Karlson (Western Bulldogs) from other clubs, with Searle forecasting the Saints to potentially bring a new element to the competition.

"Footy has already evolved quite a bit over the past three years and it will evolve again.

"Adelaide has set the benchmark; speed's really important, as well as ball use, but there are other aspects I think haven't been explored, so there are lots of possibilities moving forward."

Like all coaches, Searle has one overarching aim, although with a uniquely St Kilda slant.

"It's thrown out there a bit … the fact the club has won only one premiership.

"There's a fair bit of, 'Enough's enough, time to win a second one'. I've said to the girls, 'Why can't we be the ones to bring in that second cup?'"


​
 
Looks like we have grabbed Mackie from WB and Whitford from Melbourne.

Gave up 9 for Mackie, 24 and 30.

Gave up 54 & 72 for Whitford and 63.
 
Looks like we are going for pace.

The player form Melbourne is Claudia Whitfort. Interesting selection, great athlete but a terrible footballer did stuff all at Melbourne. Hope she commits to our VFLW program as spends winter playing netball instead of trying to improve her game.

Emma Mackie would be Close to mid thirties but supremely fit.
 
SaintJunior said:
Looks like we are going for pace.

The player form Melbourne is Claudia Whitfort. Interesting selection, great athlete but a terrible footballer did stuff all at Melbourne. Hope she commits to our VFLW program as spends winter playing netball instead of trying to improve her game.

Emma Mackie would be Close to mid thirties but supremely fit.
Click to expand...
How do you think the team is shaping up? Who should we be excited about?
 

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Tara-Bohanna-895x490.jpg


VFLW SEASON PREVIEW: Southern Saints​

Southern Saints senior coach Peta Searle gives her thoughts on the club’s upcoming Swisse Wellness VFL Women’s season.​



2018 FINISH: 8th (5-9 record)

2018 BEST AND FAIREST: =1. Alison Drennan and Rhiannon Watt / 3. Samantha Johnson

2018 TEAM OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS: Alison Drennan, Rhiannon Watt

2018 AFL WOMEN’S DRAFTEES: Alison Drennan (North Melbourne – pre-list), Eleanor Brown (Western Bulldogs), Charlotte Wilson (Carlton), Selena Karlson (Western Bulldogs), Courteney Munn (North Melbourne), Rhiannon Watt (Carlton), Shelley Heath (Melbourne)

AFL WOMEN’S AFFILIATE: St Kilda

2019 SEASON START: vs Collingwood @ RSEA Park, Sunday May 5 (CLICK HERE for full fixture)




* CLICK HERE for information on purchasing a 2019 membership for Southern Saints and other VFL Women’s clubs.​





KEY RECRUITS (non-AFLW-listed)​

Olivia Vesely
(20yo in 2019, from Carlton VFLW): “Olivia was a Sandringham Dragons (under-18) player and I tried to get her to the Saints last year, but she played (seven VFLW games) at Carlton. She has some talent as an inside midfielder. She’s very clean below the knees and has a good sidestep that helps her find a way out of traffic.”

Poppy Kelly
(21yo in 2019, from Beaumaris): “Poppy hasn’t played much footy at all and needs to do a little bit of work, but her ruck work is phenomenal. She’s quite athletic and can just jump over the top of people, but she has really good palm control as well. Hopefully with six months in our program she’ll be having an influence at VFLW level.”

Louella McCarthy
(29yo in 2019, from South Adelaide/Carlton VFLW): “Louella is a Mildura girl who went to South Australia and has come back across to Victoria. She’s an elite ball-user.”

Deanna Jolliffe
(26yo in 2019, from Mornington): “Deanna is quite raw having been a SEABL basketballer, but I reckon she has a lot of (ex-Western Bulldogs/now Richmond AFLW star) Monique Conti about her.”

Caitlin Greiser
(20yo in 2019, from Western Jets/Melbourne Uni): “Caitlin is a strong girl and plays as an imposing forward. Her nickname is the ‘G-Train’ because she has great acceleration. She also has good hands and can easily kick the ball 50 metres.”​





PRE-SEASON PERFORMERS

Tara Bohanna
(24yo in 2019, 20 VFLW games): “Tara has come back much fitter this year. For a tall forward, her running trials have been outstanding. She just knows the right running patterns to make on the field – she gets on the end of plays and her body work is improving. She was our leading goalkicker last year (15 majors) and I’d expect her to be up there again.”

Samantha Johnson
(27yo in 2019, 14 VFLW games): “Sammy has had a few hiccups this pre-season with some unfortunate niggles, but we’d expect her to take another step up this year. She was the runner-up in our best-and-fairest award last year.”





AFLW DRAFT PROSPECTS

“We have to get six St Kilda AFLW players from our group this year, so we need those players I’ve mentioned to give it a good shot in the VFLW.
“There are another 10 or so players who are around the mark too, like Georgia Ricardo (20yo in 2019, 11 VFLW games) – who’s a very good ball-user and getting better as a defender – and Kate Shierlaw (30yo in 2019, 20 VFLW games), who’s a good inclusion for us this season. She’s an athletic key forward who was on Carlton’s AFLW list for two years before being delisted and playing with the Darebin Falcons last year.”​




LEADERSHIP MATERIAL​

Leadership group members:​
  • Leah Olsen (30yo in 2019, 38 VFLW games)​
  • Tara Bohanna (see above)​
  • Kate Shierlaw (see above)​
  • Elizabeth Keaney (28yo in 2019, 19 VFLW games)​
  • Samantha Johnson (see above)​
​



TEAM STRENGTHS

“We’ve had Alison Drennan and Rhiannon Watt come back to us (signing with St Kilda AFLW after playing with North Melbourne and Carlton in the 2019 season), as well Courteney Munn (from North Melbourne) and Selena Karlson (Western Bulldogs). We’ve also signed Alison Brown from our VFLW side to the AFLW team, so clearly our group built a good culture last year and those girls want to be here.

“A lot of the AFLW players we’ve recruited (to St Kilda) are quite fast, and our VFLW side was probably lacking a bit of leg speed last year. They’re also playing with a bit more composure already this year; we ranked pretty high in contested ball in 2018 but we couldn’t quite use it well enough, so we’ve worked really hard on our ball use.”​





ASSISTANT COACHING PANEL​
  • Nathan Burke (retained from 2018)​
  • Tony Purcella (from Sandringham Dragons)​
  • Dale Robertson (retained from 2018)​
  • Georgia Walker (former Southern Saints player)​




HEADLINE YOU WANT TO SEE​

“We always talk about looking to get better and improve, so I think ‘Saints earning the right to be successful’ is a good line.”​
 
from the AFL site.-

ST KILDA
Signed: Alison Brown (academy), Alison Drennan (North Melbourne), Nat Exon (Brisbane), Darcy Guttridge (Collingwood), Selena Karlson (Western Bulldogs), Melissa Kuys (Collingwood), Tilly Lucas-Rodd (Carlton), Emma Mackie (Western Bulldogs), Kate McCarthy (Brisbane), Molly McDonald (u/18), Courteney Munn (North Melbourne), Cat Phillips (Melbourne), Isabella Shannon (u/18), Jess Sedunary (Adelaide), Rhiannon Watt (Carlton), Claudia Whitfort (Melbourne).
Traded: Pick 9 to Western Bulldogs for Emma Mackie, picks 24 and 30. First-round selection (now pick 15) to Brisbane for Kate McCarthy. Picks 54 and 72 to Melbourne for Claudia Whitfort and pick 63.
Expansion Signings/Delisted: N/A (expansion club)
Verdict: The Saints flew under the radar somewhat compared to the other expansion teams, but they picked up a good mix of players. Exon, McCarthy and Sedunary are strong signings, while Kuys and Mackie add experience. Are still a few defenders short, but have plenty of room to add to the list, having signed only 16 players to date.
 

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