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The AFL women's competition has secured its first high-profile code-hopper with Carlton achieving an in-principle agreement with international goalkeeper Brianna Davey who has chosen Australian rules football over soccer.
The Blues have offered the former Matilda a three-day-week community role and prioritised her recruitment in their five-player marquee wish-list lodged late last week with the AFL.
Carlton football boss Andrew Mackay confirmed the club had offered Davey a job and that she had finally made a call between the two football codes. "It would be excellent to get her," he said. "She's a very good player."
Controversially dropped by the Australian selectors on the eve of last year's World Cup Davey, 21, then placed herself in the women's draft for exhibition games between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.
Taken by the Bulldogs at No.1 she then returned to soccer playing in Melbourne City's winning W-League season including its grand final victory in January over Sydney FC. Davey resisted initial approaches from the Matildas after being dumped and stated she would dedicate herself to Australian rules football in a bid to place herself in the first national draft.
She told Fairfax Media in March that she had not yet reached a decision between the oval and round balls but has since starred at half-back for the St Kilda Sharks in the Victorian Women's Football League. Recently appointed Carlton women's coach Damien Keeping told the Blues they should target the physical defender.
McKay said he expected the AFL to finalise two $25,000 marquee players per team by mid-July. Determined to work to equalise the new eight-team league, each side has lodged five preferred franchise stars with the AFL sounding out the game's best woman footballers and two going to each team respectively.
Collingwood also spoke to Davey about a part-time position at its club but the Blues have guaranteed her three days a week in the community area on the proviso they can contract her. The salary cap in season No.1 is expected to rest at $180,000 per side.
Davey first represented Australia in 2012 as a 16-year-old and by the time of her shock omission from the Matildas in 2015 had played 18 internationals. After Gillon McLachlan fast-forwarded the launch of the National Women's League he stated that the AFL hoped to attract some of the country's best female athletes.
Davey last year told soccer's Women's Game website of the AFL threat: "To be honest I think yes. I think a lot of codes have to worry.
"Footy will be quite attractive to a lot of girls because it's not discriminating against anything. With sports like basketball for example, you have to be tall most of the time. Whereas footy it doesn't matter if you're small or tall. It's one of those where literally anyone can play it."
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-wo...-to-refuse-20160704-gpyehx.html#ixzz4DXfKZJL8
The Blues have offered the former Matilda a three-day-week community role and prioritised her recruitment in their five-player marquee wish-list lodged late last week with the AFL.
Carlton football boss Andrew Mackay confirmed the club had offered Davey a job and that she had finally made a call between the two football codes. "It would be excellent to get her," he said. "She's a very good player."
Controversially dropped by the Australian selectors on the eve of last year's World Cup Davey, 21, then placed herself in the women's draft for exhibition games between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.
Taken by the Bulldogs at No.1 she then returned to soccer playing in Melbourne City's winning W-League season including its grand final victory in January over Sydney FC. Davey resisted initial approaches from the Matildas after being dumped and stated she would dedicate herself to Australian rules football in a bid to place herself in the first national draft.
She told Fairfax Media in March that she had not yet reached a decision between the oval and round balls but has since starred at half-back for the St Kilda Sharks in the Victorian Women's Football League. Recently appointed Carlton women's coach Damien Keeping told the Blues they should target the physical defender.
McKay said he expected the AFL to finalise two $25,000 marquee players per team by mid-July. Determined to work to equalise the new eight-team league, each side has lodged five preferred franchise stars with the AFL sounding out the game's best woman footballers and two going to each team respectively.
Collingwood also spoke to Davey about a part-time position at its club but the Blues have guaranteed her three days a week in the community area on the proviso they can contract her. The salary cap in season No.1 is expected to rest at $180,000 per side.
Davey first represented Australia in 2012 as a 16-year-old and by the time of her shock omission from the Matildas in 2015 had played 18 internationals. After Gillon McLachlan fast-forwarded the launch of the National Women's League he stated that the AFL hoped to attract some of the country's best female athletes.
Davey last year told soccer's Women's Game website of the AFL threat: "To be honest I think yes. I think a lot of codes have to worry.
"Footy will be quite attractive to a lot of girls because it's not discriminating against anything. With sports like basketball for example, you have to be tall most of the time. Whereas footy it doesn't matter if you're small or tall. It's one of those where literally anyone can play it."
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-wo...-to-refuse-20160704-gpyehx.html#ixzz4DXfKZJL8
