- Feb 14, 2018
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AFLW Draft: Tigers welcome three
Richmond welcomed three new players to its AFLW list at Wednesday night's NAB AFLW Draft.
AFLW Draft wrap
Richmond media speaks to Richmond Women's Recruiting Manager after the AFLW season 7 draft
AFLW Draft: Tigers welcome three
Richmond welcomed three new players to its AFLW list at Wednesday night's NAB AFLW Draft.
Richmond boosted its AFLW list by adding three talented players at Wednesday night's NAB AFLW Draft.
The Tigers secured Dandenong Stingrays youngster Charley Ryan (Selection No. 38 overall), as well as mature-age recruits Eilish Sheerin (58 overall) and Katelyn Cox (60) from Inner West Magpies and Hawthorn VFLW.
Eighteen-year-old Ryan had been touted as a potential top-10 draft pick earlier this year before she ruptured her ACL at the Under 18 Championships in March.
The inside-midfielder/wing who Stingrays coach Nick Cox described as the "most coachable player" he had ever worked with, averaged 19 disposals, three marks, three tackles, and over a goal per game in the NAB League this season.
Ryan was particularly prolific in the Round 2 clash against Gippsland, where she amassed 26 touches and booted five goals.
Richmond AFLW Recruiting Manager Trent Mosbey said that Ryan, who is a midfielder who can also go forward, had match-winning ability.
"She can mark it and she's clean with her hands, she's really competitive," Moseby said.
"We look forward to developing her and we think we've got a high-end prospect in future years."
Ryan will be made inactive for the upcoming AFLW season while she recovers from her knee injury, and is expected to be ready for the 2023 season.
Moseby said Ryan's renowned dedication and diligence gave the Tigers great confidence as she completes her ACL rehabilitation program.
"We have great hope and faith that she'll do it to the best of her ability and get back to the Charley that we know," he said.
"She's very motivated to get back to 100 per cent fitness."
"We've got Harriet (Cordner) and Hannah (Burchell) in the ACL rehab program at the moment, so she'll have some buddies to work with which will be great for her development as well," Moseby said.
"We'll have a replacement player join our list, after a number of train-on players join our list to fight for that spot."
Eilish Sheerin is a great story of resilience and perseverance, finding her way onto an AFLW list after previously being a train-on player with the GWS Giants.
The 29-year-old has been a high-level performer for Inner West Magpies in the AFL Sydney competition.
"She's been knocking on the door for an AFLW opportunity for a number of years now," Moseby said.
"She's one of the premier players in the AFL Sydney competition... She's an attacking, competitive beast who can play a number of roles.
"She really stood out with her speed and explosiveness... We're really excited about what she can bring to the Football Club on and off the field.
Sheerin played most of 2022 as an inside midfielder.
However, she is viewed by the Tigers as a potential running defender at AFLW level.
"We see her playing across half-back for us initially," Moseby said.
"Joining that strong group across the backline with Bec Miller, Libby Graham and Maddie Shevlin, Beth Lynch and Sarah D'Arcy, we think we've got a strong core there going forward."
Cox, 24, arrives at Richmond after a successful VFLW campaign with Hawthorn, having crossed from North Melbourne this year.
"Another great story of perseverance...She missed four national drafts in a row and was really desperate for an opportunity," Moseby said.
The 164cm utility has previously played with an array of current Tigers, including Beth Lynch and Meagan Kiely at North Melbourne and Meg Macdonald and the Hosking sisters at Seaford.
Mosbey said Cox had excelled since moving to defence this season, having previously earned herself a spot on North Melbourne’s AFLW list via their VFLW program as a forward/midfielder.
"Having watched her play at Hawthorn's VFLW program in a new role across defence, she showed a lot of speed and was competitive.
"We think we can get an instant impact out of 'Coxy'".
Moseby is confident the Tigers' list is in a good place, as they head into their fourth season in the competition.
"One of the key strategies for our list was to retain as many girls as we could, and we ended up with 24 retained which was a great effort," Moseby said.
"We're rapt to have them back and to add, it's a great sign that the club is building."
"We wanted to add to the athleticism, competitiveness and strong character of our group and we really feel like we've done that.
"We've added a number of girls who can really help us in the short-term and long-term, and we think that's a good balance to have going forward.
We'll keep growing our existing players to reach new heights next year."
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