The Western Bulldogs have revealed a new-look line-up to begin the 2021 NAB AFLW Season, when they face St Kilda at RSEA Park on Friday night.
Ellie Blackburn will lead a youthful Bulldogs team into battle, with one club debutante and two AFLW debutantes to feature.
Former Collingwood player Katie Lynch will pull on the red, white and blue for the first time after seven games in two seasons as a Magpie.
Teenage duo Jess Fitzgerald and Sarah Hartwig will both make their AFLW debuts.
Both were selected in last year’s NAB AFLW Draft – Fitzgerald with pick two and Hartwig with pick 11.
Remarkably, almost half of the Bulldogs’ team is aged 21 or under – led by reigning best and fairest winner Izzy Huntington.
All five of the Bulldogs’ top 10 draft picks from the past two seasons – Fitzgerald, Gabby Newton, Nell Morris-Dalton, Gemma Lagioia and Elisabeth Georgostathis – have been named.
The two emergencies are Naomi Ferres and the yet-to-debut Issy Grant.
Fox Footy will broadcast the match live, with the first bounce at 7.10pm AEDT.
ROUND 1 TEAM
St Kilda v Western Bulldogs
Friday 29 January, 7.10pm AEDT
RSEA Park
B: Angelica Gogos, Eleanor Brown
HB: Sarah Hartwig, Isabel Huntington, Gabby Newton
C: Gemma Lagioia, Ellie Blackburn, Deanna Berry
HF: Jess Fitzgerald, Kirsty Lamb, Brooke Lochland
F: Bonnie Toogood, Bailey Hunt
Foll: Celine Moody, Elisabeth Georgostathis, Katie Lynch
Int: Nell Morris-Dalton, Dani Marshall, Britney Gutknecht, Ashleigh Guest, Lauren Spark
Emer: Isabella Grant, Naomi Ferres
