AFLW teams: Schleicher, Butler to miss for Magpies in season opener

Collingwood has lost two important players to injury on the eve of the AFLW season opener against a full strength reigning premier.

Ruby Schleicher has been ruled out of round 1 with an ankle concern. Picture: Morgan Hancock / Getty Images

Collingwood has been dealt a harsh blow on the eve of its season opener against the reigning premiers, losing defenders Ruby Schleicher and Lauren Butler to injury.

Vice-captain Schleicher was unable to recover from an ankle complaint in time for the Friday night clash against Melbourne, while Butler will miss with a foot concern.

The Demons will enter the clash at full strength, with Eliza McNamara set to play her first game since a horrific spinal injury sidelined her ahead of 2022 season seven.

Along with retired legend Daisy Pearce, defender Maeve Chaplin is the only missing member of last year’s premiership side due to a concussion sustained in the final practice match.

Fresh off a Netball World Cup triumph with the Diamonds, Ash Brazill has been named at halfback for the Magpies.

Former Lion and league best and fairest Emily Bates has been confirmed for her Hawthorn debut. Picture: Tony Gough

Hawthorn will unveil boom recruits Emily Bates, Greta Bodey and Kristy Stratton against Essendon on Saturday night at Frankston’s Kinetic Stadium, while the Bombers have named Georgia Nanscawen for her club debut after the former Kangaroo recovered from an ACL injury.

Carlton skipper Kerryn Peterson will miss the Blues’ season opener against Gold Coast with a knee injury, while important defender Gab Pound was also not named, with Jess Dal Pos to lead the side.

Four Gold Coast Suns will make their debuts in Alana Gee, Meara Girvan, Niamh McLaughlin and Darcie Davies, whose older sister Fleur will debut for GWS in the Sydney derby on Sunday afternoon.

Swans co-captain Chloe Molloy has brushed off a pre-season back issue to make her club debut in round 1, with fellow skipper Lucy McEvoy named at centre half-back.

Adelaide winger Deni Varnhagen, who has sat out the last two seasons after failing to meet the league’s Covid vaccination policy, was named as an emergency for the Crows against Port Adelaide, with the arch rivals to meet at Norwood Oval on Saturday afternoon.

AFLW ROUND 1 TEAMS

Friday, September 1

Melbourne v Collingwood at Ikon Park, 7.20pm AEST

MELBOURNE

B: L.Birch 9 T.Gillard 17

HB: S.Heath 30 M.Gay 3 S.Goldrick 23

C: S.Lampard 8 O.Purcell 2 E.McNamara 22

HF: T.Harris 7 L.Mithen 14 A.Bannan 16

F: E.Zanker 29 K.Hore - C 10

Foll: L.Pearce 15 T.Hanks 5 P.Paxman 4

I/C: B.Mackin 31 G.Campbell 1 E.West 11 C.Sherriff 18 M.Fitzsimon 24

Emerg: G.Colvin 32 C.Wilson 20 S.Johnson 25

COLLINGWOOD

B: S.Casey 22 S.Livingstone 12

HB: S.Sansonetti 16 S.Karlson 20 A.Brazill 10

C: J.Allen 6 B.Davey - C 3 T.White 29

HF: G.Campbell 13 E.Morris 21 E.James 2

F: N.Morris-Dalton 17 S.Rowe 7

Foll: S.Frederick 1 M.Cann 25 B.Bonnici 8

I/C: A.Porter 9 E.Fowler 15 L.Brazzale 24 T.Brown 26 A.Sheridan 14

Emerg: I.Barnett 4 C.Blair 28 E.Smith 33

Saturday, September 2

Carlton v Gold Coast at Ikon Park, 1.05pm AEST

CARLTON

B: J.Dal Pos - C 2 A.Velardo 1

HB: M.Hendrie 49 E.Fitzpatrick 19 V.Laloifi 8

C: L.Goss 20 A.McKay 5 K.Sherar 25

HF: M.Hill 10 J.Good 12 G.Lawson 27

F: M.Austin 22 K.Skepper 4

Foll: B.Moody 16 D.Walker 23 B.Vickers 24

I/C: D.Vescio 3 M.Anthony 14 A.Lee 11 T.Ortlepp 34 H.Cordner 21

Emerg: D.Finn 17 I.Milford 28 C.Fitzgerald 0

GOLD COAST

B: L.Ahrens 7 D.Davies 3

HB: W.Randell 15 D.D’Arcy 20 N.McLaughlin 11

C: A.Gee 24 C.Whitfort 4 E.Keaney 30

HF: K.Howarth 23 T.Bohanna - C 12 M.Brancatisano 5

F: J.Membrey 21 J.Dupuy 27

Foll: L.Bella 2 C.Rowbottom 8 A.Drennan 33

I/C: M.Girvan 25 C.Fitzpatrick 9 J.Stanton 17 L.Single 13 G.Clayden 18

Emerg: J.Smith 1 G.Biedenweg-Webster 16 T.Meyer 34

Adelaide v Port Adelaide at Norwood Oval, 2.35pm ACST

ADELAIDE

B: K.Mueller 13 C.Randall - C 26

HB: S.Goodwin 11 Z.Prowse 4 C.Biddell 12

C: S.Thompson 14 A.Hatchard 33 T.Charlton 25

HF: R.Martin 5 Y.Bonner 31 E.Jones 2

F: J.Allan 32 D.Ponter 15

Foll: C.Gould 1 E.Marinoff 10 A.Ballard 27

I/C: B.Tonon 28 N.Allen 8 M.Newman 17 M.McKinnon 21 N.Kelly 23

Emerg: J.Waterhouse 19 L.Whiteley 22 D.Varnhagen 9

PORT ADELAIDE

B: A.Borg 21 H.Dunn 24

HB: M.MacLachlan 16 J.Cuthbertson 25 C.Hammond 28

C: A.Foley 3 E.Phillips - C 1 E.Boag 17

HF: J.Teakle 15 J.Mules 14 G.Houghton 27

F: A.Saint 8 I.Tahau 10

Foll: M.Scholz 29 A.Dowrick 5 J.Stewart 13

I/C: Y.Duursma 7 A.Ballard 19 O.Levicki 18 E.O’Dea 2 H.Ewings 12

Emerg: K.Pope 44 M.Keryk 26 L.Cockatoo-Motlap 30

Geelong v Western Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium, 5.05pm AEST

GEELONG

B: A.Johnson 2 C.Gunjaca 26

HB: C.Emonson 16 M.McDonald - C 11 G.Rankin 10

C: M.Bowen 1 G.Prespakis 41 N.Morrison 9

HF: K.Surman 7 K.Darby 8 J.Parry 5

F: C.Scheer 14 A.Moloney 45

Foll: E.Hoare 46 A.McDonald 3 D.Moloney 4

I/C: A.McDonald 39 R.Garing 12 M.Bragg 44 J.Crockett-Grills 6 Z.Friswell 20

Emerg: B.Plummer 19 O.Fuller 13 R.Kearns 22

WESTERN BULLDOGS

B: B.Hunt 21 N.Ferres 16

HB: S.Hartwig 15 B.McFarlane 58 E.Bennetts 11

C: G.Lagioia 12 K.Coyne 22 R.Wilcox 37

HF: D.Bateman 8 I.Grant 3 D.Carruthers 14

F: G.Newton 5 K.McLeod 6

Foll: I.Pritchard 4 E.Georgostathis 17 J.Fitzgerald 23

I/C: C.Moody 13 E.Blackburn - C 2 A.Edmonds 33 K.Lynch 10 K.Lamb 27

Emerg: M.Gorham 26 H.Woodley 19 A.Smith 24

Hawthorn v Essendon at Kinetic Stadium, 7.15pm AEST

HAWTHORN

B: J.Richardson 11 C.Brown 42

HB: A.Makur Chuot 34 A.McDonagh 13 M.Eardley 17

C: K.Ashmore 10 L.Stephenson 12 A.Gilroy 7

HF: B.Hipwell 19 S.Perkins 23 J.Fleming 5

F: M.Breed 4 S.Locke 21

Foll: T.Luke 22 T.Lucas-Rodd - C 18 K.Stratton 41

I/C: E.Bates 39 G.Bodey 3 T.Fellows 8 T.Smith 24 C.Baskaran 9

Emerg: T.Cunningham 1 E.Everist 25 B.Deed 15

ESSENDON

B: G.Clarke 17 B.Brown 36

HB: B.Walker 9 E.Gamble 14 A.Van Loon 26

C: G.Gee 2 M.Prespakis 4 S.Van De Heuvel 27

HF: A.Clarke 33 S.Alexander 24 D.Bannister 3

F: B.Toogood - C 8 J.Wuetschner 21

Foll: S.Wales 30 S.Cain 20 P.Scott 32

I/C: M.Busch 28 K.Jacques 7 G.Nanscawen 5 A.Radford 22 J.Vogt 10

Emerg: L.Cutting 18 D.Marshall 6 A.Barba 11

Sunday, September 3

North Melbourne v St Kilda at Blundstone Arena, 1.05pm AEST

NORTH MELBOURNE

B: J.Ferguson 20 S.Wright 17

HB: N.Bresnehan 12 E.Kearney - C 9 E.O’Shea 14

C: T.Gatt 8 J.Garner 25 A.Smith 15

HF: B.Eddey 3 E.King 60 A.O’Loughlin 6

F: T.Randall 16 E.Gavalas 22

Foll: K.Rennie 26 M.King 23 A.Riddell 7

I/C: E.Shannon 11 K.Shierlaw 33 R.Tripodi 19 L.Pullar 24 A.Considine 27 L.McGrath 1 T.Craven 5

ST KILDA

B: A.Burke 3 B.Jakobsson 8

HB: H.Priest - C 14 G.Kelly 11 E.Friend 16

C: T.Smith 6 M.McDonald 1 G.Patrikios 21

HF: J.Wardlaw 30 N.Stevens 2 J.Lambert 9

F: B.Pinchin 24 N.Xenos 27

Foll: S.Nalder 34 A.Richards 22 O.Vesely 23

I/C: H.Stuart 18 S.Watson 12 M.Boyd 29 S.Chiocci 17 D.Guttridge 5 E.McKinnon 10 C.Matthews 28

Brisbane v Richmond at Brighton Homes Arena, 3.05pm AEST

BRISBANE

B: P.Monahan 11 S.Campbell 20

HB: B.Koenen - C 3 N.Grider 10 J.Ellenger 5

C: O.O’Dwyer 9 C.Svarc 25 S.Conway 12

HF: L.Postlethwaite 6 D.Davidson 14 R.Svarc 29

F: T.Smith 31 C.Hodder 21

Foll: T.Hickie 2 I.Dawes 17 A.Anderson 18

I/C: D.Heslop 23 C.Mullins 28 E.Smith 26 J.Pregelj 24 M.Pauga 27 C.Wendland 4 P.Boltz 15

RICHMOND

B: L.McClelland 16 R.Miller 15

HB: B.Lynch 20 M.Shevlin 35 E.Sheerin 2

C: K.Dempsey 19 G.Egan 1 S.D’Arcy 12

HF: K.Cox 17 E.Yassir 27 S.Reid 25

F: K.Brennan - C 3 C.Greiser 9

Foll: G.Seymour 28 M.Conti 4 E.McKenzie 22

I/C: J.Woods 29 M.Eastman 8 C.Wicksteed 24 P.Kelly 14 J.Hosking 11 C.Jones L.Graham 18

Sydney v Greater Western Sydney at North Sydney Oval, 3.05pm AEST

SYDNEY

B: T.Kennedy 29 B.Tarrant 20

HB: E.Heads 12 L.McEvoy - C 9 B.Smith 11

C: A.Newman 16 L.Gardiner 31 L.Steane 21

HF: R.Privitelli 19 B.Lochland 1 S.Hurley 25

F: C.Molloy 5 M.Beruldsen 37

Foll: A.Morphett 7 C.Hamilton 10 B.Kennedy 2

I/C: L.Szigeti 28 R.Sargent-Wilson 6 P.Sheppard 4 J.O’Sullivan 24 P.McCarthy 15 A.Whelan 22 E.Vale 23

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

B: P.Randall 21 K.Smith 4

HB: C.Dalton 11 G.Hill 19 T.Evans 18

C: J.Hicks 29 N.Barr 8 M.Brazendale 23

HF: Z.Goldsworthy 7 H.Zreika 24 A.Parker 3

F: G.Garnett 17 B.Mowbray 31

Foll: F.Davies 20 A.Lister 14 A.Eva - C 2

I/C: C.McCormick 25 T.Germech 15 R.Beeson 6 C.Miller 9 J.Grierson 10 T.Cattle 40 A.Dallaway 30

Fremantle v West Coast at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, 3.05pm AWST

FREMANTLE

B: S.Verrier 5 L.Pugh 32

HB: A.Stannett 4 M.Scanlon 6 E.O’Driscoll 3

C: E.Antonio 12 K.Bowers 2 J.Cregg 23

HF: A.Mulholland 33 J.Low 30 A.Runnalls 22

F: S.Wielstra 24 G.O’Sullivan 9

Foll: M.Strom 21 H.Miller - C 19 A.Tighe 10

I/C: O.Lally 14 M.Kauffman 25 D.East 8 M.Hyde 28 M.Tuhakaraina 13 T.Mulder 26 S.Gibbs 16

WEST COAST

B: K.Gibson 2 S.Goranova 8

HB: B.Smith 14 S.McDonald 35 C.Thomas 3

C: D.Hooker 17 I.Lewis 6 E.Roberts 4

HF: M.Western 21 J.Sedunary 10 A.McCarthy 11

F: S.Davison 28 L.Wakfer 1

Foll: S.Lakay 23 C.Rowley 5 E.Swanson - C 13

I/C: E.Hartill 25 K.Bartlett 20 J.Britton 18 E.Humphries 12 E.Elkington 29 Z.Wakfer 16 E.Gooch 31