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THE FOUR expansion clubs will be able to sign up to 14 current AFLW players in a special 'expansion signing period', in proposed rules released by the AFL on Monday.
Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney will join the NAB AFLW competition ahead of the 2022-23 season, rounding out all 18 clubs.
The AFL hasn’t yet confirmed rules around the number of players per existing club who can move to new clubs.
Last expansion round, Brisbane and Fremantle could lose up to eight players, given Gold Coast and West Coast were entering the competition, with other teams losing up to four.
The new clubs can also acquire players through the following methods:
The expansion clubs will receive the first eight picks of the state-based draft, with the order to be determined at random.
- Open-age signings: players who have previously nominated for the NAB AFLW Draft and aren’t on a list
- Under-18 talent from their NGA region. There will be a limit on this category, which is yet to be determined
- Sign and trade period: following the expansion signing period. Expansion clubs cannot on-trade players they have signed through other mechanisms
- NAB AFLW Draft
They will then receive remaining picks at the end of each round, following the existing 14 clubs.
A number of Essendon and Hawthorn VFLW players nominated for the 2021 draft, making them eligible for signing as an open-age player.
Bombers VFLW skipper and competition best and fairest Georgia Nanscawen opted not to nominate for the 2021 draft, but should be eligible as an open-age signing as she has previously gone through the drafting process.
The AFL has said final list build rules will be determined in 2022.
I think Bridget Deed and Isabelle Khoury (mids) are the two from the Hawks that really standout. Jess Vukic (ruck) is another possibly who has had a good start. Jaide Anthony would be my top pick, absolute star and should have gone last year. From their VFLW program, Tamara Luke is a potential short-term option as a ruck. Jenna Richardson they rate really highly, Jessie Williams is another who should earn a spot. Then there's the likes of von Bertouch, Stratton and Tegan Cunningham who have AFLW experience they would consider.AFLW Latest News - AFL.com.au/aflw
Latest breaking AFLW news from the official website of the Australian Football League.www.womens.afl
So the Hawks should be able to sign any of the VFLW players who nominated in 2021 or before, sign some existing AFLW players from other clubs, plus two picks in the first 8 and a bunch of later picks.
PMBangers Pie 4 Life any thoughts on who they should keep an eye on?
Yeah I meant to write Jess Grace initially then saw she wasn't on the Hawks list so rather than using any sort of brainpower, for some reason decided to put down the first Jess-named ruck I could think of and it seemed to fit. Anyway, rules were meant to be brokenShe'll have to wait until she's draft eligible in 2023
So essentially players that worked under her at Adelaide.Ash Browne mentioned recently that there’s a few AFLW players who will be keen to play under Goddard again and those who started with our VFL women’s team who will want to get back to the HFC.
I’m not sure how true that is, but I love listening to Bec, so hopefully he’s onto something.
Goddard has been at Hawthorn since 2020, coaching the VFLW.
I'm not really inclined to do the deep dive on who's had contact with her.
Injecting experienced AFLW talent to an inaugural list is "critical" according to Goddard, reflecting on North Melbourne's first squad in 2019.
...
"I know how difficult it is to choose relationships and growth with a layer of financial pressure hanging over it all. I will never criticise any woman who wants to set herself up for now and into the future as a full-time athlete," she said.
Hawthorn has been linked to league Best and Fairest Emily Bates and tough Collingwood midfielder Jaimee Lambert, but also boast a strong VFLW program to draw from.
...
"We wanted a certain training standard that has been different from previous seasons in the VFLW and obviously there's a whole heap of things that have been happening, having COVID affecting so much, but this year we wanted to be really sure that we had high standards and fit players and some quality training because we wanted to prepare the best we could."
While Goddard won't put a number on how many inaugural AFLW Hawks will be drawn from the club's VFLW program, the club's first signing, Bridget Deed, did in fact come from within.
Approved signings:Signings so far:
- Bridget Deed - Eastern Ranges/Hawthorn VFLW (Open Age)
- Zoe Barbakos - Sandringham Dragons (Open Age)
- Sophie Locke - Port Melbourne VFLW (Open Age)
- Dominique Carbone - Hawthorn VFLW (Open Age)
- Eliza Shannon - Hawthorn VFLW (Open Age)
- Tegan Cunningham - Hawthorn VFLW (Open Age)
- Jess Duffin - North Melbourne/Tasmania (AFLW Sign & Trade)
- Tilly Lucas-Rodd - St Kilda (AFLW Sign & Trade)
- Janet Baird - Gold Coast (AFLW Sign & Trade)
- Louise Stephenson - GWS (AFLW Sign & Trade)
- Akec Makur Chuot - Richmond (AFLW Sign & Trade)
- Jenna Richardson - Hawthorn VFLW (Open Age)
- Tamara Luke - Hawthorn VFLW (Open Age)
- Tahlia Fellows - Casey VFLW (Open Age)
- Sarah Perkins - Gold Coast (AFLW Sign & Trade)