L-R: Zippy Fish, Kiara Bowers, Sophie McKay. Pictures: AFL Photos

CHLOE Molloy will play her first match minutes after rupturing her ACL last season, Kiara Bowers returns after giving birth to son Luca in August, and the next generation of AFLW talent will be unleashed during Saturday’s practice matches across the country. 

Molloy has been named in Sydney’s forward line, with exciting draftee Zippy Fish also included in the Swans’ side.

Carlton father-daughter draftee Sophie McKay will run out in her freshly minted no.55 jumper for the first time alongside sister – and captain – Abbie against Greater Western Sydney.

Fremantle duo Kiara Bowers (pregnancy) and Ange Stannett (ACL) will line up in the midfield for the side’s clash with St Kilda on Saturday morning, while Indi Strom, younger sister of All-Australian ruck Mim has been named in defence.

Fresh North Melbourne recruit Eilish Sheerin has overcome knee bruising to be named at half back for the reigning premier, while the side’s 2024 leading goalkicker Alice O’Loughlin is just an emergency as she works back from her own thigh injury.

Claudia Whitfort, Jac Dupuy, Katie Lynch, and Lauren Bella will all miss for Gold Coast, and opposition Geelong will be without Jackie Parry, Shelley Scott, and Chloe Scheer. 

Greater Western Sydney will unveil Eleanor Brown in defence, and exciting Irishwoman Grace Kós in the ruck, while Eilish O’Dowd is still in Ireland, preparing to play for Dublin in Sunday’s All-Ireland Championship game. Isabel Huntington and Jess Doyle have been named as emergencies. 

St Kilda has chosen to bring Bianca Jakobsson, Rene Caris, and Lilu Hung into its VFLW program, but Jakobsson and Hung have still been named for the AFLW practice match, while Charlotte Simpson will miss as she manages a back concern. 

Ellie Blackburn will play for the Western Bulldogs, returning from a nasty foot injury that limited her 2024 campaign, and in the absence of Deanna Berry and Isabelle Pritchard, Issy Grant will captain the side. 

West Coast will also enjoy the services of intercepting defender Annabel Johnson for the first time since arriving at the club last year, returning from an ACL injury, so too 2023 draftee Kaylee Kavanagh and club champion Dana Hooker.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2

Fremantle v St Kilda at Victor George Kailis Oval, 9am AWST

FREMANTLE

B: I.Strom 26 E.O’Driscoll 3 
HB: L.Pugh 32 S.Verrier 5 G.O’Sullivan 9
C: J.Low 30 G.Newton 1 O.Lally 14
HF: A.Mulholland 33 G.Biedenweg-Webster 31 M.Kauffman 25
F: H.Miller 19 G.Brisbane 13
Foll: M.Strom 21 A.Stannett – C 4 K.Bowers 2
I/C: J.Cregg 23 D.East 8 E.Parker 15 P.Seth 18 H.Ifould 17 P.Stockwell 20 M.Banfield 16 A.McCarthy 7

Emerg: T.Kikoak 37 M.Scanlon 6 

ST KILDA

B: S.Watson 12 P.Trudgeon 10 
HB: N.Stevens 2 K.Forbes 15 E.Friend 16
C: M.McDonald 1 T.Smith 6 N.Barr 17
HF: C.Baskaran 26 A.Richards 22 Z.Besanko 11
F: J.Wardlaw 30 H.Priest – C 14
Foll: R.Ott 20 J.Lambert 9 Ar.Clarke 34
I/C: A.Burke 3 J.Anderson 7 B.Jakobsson 8 H.Stuart 18 G.Patrikios 21 A.Clarke 25 L.Hung 29 N.Plane 32

Emerg: R.Caris 19 C.Simpson 33 

North Melbourne v Essendon at Avalon Airport Oval, 12pm AEST

NORTH MELBOURNE

B: L.Birch 2 J.Ferguson 20 
HB: T.Boyd 24 N.Bresnehan 12 E.Sheerin 4
C: T.Craven 5 M.King 23 A.Smith 15
HF: J.Bruton 35 K.Shierlaw 33 B.Eddey 3
F: T.Randall 16 B.Bogue 10
Foll: K.Rennie 26 A.Riddell 7 J.Garner – C 25
I/C: E.Shannon 11 E.O’Shea 14 R.Tripodi 19 T.Gatt 8 A.Gavin Mangan 21 A.Hetherington 29 G.Stubs 27 E.Slocombe 18

Emerg: C.Mahony 22 A.O’Loughlin 6 

ESSENDON

B: T.Chambers 13 E.Gamble 14 
HB: M.Gay 6 A.Morcom 25 A.Gaylor 23
C: M.Busch 28 M.Prespakis 4 M.MacLachlan 21
HF: D.Bannister 3 B.Toogood 8 C.Adams 15
F: G.Belloni 7 G.Gee 2
Fobll: M.Dyke 16 G.Nanscawen 5 S.Cain – C 20
I/C: C.Murphy 33 S.Alexander 24 A.Gladman 26 M.Van Dyke 19 B.Walker 9 B.Sheridan 11 H.Ridewood 10 J.Verbrugge 29

Emerg: G.Brooker 32 G.Clarke 17 

Greater Western Sydney v Carlton at Blacktown ISP, 12.05pm AEST

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

B: K.Smith 4 E.Brown 8
HB: E.Pease 33 C.McCormick 25 C.Fletcher 11
C: I.Linde 19 R.Beeson – C 6 M.Brazendale 23
HF: B.Mowbray 31 T.Evans 18 A.Eva 2
F: G.Garnett 17 Z.Goldsworthy 7
Foll: G.Kos 27 A.Parker 3 K.Srhoj 14
I/C: G.Martin 1 T.Levy 10 F.Davies 20 A.Newman 16 S.Howley 9 M.Pauga 13 S.Kavanagh 21 C.Ransom 26

Emerg: I.Huntington 12 J.Doyle 5

CARLTON

B: H.Cordner 21 M.Hendrie 49 
HB: D.Vescio 3 P.Scholz 7 E.Fitzpatrick 19
C: D.Finn 17 K.Sherar 25 Y.Duursma 11
HF: C.Fitzgerald 36 T.Bohanna 42 M.Guerin 18
F: M.Austin 22 S.McKay 55
Foll: J.Good 12 A.McKay – C 5 M.Hill 10
I/C: L.Field 31 A.Velardo 1 K.Skepper 4 G.Pound 6 L.Keck 23 B.Harrington 16 M.Robertson 15 L.Goss 20

Emerg: A.Reidy 14 C.Brewer 32 

Brisbane v Sydney at Brighton Homes Arena, 12.30pm AEST

BRISBANE

B: J.Dunne 8 S.Campbell 20 
HB: N.Grider 10 S.Conway 12 B.Koenen – C 3
C: O.O’Dwyer 9 A.Anderson 18 L.Postlethwaite 6
HF: C.Svarc 25 D.Davidson 14 I.Dawes 17
F: R.Svarc 29 E.Hartill 1
Foll: T.Smith 31 C.Mullins 28 J.Ellenger 5
I/C: P.Boltz 15 R.Crozier 23 S.Davison 11 N.Dooley 13 T.Hickie 2 C.Hodder 21 E.Long 16 C.Wright 24

Emerg: J.Baldwick 30 S.Peters 22 

SYDNEY

B: A.Mitchell 8 B.Tarrant 20 
HB: J.Grierson 11 L.McEvoy – C 9 J.O’Sullivan 24
C: Z.Fish 23 M.Ham 18 T.Kennedy 29
HF: A.Martin 21 P.McCarthy 15 R.Privitelli 19
F: L.Hausegger 26 C.Molloy 5
Foll: A.Hamilton 30 L.Gardiner 31 D.Moloney 4
I/C: A.Morphett 7 H.Cooper 2 L.Pullar 12 G.Davies 27 S.Hurley 25 A.Van Loon 17 C.Reid 13 M.Collier 14

Emerg: S.Grunden 16 R.Sargent-Wilson 6 

Gold Coast v Geelong at People First Stadium, 8pm AEST

GOLD COAST 

B: K.Bischa 26 C.Wilson 22 
HB: M.Girvan 25 N.McLaughlin 11 W.Randell 15
C: G.Clayden 18 L.Single – C 13 E.Veerhuis 33
HF: E.Barwick 6 E.Smith 16 A.Kievit 1
F: H.Harris 12 D.Davies 3
Foll: T.Gregory 32 C.Rowbottom 8 L.Mithen 14
I/C: M.Brancatisano 5 E.Maurer 10 J.Stanton 17 M.Salisbury 19 N.Milne 29 K.Fullerton 30 T.Oliver 44 T.Harrington 28

Emerg: C.Whitfort 4 C.Fitzpatrick 9 

GEELONG

B: A.Gregor 30 C.Gunjaca 26 
HB: G.Rankin 10 R.Webster 21 E.Kilpatrick 27
C: K.Kenny 12 J.Crockett-Grills 6 B.O’Rourke 23
HF: M.Bowen 1 A.Moloney 45 K.Surman 7
F: E.Fowler 17 K.Darby 8
Foll: P.Dunlop 38 N.Morrison 9 G.Prespakis 41
I/C: M.McDonald – C 11 R.Kearns 22 Z.Friswell 20 B.Smith 2 C.Thorne 25 A.McDonald 3 C.Mason 24 M.Bragg 44

Emerg: J.Parry 5 S.Scott 15 

West Coast v Western Bulldogs at Mineral Resources Park, 6.15pm AWST

WEST COAST

B: C.Thomas – C 3 Z.Wakfer 16 
HB: A.Johnson 24 M.Western 21 B.Schilling 30
C: D.Hooker 17 J.Rentsch 7 J.Britton 18
HF: L.Wakfer 1 S.Lakay 23 K.Dalgleish 32
F: E.Swanson 13 K.Gibson 2
Foll: L.McGrath 27 C.Rowley 5 E.Roberts 4
I/C: S.Bakker 20 A.Drennan 10 L.Painter 8 R.Roux 9 C.Lindgren 31 A.Bushby 15 G.Cleaver 22 K.Kavanagh 25

Emerg: A.Franklin 19 B.Smith 14 

WESTERN BULLDOGS

B: L.Ahrens 27 I.Grant – C 3 
HB: E.Georgostathis 17 K.Kimber 28 B.Gutknecht 18
C: R.Wilcox 37 J.Fitzgerald 23 E.Bennetts 11
HF: E.Gavalas 25 E.McDonald 9 H.Woodley 19
F: L.Stephenson 14 S.Hartwig 15
Foll: A.Edmonds 33 D.Carruthers 8 E.Blackburn 2
I/C: J.Smith 10 E.Grigg 5 C.Buttifant 20 A.McKee 26 K.Hardingham 24 S.Poustie 1 B.Barwick 12 N.Ferres 16

Emerg: M.Gorham 6 K.Weston-Turner 13Â