AFLW Draft 2023: All the news, reaction and every selection
The AFLW draft provided more than a few shocks, plenty of proud fathers and unearthed some genuine stars. See every selection and re-live the draft in all its glory.
A western suburbs product who comes from a family of “mad” Western Bulldogs fans has joined the team at Whitten Oval after being selected with the No.1 pick in Monday night’s AFLW Draft.
The Bulldogs used their prized pick to secure Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, a dynamic key forward or midfielder from the Western Jets.
The 18-year-old only played six games in the Coates Talent League this year after missing almost three months with a fractured wrist which she sustained in a schoolyard football accident.
However, Bulldogs recruiters had seen enough to suggest that Weston-Turner could be a star of the future and wasted no time in locking her in with their first selection.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE EVERY PICK AND ALL THE REACTION
Weston-Turner was coached by Western Bulldogs football boss Chris Grant as a junior, with Grant being among the club officials in the room at Marvel Stadium to celebrate the moment.
“Chris coached me at local and obviously saw that potential in me and I’m just so glad that I’ve got that personal connection with him,” Weston-Turner said of the 341-game Western Bulldogs champion.
“He just told me he was proud of me and that they’re happy to have me and it just means the world.”
Weston-Turner’s grandmother and late great-aunt were both part of the Western Bulldogs cheer squad for “30-odd years”, with the wider family being no stranger to Marvel Stadium where they attended a lot of home games.
An athletic 178cm player with serious speed and an exciting natural leap, Watson-Turner still has one year of high school remaining at Lakeview Senior College in Caroline Springs.
However, she said she was “100 per cent” targeting a round 1 AFLW debut amid Year 12 commitments next year.
“I won’t stop until I’ve ticked off all my goals and I made a list at the start of this year and what I wanted to achieve out of it myself and I’m glad I’ve been glad to tick all those boxes,” Weston-Turner said.
“I just can’t wait for the 1st of January where I can start another list and I won’t stop until all those boxes are ticked.”
Weston-Turner was one of five players picked up by the Bulldogs in the draft, with midfielders Brooke Barwick (pick 4) and Elaine Grigg (pick 6), defender Cleo Buttifant (pick 11) and ruck Jorja Borg (pick 48) also joining the club.
The additions are set to be a big boost for the Bulldogs after a difficult season which saw the club finish last on the AFLW ladder with one win from 10 matches.
Second selection Jess Rentsch was caught in a late scramble after receiving an eleventh-hour plea from newly-appointed West Coast coach Daisy Pearce to attend the AFLW Draft.
The Victorian midfielder was planning to stay at home in Penshurst – three hours drive west of Melbourne – to watch the live stream of the draft, before her father received a call from Pearce on Sunday requesting that she attend in person.
The planned party at home with family and friends was quickly moved to Marvel Stadium, where AFLW great Pearce presented Rentsch with an Eagles jumper after the club selected her with pick No.2 in the draft.
“I wasn’t originally going to come,” Rentsch said.
“Then she (Pearce) called my dad and was like, ‘Is it possible to get her to come down?’.
“I was like, ‘Something’s going on here’. So then I found out and I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, of course I’ll go’.
“I called about everyone and said, ‘Sorry, you can’t come over’. Then some people I said, ‘You can come if you want, if you’re not busy’.
“I was so grateful for everyone that they could figure out a way to come down here.”
Rentsch’s mother is originally from Perth, with her side of the family all still in Western Australia.
“It was like, ‘The Eagles picked me up, that’s sweet as’,” Rentsch said.
“But also I was happy with anywhere really. I’m so excited to get into it.”
‘Just let it be national’: Top pick on the future of the draft
– Dan Batten
Top three pick Kaitlyn Srhoj believes all potential AFLW draftees should enter the national pool into the future, but said there remain financial hurdles to work through.
This draft was the first where draft hopefuls had the choice to be taken by any club across the country, rather than the previous state-based intakes, with prospects given the option to nominate nationally or for their own state.
The West Australian young gun was taken with the third pick of the draft by Greater Western Sydney after choosing to nominate for the national pool rather than her home state.
Fellow WA talent Georgie Cleaver, touted as a potential top-10 prospect, landed at West Coast at pick 39 after nominating as WA draft eligible only in one of the steals of the night. The Eagles were able to take her this late with Fremantle not entering the draft until later in the piece.
Earlier, Glenelg midfielder Piper Window, a possible top-five draftee, became a Port Adelaide player after she nominated South Australia as her draft destination.
Srhoj said she headed the advice of AFL Academy coach Tarkyn Lockyer to nominate nationally and test herself in a foreign environment.
But she understands there are financial concerns in the AFLW that make it difficult for first-year players to readily move states.
“It’s different for everyone and that’s why we have the opportunity to choice state. I think if we are going to be semi-professional then we need to just let it be national, but then again there’s not enough support to kind of financially move over in a sense for everyone,” Srhoj said.
“I think for me the reality with going nationally, not everyone is comfortable.
“For me I definitely wanted to be uncomfortable being uncomfortable and grow and develop, not only as a footballer but as a person.
“I’m really stoked about GWS, I’ve never been to Sydney before so it will be something to do.”
EVERY PICK AND ALL THE REACTION AS IT HAPPENED
– with Jordan Pinto
ROUND FIVE
Pick 55 Melbourne – Delany Madigan
Eastern Ranges
ROUND FOUR
Pick 54 Fremantle – Airlie Runnalls
Fremantle – relisted
Pick 53 GWS – Pass
ROUND THREE
Pick 52 Gold Coast – Annabel Kievit
Waratah FC
Pick 51 Gold Coast – Sienna McMullen
Bond University
Pick 50 Gold Coast – Kiara Bischa
Bond University
Pick 49 Fremantle – Holly Ifould
South Adelaide FC
With pick 49, @freodockersaflw have selected Holly Ifould.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
She's got pace and great vision as an outside player. #AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/YSasXeqz6X
Pick 48 Western Bulldogs – Jorja Borg
Western Bulldogs AFLW
Pick 47 St Kilda – Charlotte Simpson
Geelong VFLW
Tied VFLW best and fairest winner Simpson was made to wait before joining St Kilda with its last selection at 47. Simpson was eligible to join Geelong as well given her father had played for both Geelong and St Kilda, but the Cats chose to nominate O’Rourke as father-daughter instead in the lead-up to the draft. It came after Simpson had a breakout season for Geelong’s VFLW side as a ball-winning midfielder, and she is expected to thrive in the Saints engine room next year.
The Saints have landed Charlotte Simpson as a father-daughter selection.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
She's a very talented inside midfielder who can win a heap of the footy. #AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/ZXwib8kmmu
Pick 46 North Melbourne – Lucy Burke
North Melbourne, relisted
Pick 45 Hawthorn – Sophie Butterworth
Dandenong Stingrays
You could say she’s Butterworth-it (or something less punny) 😉🧈
— Hawthorn FC AFLW (@hawthornaflw) December 18, 2023
Welcome to the Hawks, Sophie! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/E1Zors3QcO
Pick 44 Gold Coast – Taya Oliver
Coorparoo/QLD
Pick 43 Richmond – Mackenzie Ford
Tasmania Devils
Pick 42 West Coast – Matilda Sergeant
East Fremantle
Pick 41 Geelong – Pass
ROUND TWO
Pick 40 GWS – Indigo Linde
Eastern Ranges
Pick 39 West Coast – Georgie Cleaver
East Fremantle
Pick 38 Essendon – Chloe Adams
Geelong Falcons
Welcome to the Bombers, Chloe 👊 pic.twitter.com/7eIZLiTG6e
— Essendon AFLW (@essendonfcw) December 18, 2023
Pick 37 Brisbane – Jacinta Baldwick
Brisbane Lions Academy
Pick 36 Gold Coast – Keely Fullerton
Bendigo Pioneers
With pick 36, the @goldcoastsuns have picked up Keely Fullerton from the Bendigo Pioneers.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
She's got pace and some real defensive chops. #AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/NtLEHwaGYm
Pick 35 Brisbane – Rania Crozier
Brisbane Lions Academy
A mercurial tall forward who is strong overhead and crafty around goals. Has clean hands and brings great work rate.
Pick 34 Adelaide – Lily Tarlinton
Coorparoo/QLD
Pick 33 Sydney – Lara Hausegger
Oakleigh Chargers
Pick 32 Collingwood – Amber Schutte
Gippsland Power
Pick 31 Carlton – Meg Robertson
Dandenong Stingrays
The daughter of three-game Blue Ben, is a smart inside midfielder with clean hands.
The second second-generation Game Changer!
— Carlton Women's (@carltonfc_w) December 18, 2023
With selection No.31, we've welcomed father-daughter pick, Meg Robertson! pic.twitter.com/xQL6RzX45s
Pick 30 North Melbourne – Georgia Stubs
Eastern Ranges
Pick 29 Adelaide – Tamara Henry
Western Jets
Pick 28 Melbourne – Jemma Rigoni
Matching North Melbourne’s bid
Oakleigh Chargers
Melbourne quickly matched another Kangaroos bid for father-daughter prospect Rigoni. An athletic and speedy winger or half-back, she is the daughter of former Demons midfielder Guy Rigoni. Has a neat left-foot and plays in an exciting and attacking way.
Pick 27 Brisbane – Indiana Williams
Matching North Melbourne’s bid
Brisbane Lions Academy
Pick 26 North Melbourne – Ella Slocombe
Claremont
North Melbourne would be happy to land Slocombe here, with some expecting the onballer to be a first-round selection. Slocombe caught the eye with her explosive bursts from contest this year. Missed the tail end of the WAFLW season with a knee injury, but returned to test at the draft combine and posted strong results.
Pick 25 Port Adelaide – Alissa Brook
South Adelaide
With pick 25, @pafc_w select Alissa Brook from South Adelaide.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
She's a talented defender. #AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/4dw0IB41gj
Pick 24 Melbourne – Jacinta Hose
Eastern Ranges
An early second-round surprise, Hose was only at Marvel Stadium as Jess Vukic’s guest when her name was read out by the Demons. “I was excited to just watch, I was hopeful but did not expect that,” Hose said. “Oh my god, it’s such a dream come true, I am still shaking.” Melbourne skipper Kate Hore was, again, on hand to greet the draftee in a moment Hose will “never forget”. “It was actually unreal,” she said.
How good is this.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
Jacinta Hose was attending the #AFLWDraft as a guest before @MelbourneAFLW called her name out! pic.twitter.com/2icW9R9ODO
Pick 23 Geelong – Bryde O’Rourke
Bendigo Pioneers
The 175cm midfielder-forward joins the Cats as the first father-daughter selection of the night. O’Rourke is the daughter of former player Ray, who played two games for the club back in 1969.
Pick 22 Adelaide – Brooke Boileau
South Adelaide
The Crows enter the draft with the first pick of the second round and take the next-best South Australian prospect on offer. Boileau is an inside midfielder who wins plenty of contested ball and has been part of Port Adelaide’s next generation academy. Has good hands overhead and at ground level, neat skills on both sides and real agility.
FIRST ROUND
Pick 21 Brisbane – Sophie Peters
Brisbane Lions Academy
A classy midfielder with clean hands and good fundamental skills by hand and foot, Peters is the final pick of the first round. Transitioned from playing soccer as a junior and has great athletic traits. “Dad wanted to be on camera,” Peters revealed, before her overjoyed father gave a big thumbs up, in another nice family moment.
Pick 20 Essendon – Emily Gough
Sandringham Dragons
An athletic and versatile player who can win the footy through the midfield and also win it back when playing in defence. Is clean with her possession and has great game sense.
Pick 19 Port Adelaide – Piper Window
Glenelg
The SANFLW best-and-fairest joins the Power after nominating South Australia. A prolific ball-winning midfielder who captained South Australia and the Australian under-18 team. Wins plenty of contested ball and is creative by hand when she does.
With pick 19, @pafc_w have picked up Piper Window from Glenelg.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
The Power are looking STACKED!#AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/4A7KE3K1Kq
Pick 18 Geelong – Chantal Mason
Geelong Falcons
With pick 18, @catswomens have picked up Chantal Mason from the Geelong Falcons.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
She's an elite goal kicker who kicks bags for fun!#AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/4cPwAmFTqo
Pick 17 Hawthorn – Mikayla Williamson
Dandenong Stingrays
A smooth-moving midfielder who has become a good clearance player and evades opponents with her speed and endurance. Possesses good footy smarts and has been a consistent ball-winner at all levels.
Pick 16 Sydney – Sarah Grunden
Calder Cannons
Pick 15 Brisbane – Evie Long
Matching Sydney’s bid
Brisbane Lions Academy
The Lions have matched a first-round bid for their Academy star. Long is a rangy half-forward who can find the footy, put pressure on opposition defenders and kick goals. Has strong aerobic capacity and nice agility to boot.
Pick 14 West Coast – Kayley Kavanagh
Calder Cannons
An inside midfielder who can extract the ball from stoppages and then use her great vision and quick hands to set up plays. Averaged 25 disposals and eight tackles in the Coates Talent League this year.
Pick 13 Richmond – Isabel Bacon
Sandringham Dragons
Bacon our hearts melt, Issy 🥰👋 pic.twitter.com/SDMZxLag0P
— RichmondW (@RichmondWomens) December 18, 2023
Pick 12 Melbourne – Ryleigh Wotherspoon
Western Magpies/QLD
Pick 11 Western Bulldogs – Cleo Buttifant
GWS Giants Academy
A defender who dazzles with her run from defence, is prepared to take the game on and possesses a great leap. Previously represented Australia in touch football before turning to Australian rules.
With pick 11, the @bulldogsw select Cleo Buttifant from Turvey Park.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
She's got serious speed! #AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/Xtr08TfpJ8
Pick 10 St Kilda – Kiera Whiley
Western Jets
With the final pick in the top 10, St Kilda has gone with Whiley, a versatile midfielder who can play inside or outside. She’s highly competitive and is a consistent performer, who has strong fundamentals and brings good defensive pressure.
Pick 9 Collingwood – Lucy Cronin
Oakleigh Chargers
The Magpies have followed up with a bigger surprise – and the bolter of the first round – taking tall defender Cronin, who is quick and loves to break the lines with her run and rebound out of the back half. Played a key role in the Chargers’ Coates Talent League premiership this year.
Pick 8 Collingwood – Georgia Clark
Tasmania Devils
A bit of an early surprise here. Clark is a key forward who has strong hands and great courage in the air. Reads the play well and positions herself well as a marking target.
A moment Lila will never forget 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Bmm3Q6zX4e
— Carlton Women's (@carltonfc_w) December 18, 2023
Pick 7 Carlton – Lila Keck
Bendigo Pioneers
A high-energy small forward who can also have stints through the midfield, Keck has great goal sense and loves to celebrate when she does put one through the big sticks. Should quickly become a favourite with Blues fans.
Pick 6 Western Bulldogs – Elaine Grigg
Central District
A creative forward or midfielder who is quick and elusive but also strong in the contest, Grigg also brings great pressure, averaging 5.7 tackles during the national championships. The two-time SANFLW premiership player, who was eight when she came to Australia, is the first Kenyan-born player drafted. The room erupted when her name was called, before Grigg labelled her family as ‘a bit rowdy’.
Pick 5 Melbourne – Alyssia Pisano
Eastern Ranges
A match-winning small forward who returned from an ACL injury to kick 38 goals from 14 matches for the Ranges this year. Pisano possesses burst speed and great footy smarts, and was emotional on stage when Melbourne skipper Kate Hore presented the new Demon with her jumper.
Pick 4 Western Bulldogs – Brooke Barwick
Tasmania Devils
The Bulldogs have taken the explosive midfielder with their second pick of the night. Barwick missed the entire 2023 season with an ACL injury but will be ready to go next year. Can break the lines with her pace and agility.
Pick 3 GWS – Kaitlyn Srhoj
Peel Thunder
A talented midfielder with a good balance between her inside and outside game and impressive running abilities, one of WA’s top prospect is a Giant. Was a former junior basketball star, before deciding to focus on footy in 2021.
Pick 2 West Coast – Jessica Rentsch
GWV Rebels
A versatile and athletic midfielder or defender who can also float forward and kick goals. Has serious speed to break the lines and attacks the contest. Recovered from a broken leg to produce an outstanding 2023.
Welcome to the West, Jess!
— West Coast Eagles AFLW (@eaglesaflw) December 18, 2023
With pick two we have selected an exciting midfielder from the Greater Western Victoria Rebels! pic.twitter.com/miW31213m7
Pick 1 Western Bulldogs – Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner
Western Jets
As many expected, the Bulldogs took little time to lock in Weston-Turner as the No. 1 pick. An athletically talented key forward who can also have a run through the midfield, she can beat opponents in the air and at ground level and brings some serious X-Factor.
With pick one, the @bulldogsw have selected Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner from the Western Jets.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) December 18, 2023
What a jet the Dogs have picked up!#AFLWDraftpic.twitter.com/EfKBxjarMB
It's #AFLWDraft night! 📣
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) December 18, 2023
We hold picks 49 & 54 heading in.
The final draft order ⤵ï¸#foreverfreo
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