AFLW Moneyball: All the latest trade and movement news out of the elite women’s league
She’s been touted as a potential AFL senior coach and Daisy Pearce has chosen the club where she will take the next step in her coaching career.
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The AFLW expansion signing period is over and it’s now a free-for-all with the sign and trade period is heating up.
Here’s a look at all the movement news from the elite women’s league.
DAISY TAKES NEXT STEP IN COACHING CAREER
Daisy Pearce will coach at Geelong after securing a spot as part of the AFL’s Women’s Coach Acceleration Program.
The Melbourne AFL Women’s superstar has joined fellow women’s league big names Chelsea Randall (Adelaide), GWS Giants (Alicia Eva) and Erin Phillips (Port Adelaide) as recipients of positions under the program, that can see them work within both the men’s and women’s football programs.
GWS skipper Eva and Hawthorn senior women’s coach Bec Goddard have already been working within their respective programs as coaches.
Pearce, 34, has affirmed her commitment to play for the Demons for at least one more AFLW season, with the next season to begin in August.
Pearce will start at the Cats once her playing career at Melbourne ends.
“I’m thrilled about coaching opportunities when my playing days at Melbourne have finished,” Pearce said.
“When that is, honestly I’m not sure but coaching is something that excites me when the time is right.
“I’m grateful for Geelong’s interest and Melbourne’s ongoing support.
“For the season ahead, my focus remains on representing the Melbourne Football Club and being the best player and teammate I can be. Going one step further and winning the flag is my dream and I can’t wait to get stuck into another pre season with the girls.”
She was linked to the Cats earlier this year when Geelong chief executive Steve Hocking confirmed that the club had approached Pearce about a potential assistant coaching role in its men’s program in the future, and has also been working as an assistant coach in the NAB League Academy.
The women coaches selected as part of the program will be employed for a minimum two-year period between now and 2025 and engage in a formal mentorship with the senior men’s AFL coach at their club.
It is not mandatory that recipients work across both the men’s and women’s programs at the club, but a Level 3 AFL coaching accreditation is to be achieved as a minimum.
All nine clubs involved in the program presented to the AFL recently, with league boss of women’s football Nicole Livingstone describing the appointments as “a major step” towards the AFL’s vision for women in the game.
“Pleasingly, all nine senior AFL coaches were not only in attendance, but genuinely spoke about their desire to have women coaching in their AFL programs,” Livingstone said.
“Today’s announcement is a major step towards the AFL’s Women’s Football Vision 2021-2030, where we want to see 50 per cent of AFLW senior coaching positions are held by women.
“In season seven, Bec Goddard, Natalie Wood and Lauren Arnell will all hold senior coaching roles. More than half of the coaches selected in the Women’s Coach Acceleration program are past or current AFLW players and with each season we will have more women with experience of playing at the elite level who are ready to transition into coaching and football roles.
“The Women’s Coach Acceleration program will expedite the development of the industry’s best women coaches and increase the number of women in coaching roles across men’s and women’s programs.”
Under the program, current AFL Women’s players are unable to work within the AFLW program, but can work in the men’s. They are permitted to work in AFLW upon their retirement from playing.
COACH ACCELERATION PROGRAM
Adelaide Crows: Chelsea Randall
Brisbane Lions: Emma Zielke
Collingwood: Chloe McMillan
Essendon: Natalie Wood
Geelong Cats: Daisy Pearce
GWS GIANTS: Alicia Eva
Hawthorn: Bec Goddard
North Melbourne: to be announced
Port Adelaide: Erin Phillips
Suns set to lose five in signing exodus
Gold Coast is set to lose up to five players over the coming days of AFLW trade period.
With captain Hannah Dunn having already departed for expansion club Port Adelaide, Kate Surman, Jacqui Yorston, Cheyenne Hammond and Britt Perry are set to be traded to Alberton.
That quartet could not join as expansion signings, with the Suns having already reached their cap of expansion departures through the loss of Dunn, Sarah Perkins and Janet Baird, the latter two having joined Hawthorn.
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It’s understood Hammond and Perry would not have been offered new deals by Gold Coast and that they have been added to the trade to expedite their moves to the Power. Meanwhile, Dee Heslop could be traded from the Suns to the Brisbane Lions.
Gold Coast is, however, set to bring in Courtney Jones from Carlton.
Despite the glut of departures, the Suns have managed to retain most of their key talent ahead of season seven.
Meanwhile, Brisbane premiership player Jesse Wardlaw attracted interest from North Melbourne but is likely to remain at the Lions.
Unvaxxed Saint’s contract quandary
Young St Kilda star Georgia Patrikios remains on the Saints’ list.
Patrikios missed the recent season after a refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Unlike Crow Deni Varnhagen, who was moved to the inactive list, Patrikios held her spot on the Saints’ list as is permitted under the league’s vaccination policy.
The policy allows for a player to stay on the list and not be replaced, with the player to be paid “not less than 25 per cent of their contracted salary”.
News Corp reported in March that there had been a hope of renegotiating a new deal for the midfielder.
St Kilda told Moneyball on Wednesday that discussions remain ongoing regarding Patrikios’ status on the playing list.
“The club is currently in discussions with Georgia and her management about what a contract for seasons seven can look like given the current AFL mandates,” the club said in a statement.
Unvaxxed Crow eyes return in bombshell move
Moneyball is hearing that two-time premiership-winning Crow Deni Varnhagen could be eyeing a return to football, potentially even making an explosive switch to cross-town rivals Port Adelaide.
It’s understood the quick winger would be seeking a return for the AFLW’s eighth season starting in 2023.
Varnhagen is a foundation Crow who won the 2017 and 2019 premierships with the club and took out Adelaide’s 2019 best defensive player accolade.
But the 173cm footballer was moved onto Adelaide’s inactive list for the 2022 season when she refused the Covid-19 vaccine, which went against the AFL’s mandatory vaccination policy.
The registered nurse has also since been part of a high-profile Supreme Court challenge to SA’s vaccine mandates.
It comes as the SA Football Commission last week approved the removal of the SANFL’s Covid-19 vaccination policy.
The policy, adopted in December 2021, required all players, coaches and support staff, including volunteers, in all state league competitions and talent programs to be fully vaccinated for the 2022 season.
SANFL CEO Darren Chandler said: “In line with Adelaide Oval’s removal of mandatory vaccination for attendees, and the removal of vaccination mandates by a number of key organisations such as SAPOL, we believe it is now safe and appropriate to remove vaccination requirements.”
This means that Varnhagen, who played for Glenelg in the SANFLW competition, would be free to play next season and could then eye a return to AFLW in 2023 if the AFL also removes the mandatory vaccination policy.
When contacted by Moneyball, Varnhagen, 29, said: “I’m super keen to return to footy as soon as possible, but I’m in a unique situation so I have to wait and see how everything unfolds”.
Varnhagen has played 31 games for the Crows since 2017.
The AFL’s firm vaccine mandate remains in place, and it has maintained that it will continue to be guided by government and health authorities.
The policy has allowances to be reviewed should government directions change at any time.
Hawks circle North gun
Hawthorn’s pursuit of North Melbourne’s Kaitlyn Ashmore could come at little cost.
Moneyball understands Ashmore – a former Lions marquee signing – could arrive at Waverley Park as a restricted free agent.
It is understood North Melbourne has not yet offered the 30-year-old a new deal, meaning the Hawks may not even have to trade in order to secure her services.
The Kangaroos officially announced the arrival of Irish pair Vikki Wall and Erika O’Shea on Wednesday.
Tahlia Randall’s status is one to watch at Arden Street, while Daisy Bateman is set to depart the club, with the Western Bulldogs looming as a potential destination.
Like now-Hawk Aileen Gilroy – who worked in the club shop – Bateman was also employed by the club as a member of the Roos’ digital team.
Not only could the recruiting department be busy as they look to fill list spots, but the human resources department will also have some hiring to do.
Not Lion down
Having been let go by the Brisbane Lions in recent days, goalsneak Jess Wuetschner is not slipping quietly into retirement.
The 2018 All-Australian and 2021 Lions premiership player is 30 but keen to play elsewhere.
There has been some preliminary dialogue about the prospect of her joining Gold Coast but there are no guarantees.
One of the most consistent goalkickers across the early seasons of AFLW, Wuetschner’s career was derailed when she was struck by lightning in early 2020 while working on the docks in Brisbane.
While she made it back to the field, the Tasmanian native has since struggled with mental health issues, taking time away from the game this year.
But at her best she remains a threat, and it was little over 12 months ago that she kicked two goals in the Lions’ grand final win over Adelaide.
“Obviously a disappointing way to finish my time at the Lions,” she wrote on Instagram this week.
“But when something ends, it just opens the door for new opportunity.
“Hopefully my playing days aren’t over, I have more to give. Whatever happens, the sun will still come up and there is more to life than footy.”
Sedge of her seat
Jess Sedunary has had one of the more circuitous AFLW careers.
The speedy midfielder/forward was a member of Adelaide’s premiership team in the competition’s first season in 2017 before joining St Kilda when the Saints entered the competition in 2020.
Sedunary then returned to the Crows for a season in 2021, before leaving football at the end of that campaign to pursue goals in cycling.
But it’s understood Sedunary has had discussions with at least one AFLW club about a return to the field for the upcoming season. And it won’t necessarily be somewhere she’s already played.
Concession card
The AFL has granted St Kilda, Gold Coast and West Coast a helping hand.
There are concerns at club level that the expansion signing period this time around has only exacerbated the difference between the haves and the have-nots in AFLW.
Perhaps with that in mind, the AFL has afforded the Saints, Suns and Eagles some draft concessions.
The Suns and Eagles will have the ability to sign four mature-age players each who have previously nominated for the draft, while St Kilda will be allowed to re-sign delisted free agent Clara Fitzpatrick who faced obstacles in returning from Ireland last season due to Covid border closures.
The Saints will also receive a compensation pick in the first round, which must be used on a mature-age player.
Gold Coast and West Coast have also been afforded compensation picks in the first and second rounds.
Board boost
Female players have equal representation to their male counterparts on the AFL Players’ Association board for the first time.
Carlton skipper Kerryn Harrington joined soon-to-be-Giant Isabel Huntington and new Bomber Cat Phillips in being elected to the AFLPA board on Tuesday night, joining Giant Annalyse Lister who is the board’s new vice-president.
It marks the first time that the AFLPA board comprises four male and four female current players.
“We understand and recognise the opportunity that diversity within our governance structure presents to our organisation,” AFLPA boss Paul Marsh said.
“We are continuing to evolve as an organisation and the presence of more of our AFLW members will further enhance the support for all our players – past, present and future.
“Kerryn, Izzy and Cat are all influential leaders within their clubs and are outstanding individuals, who played significant roles in the most recent AFLW CBA negotiations, which delivered a landmark result for their cohort. I know they’ll each bring unique skills and expertise that will allow us to continue to advocate and support our members.”
Dons launching
Essendon continues to raid its prosperous VFLW stocks for its inaugural AFLW list.
The Bombers’ latest signings include experience at the game’s top level in Bella Ayre, who played 12 games for Carlton and Brisbane before exploring opportunities away from football, with a return to the ranks after three seasons in retirement.
Reigning VFLW best and fairest winner Eloise Ashley-Cooper and former Geelong Falcon Renee Tierney — an AFL SportsReady trainee who works in the AFL’s corporate affairs department — were also announced on Wednesday as having signed on.
“These three signings in addition to the previous announcements are a fantastic reflection on our VFLW program and how it has enhanced individual players’ development while striving for team-orientated success,” Bombers football boss Josh Mahoney said.
The Bombers were undefeated in the home and away VFLW season and take on second-placed Hawthorn at Windy Hill next Saturday.
Port’s list grows
Port Adelaide’s recruiters have found Western Australia to be fertile ground, having already signed Fremantle’s star key forward Gemma Houghton, former Dockers defender Maggie MacLachlan and the Perth-raised Jade De Melo.
Now, they’ve added two more Western Australians to their inaugural AFLW list in Tessa Doumanis and Abbey Dowrick.
Doumanis is a 22-year-old forward, who’s played three seasons with Claremont in the WAFL, while Dowrick – sister of Crows-listed McKenzie – is a 19-year-old mid-forward for Subiaco.
Dowrick also played four games for Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFLW earlier this year in the hope of increasing her chances of nabbing an AFLW spot.
“I came to Adelaide for a few weeks because I wanted to put my name out there and spend some more time with my sister,” Dowrick said.
“Playing against McKenzie will be good (in AFLW), but I’m sure a bit weird as we have always been on the same team. She was so happy for me when I told her about Port though.”
Power head coach Lauren Arnell said Dowrick had impressed the club by how she had built her game after being overlooked in last year’s AFLW draft.
“She committed herself to developing and applied herself,” Arnell said.
“She’s a very capable footballer – really hard at it, nice kick and definitely unlucky to not be picked up in her draft year.
“Port Adelaide supporters will love the way she goes about her game.”
Arnell said Doumanis, who grew up playing sports including volleyball, tennis and basketball, was a well-balanced player who used the ball nicely.
“She covers the ground well and her kicking skills and her smarts around the ground are highlights for us,” she said.
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