AFLW Draft: See every pick and see how Sarah Perkins rebooted her career

Sarah Perkins thought her AFLW career might be finished when she was delisted by Adelaide. Now, after a cameo with Melbourne, she's about to start a new chapter at a third club. She explains how she regained her confidence and rebooted her career. RECAP EVERY AFLW DRAFT PICK

Liz Walsh and Lauren Wood

9 min read

October 9, 2020 - 2:19PM

North Adelaide's Ashleigh Woodlands kicks four goals in SANFLW

Sarah Perkins isn’t going to lie: after being delisted by the Crows in 2019 and then overlooked in the draft only months later, there were moments she thought her AFLW journey was over.

Back in her Melbourne hometown, the big-kicking forward had fallen out of love with football and was not sure what the future held.

But not so fast. There’s more to this cult hero’s story.

EVERY PICK: SCROLL DOWN TO SEE EVERY PLAYER TAKEN IN THE AFLW DRAFT

“I was pretty upset after last year’s draft when my name wasn’t read out … but I had a few messages from people who told me to keep going, keep working and it will happen,” the 27-year-old says.

“I decided to keep focusing on me and my health and my fitness.”

It paid off when Perkins was drafted by Gold Coast with their second pick at last Tuesday’s night AFLW draft at No. 23 overall, one of eight players picked up by the Suns.

“To know my dream was still alive, I was really proud of myself … to be able to give myself that opportunity through hard work with the support of my family and friends,” she said.

While the prospect of 14 days in hotel quarantine before pre-season starts on November 4 has her nervous, Perkins is no stranger to moving states for football. In 2016 after being overlooked by the Victorian clubs in the inaugural AFLW draft (despite kicking 52 goals in a season for the Eastern Devils and gaining fitness by losing 40kg), she moved to Adelaide when the Crows picked her up as a free agent.

She became an overnight fan favourite, not only winning the first AFLW premiership in 2017 but taking out the club’s leading goalkicker award and earning All-Australian honours. But two seasons later, she failed to make the team that won the 2019 premiership and was delisted at season’s end.

Sarah Jerkins was a fan favourite at the Crows.

At this point, she’d fallen out of love with football. So the most important thing Perkins did on return to Melbourne was to see a sports psychologist, who helped her deal with the self-doubt that had crept in while she struggled to stay in the Crows best 21.

“I’ve been chatting to her ever since,” Perkins says, “just bringing back my self-confidence … focusing on why I started playing and to be grateful every time I ran out.”

That regained self-belief shone through when she was asked by Melbourne to join the Demons as a top-up player in early 2020 when the club's list was decimated by injury. She played three games in the red and blue before COVID shutdown the season.

During Melbourne’s COVID lockdown – and the cancellation of the VFLW season in which she was meant to play with Hawthorn – Perkins kept up a five-day-a-week fitness regimen that included swimming (when pools were open) and running; she’s run two 10kms this year. Then Gold Coast came knocking.

In 2021, “Perko”, who has played 20 AFLW games across four seasons, will bring much-needed experience and goalkicking prowess to the Suns’ young list and she’s looking forward to being reunited with fellow former Crow, Sally Riley. Her move north is only a matter of days away.

“I’m very excited and very grateful for the opportunity,” she said. “I’ll be packing plenty of sunscreen and zinc to make it through the summer, that’s for sure.”

TIGERS RECRUIT HAS ONE EYE ON TOKYO OLYMPICS

Australian Opal Tessa Lavey is confident that she can juggle the WNBL bubble, AFL Women’s, national basketball duties and a tilt at the Tokyo Olympics after she was drafted to Richmond’s AFLW outfit this week.

It sounds busy and it will be exactly that, with the 27-year-old — who was taken with pick 43 in Tuesday night’s women’s draft — admitting that even she “doesn’t think I can prepare myself for this”.

“It’s going to be pretty crazy, but it’s something that I’m really looking forward to,” Lavey said.

“The challenge is going to be amazing. I’ve got an amazing team behind me … as well as the Richmond Football Club. They’ve been so supportive in the last couple of days and I can’t believe it’s happening.”

Lavey, who plays for the Bendigo Spirit in the WNBL, will next week travel to the competition’s Queensland quarantine bubble alongside new Tigers teammate Monique Conti, who she anticipates sharing a few Sherrin sessions with as she builds her football skills.

The pair will miss part of Richmond’s pre-season — which is slated to begin on November 4 — before rejoining the Punt Rd outfit once their WNBL commitments are complete.

“She has first-hand experience (of combining the sports), so she’s someone I really will reach out to,” Lavey said, also hopeful of catching up with dual best-and-fairest winner and former basketball star Erin Phillips.

She is also eyeing a spot at next year’s Tokyo Olympics after her Games debut for the Opals in Rio in 2016, and said she had discussed her AFLW decision with Opals coach Sandy Brondello.

“100 per cent (I’m keen),” she declared.

“Bruce (my manager) and I spoke about this pre-nomination (for the draft) and it’s a goal of mine. I’ve been to Rio and I really enjoyed that experience, and there’s something with this group of Opals girls that they want to be a part of.

“That’s not to say that I’m not going to have to work hard and really try and make this work, but Basketball Australia … we’ve spoken and we’re going to try and make this work as much as possible.”

Richmond AFLW recruit Tessa Lavey.

If anything, Lavey is confident that AFLW could boost her chances on the court.

“The amount of running that I’ve been doing over the last three weeks has been crazy. I’ve never felt fitter,” she said.

“So with fitness comes easier decision making, because you’re not getting as tired, so I think it’s really going to help my possibilities moving forward with basketball and we’ll hopefully see that on court.”

Lavey has worked closely with Tigers AFLW assistant Nathan Chapman to develop her game, and said that the fact Richmond is yet to appoint a senior coach “had not even crossed my mind”.

A lifelong Tigers supporter, she is hopeful of picking up a few tips from two-time premiership men’s skipper Trent Cotchin.

“Just the way he goes about it — he doesn’t really focus on anything but his job, and the way he leads, too is pretty impressive,” she said.

“I’ll try and look to him to try and take something from his game.”

EVERY PICK: WHO DID YOUR CLUB RECRUIT IN AFLW DRAFT?

The top two AFL Women's draft picks will share a ride to school on Wednesday, as opponents for the first time after their selection in Tuesday night's virtual draft.

Ellie McKenzie is a Tiger after she was taken with the top pick, while close mate and Northern Knights teammate Jess Fitzgerald is off to Whitten Oval after she was selected by the Western Bulldogs with pick two.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE EVERY PICK AND RECAP OUR LIVE BLOG

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Ellie Mckenzie in action in the NAB League earlier this year. Picture: Julian Smith

“That’s a credit to the Northern Knights, we’ve got a really great culture down there and just a really strong family culture, which I’m really proud to be a part of,” McKenzie said.

“I’m best mates with Jess, we go to school together and she’s picking me up tomorrow for school, so I’m sure we’ll have a great chat about everything.”

They’ve shared a lot throughout their teenage years, but have never played a game on opposite sides.

That will all change in 2021.

“We haven’t ever, and I’ve been playing with her since I was about 13, so it’s going to be really interesting to see what will happen,” McKenzie laughed.

“A lot of things I really look up to her in her footy ability and as a person, as well, so it’ll be interesting. I’m not sure how it’ll go but I’m really happy for her and she deserves everything she’s got.”

The pair's fellow teammate Alyssa Bannan was selected by Melbourne with pick five.

In total, 58 players found an AFLW home in the first-ever virtual draft.

The Crows drafted South Adelaide's Teah Charlton with their first pick. Picture: Nick Hook Photography

South Adelaide mid-forward Teah Charlton was “beyond excited” after the Crows made her dream of playing AFLW football come true.

Charlton, who started playing footy when she was 11 years old, was drafted into the big league with the Crows’ first pick - No. 4 overall.

The Panthers’ 2019 premiership player and All-Australian under-18 midfielder said she was looking forward to playing alongside the likes of Crows stars Chelsea Randall and Erin Phillips.

“I’ve been wanting this for a very long time and now that it’s happening I’m beyond excited the Crows selected me,” she said.

“I love playing football. I just love the tackling, the hard-hits and the aggressive side of the game.”

Crows head of football administration, Phil Harper, said the club had wanted to secure the best young talent in the SANFLW with their top pick and he praised Charlton’s athleticism and speed.

Adelaide went into the draft with three selections and also picked up West Adelaide midfielder Rachelle Martin at No. 45 and 2020’s SANFLW league goal-kicker, Ashleigh Woodland from North Adelaide at No. 47.

Martin, 21, is the sister of Crows 2019 premiership midfielder Hannah Button, and was joint SANFLW best and fairest for 2020 alongside Crows star Anne Hatchard.

North Adelaide's Ashleigh Woodland has also landed at the Crows. Picture: Supplied

Former Crows fan-favourite Sarah Perkins – who was part of the 2017 premiership-winning team – was given an AFLW lifeline, being picked up by Gold Coast at pick 23, while South Adelaide teenager Indy Tahau is also headed north, taken by Brisbane with pick No. 37 after a strong showing at last month’s Draft Combine.

AFL Women’s chief Nicole Livingstone said the players selected at Tuesday night’s draft “represent the future of the AFLW competition”.

Star midfielder and forward McKenzie, who turns 18 later this month and is eyeing a car with the $5,000 purse she received as top pick, has played football since Auskick and models her game on her new skipper, Katie Brennan.

“Just (Brennan’s) amazing forward skills, her marking ability, her kicking ability is something that I’ve been trying to work on myself,” the draftee said of her new captain.

“I’ve always looked up to her and I’ve been lucky enough to have a bit of contact with her as well, and she’s been really helpful. She’s definitely someone I look up to a lot.”

â€œWeâ€™re very proud of you. Weâ€™re so excited.â€

A call from @Katie_Brennan16 to our No.1 draftee ðŸ’›ðŸ“ž pic.twitter.com/tnTt3g8pkw
— RichmondW (@RichmondWomens) October 6, 2020

EVERY PICK

Round 1

1 Richmond - Ellie McKenzie (Northern Knights)

2 Western Bulldogs - Jess Fitzgerald (Northern Knights)

3 West Coast - Isabella Lewis (Claremont)

4 Adelaide - Teah Charlton (South Adelaide)

5 Melbourne - Alyssa Bannan (Northern Knights)

6 St Kilda - Tyanna Smith (Dandenong Stingrays)

7 Gold Coast - Annise Bradfield (Bond University)

8 Brisbane - Zimmorlei Farquharson (Calamvale/Yeronga)

9 GWS - Tarni Evans (Queanbeyan)

10 Geelong - Darcy Moloney (Geelong Falcons)

11 Western Bulldogs - Sarah Hartwig (Sandringham Dragons)

12 Carlton - Mimi Hill (Oakleigh Chargers)

13 North Melbourne - Isabella Eddey (Sandringham Dragons)

14 Fremantle - Sarah Verrier (Peel Thunder)

15 Melbourne - Eliza McNamara (Sandringham Dragons)

16 Western Bulldogs - Isabelle Pritchard (Western Jets)

Darcy Moloney was drafted by Geelong at pick No. 10. Picture: Alan Barber

ROUND 2

17 Melbourne - Maggie Caris (GWV Rebels)

18 West Coast - Shanae Davison (Swan Districts)

19 Collingwood - Tarni Brown (Donvale)

Brotherly love from the Brown boys, sending their congrats to their sister Tarni Brown, one of three father-daughter selections tonight ðŸ–¤ #AFLWDraft pic.twitter.com/i9WseQfUfq
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) October 6, 2020