Recruiting AFLW Draft, Trade & Sign - 25 players re-signed, list is full, won't be drafting anyone!

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Oct 10, 2007
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Bella Ayre and Renee Tierney are forwards, EAC is defence. We seem to have a lot of forwards but I guess Gee goes through the midfield as well (possibly so do some others). Ayre played in Brisbane's losing Grand Final against the Western Bulldogs in 2018 before she retired from AFLW. Also a former Carlton player.
"The fresh princess of Bella Ayre" can play forward, but has mostly played full-back for us when selected.
 
"The fresh princess of Bella Ayre" can play forward, but has mostly played full-back for us when selected.
I'll cast her as a defender in the spreadsheet then, that makes more sense :)
 
So we're up to 20 players now. Ten to go!

Probably looking for at least a couple more mature players, taking ten picks to the draft is too many I think.
 
Oct 22, 2008
17,314
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Geelong
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Essendon
Non-essendon related, was talking to someone up in the NT about Stephanie Williams, who has just been traded from Geelong to Richmond.

They were critical of geelong not really giving her a go, using her in all the Sir Doug Nicholls promo stuff and still not giving her a run.

A lot of excitement about Richmond picking her up, and they praised the tigers about the amount of support she's already received. "She must've already had a phone call from everyone at the club, Hardwick and everyone have been calling".
 
Jul 15, 2008
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I found this old article about Michaela Long from 2016

Michaela Long turns down AFL Women’s chance, waits for Essendon to enter league

Michaela Long turns down AFL Women’s chance, waits for Essendon to enter league​

MICHAEL Long’s daughter has turned down playing offers from AFL clubs because she wants to represent Essendon when it enters the new women’s league.

Michaela Long told the Herald Sun she rejected approaches from Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney and would return to play at St Mary’s in Darwin next year.

Essendon did not apply to join the inaugural national women’s competition.

Long, 19, played Auskick in Melbourne as a youngster and grew up kicking the footy with brother Jake, who made an impressive debut for the Bombers in Round 21.

Her cousin, Ben Long, is likely to be drafted next month after kicking six goals for Footscray in the preliminary final and playing in the VFL premiership.

Michaela Long could be the first women drafted under the father-daughter rule, which is expected to be introduced by the AFL.

She revealed her Bombers dream at Friday’s The Long Walk Women’s Lunch and is working with Essendon’s Next Generation talent academy in the Tiwi and Maningrida areas.

The young athlete is passionate about developing indigenous football talent in the Northern Territory.

Michael Long said he would be proud to see his son and daughter carry on his legacy at Essendon.

“It’s in the blood. It’s a footy pedigree,” Long said.

“She plays onball, a bit of wing and around the forward line. She was quite a quick athlete as a kid, so I’ve always told her, ‘If you get the ball, run with it’.”

Michaela said at one stage she seriously considered pulling on another team’s colours.

“But then I thought I’m happy to go back to St Mary’s, that’s where my grandfather played and all my uncles played and my brothers continue to play,” Long said.

“I’d love to play AFL footy and the other clubs I got interest from I know people at.

“But Essendon has always felt like home. One day we’ll get a women’s footy team and then I can hopefully play alongside my younger cousins that’ll be old enough then.

“Me and my brother used to argue when we were younger. Jake always had that direct pathway to play AFL footy and girls were never allowed to play so I had to look at other avenues.

“But now I really have no excuse, so I kind of have to. But it would mean the world to me, watching my brother run out this year I was so proud of him.

“For my mum and dad I want to do it for them, especially my father.

“And everybody like Sheeds and people I look up to like Dustin Fletcher, I want to be back home at my family club, Essendon footy club.”

Next year’s women’s competition will feature eight clubs — the Giants, Crows, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Fremantle, Collingwood and pioneers Western Bulldogs and Melbourne.

The league held its women’s draft this week.
 
Jul 15, 2008
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Did she play year 1 of the VFLW? I'm interested to know who the cousins might be...
Not sure, I don't really follow the VFLW to be honest. I just remembered vaguely about her being a player of interest to other teams and wanting to play for Essendon. It's why I'd like to know if anyone here knows anything more.
 
Oct 22, 2008
17,314
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Geelong
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Not sure, I don't really follow the VFLW to be honest. I just remembered vaguely about her being a player of interest to other teams and wanting to play for Essendon. It's why I'd like to know if anyone here knows anything more.
Yeah, same question had crossed my mind. I thought she may have had a couple of games in our first VFLW season or been involved in the launch but got injured or something. Probably question the commitment though given there hasn't been any more about her for a couple of seasons.
 
Jul 15, 2008
10,248
17,186
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Celtics, Colts, Renegades
Yeah, same question had crossed my mind. I thought she may have had a couple of games in our first VFLW season or been involved in the launch but got injured or something. Probably question the commitment though given there hasn't been any more about her for a couple of seasons.
The article says about going back to play for St. Marys and helping develop the game up there, so she could have been doing that, but again I'd have no idea.
 
Jul 15, 2008
10,248
17,186
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Celtics, Colts, Renegades

Kicked a few in the 20/21 season for St Mary's going off a couple of these
Interesting, thanks for that. So she's been playing pretty recently. I imagine given Michael continues to have a relationship with the club if Michaela had any interest he'd be letting them know and we'll find out if she ends up being drafted under the father-daughter rule.
 
Did she play year 1 of the VFLW? I'm interested to know who the cousins might be...
I think it was the second year, 2019. Steph Hird came as well and they made a song and dance about it. I don’t think she came back for 2020 but that season was cancelled anyway because pandemic so I’m not 100% sure if that was the reason.

If there’s room it would be nice to have her but I think Open Age signings have to have nominated for the draft in the past I think though and I’m not sure if she ever did.
 
Trade period is done now, we have 20 players signed out of a total of 30 spots on the primary list, and our picks are 4, 8, 32, 35, 47, 64, 82 in the national draft or equivalently in the Victorian draft 2, 4, 17, 19, 25, 35, 43.

We can go one more pick in the draft which is pick 100/53, or there are also delisted free agency signings (possibly Alana Barba?) and maybe also expansion signings since I'm not entirely clear when the Open Age signing period closes (so more VFLW players maybe). So we might not go that deep in the draft. There's also the possibility of cross-code rookies and things like that too.

However, we need to get on with it if we're signing anyone else, because pre-season starts on Monday!

The draft is on June 29.
 
AFL website write up about our build so far :)

Essendon​

In: Sophie Alexander (Collingwood), Eloise Ashley-Cooper, Bella Ayre, Daria Bannister (North Melbourne), Jorja Borg, Stephanie Cain (Fremantle), Joanne Doonan, Federica Frew, Ellyse Gamble (Western Bulldogs), Georgia Gee (Carlton), Danielle Marshall, Georgia Nanscawen, Catherine Phillips (St Kilda), Madison Prespakis (Carlton), Caitlin Sargent, Renee Tierney, Bonnie Toogood (Western Bulldogs), Sophie Van De Heuvel (Geelong), Jacqui Vogt (St Kilda), Jordan Zanchetta
Out:
Nil
Current draft picks:
4, 8, 32, 35, 47, 64, 82, 100 (2, 4, 17, 19, 25, 35, 43, 53 in VIC)

Essendon has managed to recruit the most experience on average of any expansion club this time around. The appointment of Natalie Wood as head coach no doubt helped matters, with several players keen to play under her. Between the arcs the Bombers look dangerous, with a midfield brigade of Madison Prespakis, Georgia Nascawen and Jordan Zanchetta complemented by wingers Stephanie Cain and Sophie Van De Heuvel. In attack Daria Bannister, Bonnie Toogood and Federica Frew have the potential to really wreak havoc, while Ellyse Gamble and Sophie Alexander are pillars around which a defence can be built.

 

Cup_o_Jobe

All Australian
Aug 9, 2017
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Is the window still open for us to snag some of our current VFLW flock, or is it likely now just the draft to fill out the squad?
 
Is the window still open for us to snag some of our current VFLW flock, or is it likely now just the draft to fill out the squad?
We don’t have an end date for the open age signing period and seem to still be signing players but the last list lodgement before the draft is on the 16th so I’d expect it to all be sorted out by then.

We now have 23 players so 7 spots left for the draft, which is probably about right though. I guess there might still be rookies.
 
If draftees are still completing year 12 they will be called a “development player” and have a bunch of people from the afl, the club, their school and their parent (or whatever) working together to develop a plan for completing year 12 while training and playing, plotting in all the different key dates etc.

Plans will be individualised based on whether they are aiming for a high ATAR or doing a vocational pathway or whatever works for them.

1 training session per week with an optional second session. Can join full training program once they finish.

If they are drafted interstate or far away they can continue training with their current club until they finish school and may have a training plan made for them.

Selection in the team each week will require consultation with the player development manager (point person) at the club.

 
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