Women’s AFL preview: An in-depth look at each team

The women’s AFL season is just around the corner. Here is how each team lines up ahead of this historic year.

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Adelaide
With a huge amount of talent on display throughout the South-Australian Women’s League, it was very difficult to combine a squad to compete in the upcoming inaugural Women’s AFL series. To start off with, the Crows made sure that they secured the services of Ebony Marinoff, arguably the hottest talent in South Australia.

Marinoff was picked at number seven, and is a much decorated player, featuring in three premierships and being named as an All-Australian. Well-known player Abbey Holmes also received a Crows jersey, after an entertaining display of football in the EJ Whitten Legends game as well as behind the scenes playing for her local club.

The Crows will be looking forward to expose the rest of the competition to the unique talent that South Australia possesses, in a bid to create a promising start for their campaign as an exciting young side in the Women’s AFL competition.

Predicted finish: seventh

Brisbane
The Brisbane Lions experienced a glimpse of the talent that the women’s AFL competition holds in an exhibition match against the Demons.

Despite their heavy defeat, the Lions managed to secure a squad in the upcoming competition, in a bid to prove that they are more experienced and more capable of victory since their last match.

This has been achieved by securing the services of Tayla Harris, the possessor of arguably the most renowned and prolific kicking technique in the game. While donning the blue and the red for the Demons, Harris provided versatility and experience in the forward line, while also playing a role as an innovator throughout the forward 50 thanks to her creative ball movement and innate knowledge of the game.

Sabrina Frederick-Traub will be a vital support for Harris, thanks to her robust marking ability and her incredible athleticism in all dimensions of the field.

Frederick-Traub is capable of displaying her dominance both in the ruck and up forward, which, combined with Harris, will be a lethal pairing this season and in future seasons to come.

Predicted finish: eighth

Carlton
The Blues claimed a huge scalp by securing the services of their graphic designer, Darcy Vescio. Formerly a Bulldog, Vescio was a feature player in the exhibition matches between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs over the years, due to her athleticism and hunger for the ball around the contest.

The 23-year-old is also capable of demonstrating her football smarts in front of goals, where she combined with goal-kicking machine Moana Hope many times during their years together in the red, white and blue.

Now, Vescio will have the chance to combine with Carlton captain, Lauren Arnell, renowned for her wonderful on-field leadership and maturity on the field. The former basketball player has represented Victoria a whopping six times and has also made her way into the women’s all Australian team three times.

She will be assisted by vice-captain, Brianna Davey, who has shown real promise while playing for St Kilda in the VWFL. Her experience as a goalkeeper in the W-League also means that she has explosive power as well as an elite set of reflexes – perfect for quick handball receives and fast football, which will be on display during the inaugural series.

Predicted finish: third

Collingwood
Securing the services of forward Moana Hope has arguably solidified the Pies as firm favourites to take the competition by storm. Hope has been the talk of the women’s football world after her six-goal haul against the Demons last September.

However, this isn’t an unfamiliar sight, as Hope achieved an incredible milestone by becoming the first female footballer to kick 100 goals in a season while representing St Kilda in the VWFL.

The dominant forward isn’t the only exciting prospect for the Pies though, as they’ve also gained the signature of Steph Chiocchi, a savvy midfielder with an innate ability to burst through the contest and rack up the possessions.

Experiencing a lot of footy together has meant that these innovative and talented women will be able to provide the necessary leadership and pathways for the young Magpies to develop and bee ruthless in their approach to foot both now and into the future.

Predicted finish: second

Fremantle
Despite an array of talent being recruited by the Dockers, they have secured the biggest scalp in the much sought-after coach Michelle Cowan. Cowan coached the Melbourne women’s team, who had a perfect record against the Bulldogs in the exhibition matches prior to 2016.

The mother and coach has a wealth of knowledge about the game and provides great insights into the tactics and strategies that the girls will require to contest with some of the best female footballers in the country.

She will play a prolific role in coaching players like Ebony Antonio and Belinda Smith.

Antonio is a robust defender who previously displayed her talent in the red and blue. Now in purple, she will be looking to consolidate her athleticism and talent in a bid to show the competition the power of the girls from the west.

Smith will complement Antonio in defence, thanks to her agility and versatility throughout the back line, giving her an opportunity to solidify the Dockers’ position as one of the in-form teams to watch.

Predicted finish: fourth

GWS
The Giants were very enthusiastic about displaying the talents of their young girls, and securing the number one draft pick has meant that they could be the surprise package of the Women’s AFL season.

Nicola Barr was recruited from the Sydney University Bombers and was named the best and fairest player in the AFL Sydney competition, meaning that she will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming inaugural series.

The Giants have also followed in the footsteps of the other clubs by turning to different sporting codes to secure their talent for the series. In doing so, they’ve gained the signatures of Ellie Brush and Jessica Bibby, who are stars in the W-League and WNBL, respectively.

While this may be a bold experiment, the Giants have the facilities and the coaching staff to turn this group of young and excited athletes into mature and versatile AFL footballers.

Predicted finish: sixth

Melbourne
Daisy Pearce has become the face of Melbourne, due to her consistency in the red and the blue over the years.

Pearce racked up 30 disposals (including seven clearances and four inside-50s) in the 2015 exhibition match against the Bulldogs, giving a glimpse to the rest of the country into the amount of talent that is on display among the women of the AFL.

Her skills will be complemented by the dominance of Elise O’Dea and Melissa Hickey. The Darebin Falcons duo have played a vital role in the Falcons’ dominance in the VWFL thanks to O’Dea’s impressive ball-handling throughout the middle of the ground and Hickey’s robust defence in the depths of the defensive 50.

A player to watch will be Sarah Lampard, a young player with an exciting amount of promise.

Recruited form the VU Western Spurs, Lampard is an athletic young girl who has an innate capacity to display her versatility across all areas of the ground.

Predicted finish: fourth

Western Bulldogs
Spear-headed by personal trainer and versatile forward, Katie Brennan, the Bulldogs look to consolidate their recent dominance in the exhibition matches against Melbourne in the inaugural Women’s AFL season.

Brennan won the inaugural Susan Alberti award for being the best and fairest player in the Western Bulldogs’ women’s team, warning the rest of the competition about her wealth of knowledge up forward and her ferocity in front of goals.

Ellie Blackburn will also once again don the red, white and blue, meaning that the other midfielders in the competition will have to be on the lookout for Blackburn’s ferocity and agility in the depths of the contest.

Aasta O’Connor will also be a prolific player throughout the series, as her previous role as the Bulldogs’ captain means that she will be able to naturally display her robust defence in a bid to lead by example and inspire the young faces to join a dominant Bulldogs team I the inaugural women’s AFL season.

Predicted finish: first