The AFLW’s first Pre-Season Draft was held on Monday night
Lily Quigley in action for Brisbane. Picture: Supplied
THE AFLW’S first Pre-Season Draft was held on Monday night.
A new mechanism for clubs to round out their lists, the Telstra AFLW Pre-Season Draft was held one week before pre-season begins on May 11.
The pre-season draft replaces the slew of injury replacement signings that occur in the lead up to pre-season, and the ability to have a full squad able to hit the ground running in May is vital.
Eleven players were selected from a pool of players who nominated for the 2025 draft but were not picked up then. In previous years, injury replacement players have commonly been 19-year-olds who were just overlooked in the draft (e.g. likely to be selected if there were a further 10 picks) or top-rated state league players.
Clubs who selected players either had a list spot remaining from December’s draft (Hawthorn and Gold Coast) or had players either retire or be named inactive.
Players may be ruled out for the entirety of a season for several reasons, including injury, pregnancy, mental health or work commitments.
AFLW PRE-SEASON DRAFT
1. Lily Quigley – Gold Coast
2. Maisy Evans – Greater Western Sydney
3. Emma Dineen – Essendon
4. Amaia Wain – Western Bulldogs
5. Noa McNaughton – Fremantle
6. Sienna Gerardi – West Coast
7. Saoirse Lally – St Kilda
8. Mikaylah Antony – Hawthorn
9. Lauren Clifton – Melbourne
10. Sophia Gaukrodger – Greater Western Sydney
11. Lily Smart – West Coast