Calder Cannons eyeing NAB League Girls finals, draft windfall as AFLW expands in 2020

With the AFLW to expand in 2020, Calder Cannons are eyeing a draft windfall but with just three rounds remaining the team is focused on locking in a NAB League Girls finals appearance first.

Georgia Patrikios in action for Calder Cannons.

Calder Cannons are eyeing an AFLW Draft windfall as they close in on a NAB League Girls finals campaign.

Inaugural premiers in 2017, the Cannons sit third on percentage with three games remaining after a loss to Eastern Ranges.

It doesn’t get any easier this weekend when they host Geelong, with the Falcons riding a 17-game winning streak dating back to 2017.

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Talent co-ordinator Russell Humphrey said there had been plenty of positives this season.

“Overall, we’re definitely tracking upward,” he said.

“Next week we’ve got Geelong, who have won 17 games in a row, so that’s going to be an interesting game to see where we’re at.

“They’ve done the work to play finals … to not make finals after being in the top three for the whole season would be a little disappointing.”

Georgia Patrikios in action for Calder Cannons.

Makeisha Muller in action for Calder Cannons.

The Cannons had just one player drafted to the AFLW last year when Madison Prespakis was snapped up by Carlton at pick No.3.

The star midfielder went on to win the AFLW Rising Star award and share the Blues’ best-and-fairest in her debut season.

Humphrey believes four Cannons could join Prespakis in 2020 as the league expands to 14 teams.

“Georgia Patrikios — she didn’t play on the weekend because of the academy game (against Geelong VFL) — she’s our No. 1 prospect at the moment,” he said.

“Krstel Petrevski is the cousin of Carlton’s (Sam) Petrevski-Seton. She hasn’t played the last two weeks due to an knee injury but will be right to go against Geelong.

Emelia Yassir in action for Calder Cannons.

“Alana Barba, her improvement this year has been good and she’s put her name up in lights.

“Felicity Theodore is a draft smokie and there’s Makeisha Muller.”

Georgie Prespakis, sister of Madison, is equal second in the NAB League Girls goalkicking and is eligible for the draft in 2020.

The loss to Eastern could come back to haunt the Cannons after kicking 3.7 to lose by four points.

“We could have been four or five goals up at quarter-time. Had we’d kicked 4.1 instead of 1.4 the game might have been over,” Humphrey said.

“We just couldn’t convert and at the end of the day that’s what came back and hurt us.”

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