Ahead of the 2017 AFLW Draft on October 18, all 10 Swisse Wellness VFL Women’s clubs provided their thoughts on what they believe will happen draft day.
Jake Morris spoke to each club about their possible selections, and who they believe deserve to hear their name called to start an AFL career.
Diamond Creek’s Chloe Molloy and Melbourne Uni duo Isabel Huntington and Monique Conti are all predicted to feature early on in this year’s draft, but other Victorian names like Cranbourne’s Darcy Guttridge and St Kilda’s Jenna Bruton could also appear in the early selections.
Leading Diamond Creek to a Grand Final berth this season, Molloy showed a lot of upside this year as the 18 year old. An elite goal kicker, Molloy has great hands, a good burst of speed and her lateral movement is at an AFLW standard.
Conti and Huntington are the two Melbourne Uni prospects predicted to be named early on draft day. Prior to injury last year Huntington has played centre half-forward for the most part but also the ability to join the midfield. Conti has been a great addition to the Melbourne Uni midfield with her speed and quickness around the ball. Huntington is returning from a serious knee injury while Conti is still relatively raw and new to the game, but both will be welcome additions to any AFLW line-up.
Cranbourne’s Darcy Guttridge is also predicted to go early in the draft, with some coaches suggesting she could fall inside the top three. The versatile backman who had stints in the midfield and forward this year, used her explosiveness to break stoppages on the inside, while using her ability to read the play and intercept in the backline to her advantage. Guttridge will be a valuable asset to any side that is lucky enough to pick her up.
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The draft will also be streamed HERE
Box Hill
Olivia Flanagan had an outstanding year in Box Hill’s inaugural VFL W side after transitioning from the Eastern Ranges. Coach Patrick Hill said he has been excited about the growth of Flanagan and is expecting to make a big impact on her new side next year.
“She’s a great overhead mark, has very strong hands and is an elite runner, she just ticks a lot of boxes,” Hill said. He also mentioned the likes of Kirsty Stratton, Jade Van Dyke, Abbie Taylor and Emily Glider who could also hear their names called out on October 18.
“Kirsty comes from a good pedigree and has fantastic foot skills, Jade is a great half-back and with an exceptional pair of hands, holding her own against Moana Hope earlier in the year. Abbie Taylor had a good year in the ruck, rarely losing a ruck duel, while Emily Glider could be a wildcard due to her flashes of brilliance.”
Cranbourne
Darcy Guttridge is one of several names on the draft radar from Cranbourne this year. One of the standout performers from the U/18 Championships earlier in the year, Guttridge has shown how versatile she from defence to the midfield and forward.
Head coach Sein Clearihan is excited about the prospects of Guttridge, but is also expecting Bridie Kennedy and Georgia Gourlay to hear their names called out.
“Darcy is balanced, she dominated in the backline but also showed she can play in the midfield and up-forward – a great trait that will put her in the top three spots in my opinion.”
“They’re both (Bridie & Georgia) fantastic kids and you can’t question their attitude towards footy, I am expecting and hoping that Bridie will be selected in the middle of the draft and Georgia shortly afterwards.”
Alongside Chloe Molloy, Kennedy was named winner of the inaugural TAC Cup Girls best-and-fairest earlier this year for Dandenong Stingrays.
Darebin
The Falcons once again claimed the VFL Women’s Premiership and despite boasting an already impressive number of AFLW players, coaching director Richard Dal Pos believes Darebin’s potential draftees could be the likes of first year player Annalyse Lister, wily veteran Stephanie Simpson and former AFLW player Meg McDonald.
McDonald was an injury replacement for the Western Bulldogs last season and unfortunately, wasn’t able to hold her spot on the senior list. This time around, she will be looking to really cement herself in a side.
Former Hockey player Lister was also impressive in her first season of football. The 27 year old surprised many with her efficient use of the ball and would make a handy addition to any side that may need a tagger.
Steph Simpson has played for Darebin since 2009 and previously was drafted for Western Bulldogs in 2014 for the exhibition game versus Melbourne.
Diamond Creek
Chloe Molloy continues to garner the most interest from clubs and is expected to be selected early in what has been a rapid rise. Molloy was instrumental in-front of goal this year for her side and will only improve in the coming years.
Head coach Scott Gowans said if he was the selecting, he would take Molloy with the first pick. “She just offers so much upside and is willing to learn and improve, a fantastic quality, I’d take her one but she will definitely go top three.”
Ashleigh Riddell, Sophie Abbatangelo and Reni Hicks are also right in the mix for an AFLW selection and according to Gowans, will all find their way onto a list.
“Ashleigh is good enough to be a first round pick, but with most clubs already possessing a number of traditional midfielders from the draft last year, her number might slide down slightly.”
“I’m expecting Sophie to go in that 15-20 range simply because of how opportunistic she is and has an elite motor to be able to run for days.”
“Reni has never had a bad game and will continue to do her a role every time out, and those are the type of players that coaches love, she’ll find her way onto a list.”
Eastern Devils
The Devils arguably have three draft prospects this year, with Tahni Nestor, Sophie Alexander and Maddie Johns all gathering attention from AFLW sides from their play this season. Nestor in particular is the most likely to be selected, after featuring on Carlton’s AFLW list last season as an injury call-up player, and showed she is more than capable of earning her spot.
Head coach Brendan Major gave credit to the youngster who showed a lot of improvement in areas of development, in particular her physicality around the ball.
“Tahni was always a little hesitant around the ball earlier in the year but has since really improved and developed her ability to use her strength to get the ball and move it forward, she would be an asset to any AFLW side.”
Sophie Alexander also showed some flashes of brilliance for a big bodied midfielder this season, with Major saying that her raw talent and body size for a midfielder would make her hot property come draft day, while outside chance Maddy Johns who played netball until this year, also possess a lot of raw talent that may be worth taking a chance on.
