Western Bulldogs select Isabel Huntington with pick no.1 in AFLW Draft

ISABEL Huntington is the no.1 pick in the AFLW Draft, but she had to put her acting skills to the test after a surprise visit from the Bulldogs. EVERY PICK, WHAT THE VIC CLUBS SAID

ISABEL Huntington is very good at keeping secrets.

The AFLW’s No.1 draft pick was shocked when there was a knock at the door on Tuesday night and Western Bulldogs coach Paul Groves was standing there. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE EVERY AFLW DRAFT PICKS He delivered the good news that the Bulldogs would be taking the 18-year-old rising star with the first pick. Then she just had to keep a lid on it. “I had to put on my acting skills a bit for this morning, but we got there in the end and it’s just nice to be able to celebrate with everyone now,” Huntington said. “I did find out last night … I had a knock at the door and opened it up to a group of Paul Groves, Mick Sandry, Chris Grant and about four cameras so I wasn’t expecting that. It was an interesting way of finding out, it was very exciting.” Huntington endured a broken leg in 2015 and missed all of this season after injuring her ACL last year, so the lid was off yesterday, with the 180m forward, who can play in the midfield or down back, celebrating the occasion. “It’s pretty special ... I’m just more and more hungry for it and I can’t wait to get into it,” she said. ROBBO: HANNAH MOUNCEY’S EXCLUSION A DISGRACE “I’m pretty honoured that they picked me that highly. “I would say there’s a degree of pressure always with the No. 1 draft pick … but I think once you get into the club it shakes off a bit and I’ll be fine hopefully.” On Thursday, it’s back to school where the St Michaels Grammar school captain will graduate before starting her Year 12 exams in two weeks time. “I’ve been a little bit distracted this week,” she said. “But I look forward to getting back into it.” The Bulldogs were the big winners of draft day securing blue chip players Huntington and WNBL Melbourne Boomers point guard Monique Conti. Conti will bolster the Dogs midfield alongside fellow Whitten Oval draftee, impressive VFLW onballer Jenna Bruton. Melbourne sprung a surprise by taking exciting forward Eden Zanker as Victoria’s fourth pick. It was expected defender Darcy Guttridge would be selected before Zanker, but the Magpies were thrilled she slipped to the fifth Victorian pick, where they swooped. Collingwood also secured classy forward Chloe Molloy and Collingwood netballer Ash Brazill. The Demons landed former WNBL Boomer Tegan Cunningham. Carlton had traded away several of its picks during the exchange period so had to wait until selection six of the Victorian talent where they opted for Georgie Gee. They also drafted Bridie Kennedy with their final pick. Kennedy was highly rated ahead of the draft after shining at the combine with the Blues thrilled she was available so late. COLLINGWOOD — COACH WAYNE SIEKMAN Chloe Molloy “She was the best player in the TAC Cup … I want to challenge her straight away and challenge her to go through the midfield. She’s exciting.” Darcy Guttridge “An outstanding leader. I thought Melbourne would take her, we’re stoked to get her at five. Can play middle, can play down half back. Built for AFLW.” Iilish Ross “We’ve been keen on her for two months. Incredible young person. Really determined and she has speed., which is what we needed to get and we’ve got someone who is electrifying.” Sarah Dargan “She’s really clean off the ground and just knows where the goals are. A small forward/ mid” Kristy Stratton “She was on the verge of being an Olympic long jumper until she did her knee and the doctor said, no more long jump. She took up footy seriously this year and we believe she’s one of the best coming out of the VFL” Ash Brazill “We’re just wrap that could come off. A lot of clubs were interested but it’s not just Ash Braz the footballer, it’s Ash Braz the netballer. Netball is one football is two so we’re going to work in with netball.” CARLTON — COACH DAMIEN KEEPING Georgia Gee “She’s elite gatherer of the footy, really clean, balanced. We rate her as one of the best kicks available in the draft. She’ll continue to grow in her first year and she’s a long term player. We think she’s got some qualities about her that will make her pretty special.” Sophie Li “Sophie’s a 29-year-old paramedic from South Australia who is an elite distributor of the footy. We’re so pleased. “ Reni Hicks “She’s going to be able to grow into a player that can play down back, but we believed that she’s got an opportunity to become a really quality midfielder.” Bridie Kennedy “She’s an elite athlete and she’s a wonderful character. To be able to get her at the number that we did, we were incredibly pleased. We think she’s going to thrive in our environment.” WESTERN BULLDOGS — COACH PAUL GROVES Isabel Huntington “She’s the complete package as a footballer. She’s really versatile. Can play down back, play through the midfield and up forward potentially supporting KB (Katie Brennan).” Monique Conti “She’s a star. She’ll have 30 new Melbourne Boomers (fans) on Saturday night at her game. We’ve got Emma Kearney who does the same thing, that dual sportsperson. They’re not getting paid enough to make them do one … we’ll monitor her load really closely but she’s a little star.” Jenna Bruton “Best and fairest at VFLW club St Kilda. She can go outside mid, inside mid, we’ve got a number of options there.” Daria Bannister “A midfield/ small forward from Tassie. She really hunts the footy.” Emma Mackie “She’s a bit of a wildcard for us. She’s a 33-year-old, won the Box Hill best and fairest. She’s an elite inside mid. She’ll play on the bigger midfield types, like (Erin) Phillips. She’s a real nuisance in there. She’s a world championship level cyclist.” Passed on last pick with expectation the Bulldogs will take an interstate player as a free agent. The free agency period runs until tonight. MELBOURNE — COACH MICK STINEAR Eden Zanker “Where she can take her game to is really exciting. We just look forward to getting her into our program. She’s got the potential to start her career as a key position player and then potentially move into the midfield and really change the way the game’s played.” Madeleine Guerin “She was the next name we had on our list and we were hoping she might be there. She will add a great deal of speed and athleticism to our side and we place a really high value on that with 16-a-s-de on big grounds.” Tegan Cunningham “She brings experience. She’s a great acquisition for us. She’ll be a key position player for us, she’s very good in the air and she’s competitive at ground level and she’s a really nice kick of the footy for someone who hasn’t played a lot.” Claudia Whitfort “She’s combing state league netball and surf lifesaving, beach sprints is her pet event. She’s just a really impressive athlete. The footy hasn’t been in her hands for too long, but she keeps getting better.” SEE ALL THE PICKS BELOW: ROUND ONE 1. Western Bulldogs — Isabel Huntington 2. Fremantle — Stephanie Cain 3. Collingwood — Chloe Molloy 4. Western Bulldogs — Monique Conti 5. GIANTS — Jodie Hicks 6. Melbourne — Eden Zanker 7. Brisbane Lions — Jordan Zanchetta 8. Adelaide — Jessica Allan ROUND TWO 9. Collingwood — Darcy Guttridge 10. Fremantle — Evangeline Gooch 11. Western Bulldogs — Jenna Bruton 12. Carlton — Georgia Gee 13. Collingwood — Iilish Ross 14. Melbourne — Maddy Guerin 15. Brisbane Lions — Arianna Clarke 16. Adelaide — Jasmyn Hewett ROUND THREE 17. GIANTS — Tanya Hetherington 18. Fremantle — Jodie White 19. Western Bulldogs — Daria Bannister 20. Collingwood — Sarah Dargan 21. Collingwood — Kristy Stratton 22. Melbourne — Tegan Cunningham 23. Brisbane Lions — Renee Cowan 24. Adelaide — Eloise Jones ROUND FOUR 25. GIANTS — Courtney Gum 26. Fremantle — Ashley Atkins 27. Western Bulldogs — Emma Mackie 28. Carlton — Sophie Li 29. Carlton — Reni Hicks 30. Melbourne — Claudia Whitfort 31. Brisbane Lions — Kalinda Howarth 32. Adelaide — Marijana Rajcic ROUND FIVE 33. Fremantle — Emily McGuire 34. Western Bulldogs — PASS 34. Collingwood — Ash Brazill 35. Carlton — Bridie Kennedy 36. Brisbane Lions — Emma Pittman 37. Adelaide — Ruth Wallace ROUND SIX 38. GIANTS — Phoebe Monahan 39. Fremantle — Alicia Janz 40. Brisbane Lions — Ruby Blair 41. Adelaide — Rheanne Lugg ROUND SEVEN 42. GIANTS — Philippa Smyth 43. Fremantle — Leah Mascall 44. Brisbane Lions — Sophie Conway 45. Adelaide — PASS ROUND EIGHT 46. GIANTS — Cora Staunton 47. Brisbane Lions — Jessy Keeffe ROUND NINE 48. GIANTS — PASS

Originally published as Western Bulldogs select Isabel Huntington with pick no.1 in AFLW Draft