AFLW Moneyball: Stay up to date with all the latest off-season trade and signing news
AFLW club officials have been left by some of the figures being thrown at players this off-season. And the Blues are concerned the big deals could come back to bite.
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Western Bulldogs premiership player Bonnie Toogood wants to be a Bomber.
Toogood, 24, has informed the club that she wants to move to Essendon in the latest expansion club move.
The Bulldogs made their frustration clear given what women’s football boss Debbie Lee described as an “extensive amount of time and investment” into Toogood’s “football and personal development over her career with us”.
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“We’ve worked hard to create an environment which enables our players to flourish, both on and off the field, and we will continue to prioritise their development,” Lee said
“In that context, while it remains incredibly frustrating to lose players during expansion periods, it’s also not surprising that our players continue to be targeted.
“Our focus remains on building a strong playing list which will give us the best chance to achieve on-field success in the coming years.”
FEARS BIG-MONEY DEALS WILL COME BACK TO BITE
There are fears within clubs that the offers being thrown at the game’s top names could come back to bite.
Star Blue Madison Prespakis is set to become a Bomber with a six-figure two-year deal coming her way, while other officials have been left stunned by some of the figures being thrown about as expansion looms large.
The concern is what happens when players on big deals then also need to be re-signed in years to come, and was evidenced in Blues’ women’s football boss Brad Munro’s words when Prespakis and Georgia Gee’s desire to move was revealed.
“The reality is that some of the offers being made in regards to player movement this off-season are very significant,” he said.
“That has its positives for the AFLW competition as a whole but for existing clubs, it places you in an unavoidably tough situation in terms of being able to compete with those offers.”
NEW COACH GOING DUCK HUNTING
BEC Goddard is going duck hunting.
While other expansion clubs look to lure a big fish their way, the new Hawthorn coach has her eyes on a bit of “roast duck” to help fatten up her list.
And as an August start to the season looms for the AFL Women’s competition and the club’s first AFLW list is being built, the experienced coach knows better than to wait for star players to just walk in her door.
“I won’t go into specific names out of respect,” she said on Wednesday.
“But we’re not going to wait for a roast duck to fly into the mouth.
“We’ll go out and get our roast duck and we’ve thrown the net wide and deep and had some really productive discussions. And hopefully we can get some (players) … it would be great to have the entire All-Australian team at Hawthorn but if we can’t get that, we’ll just keep working.”
The Herald Sun has reported that Irish Roo Aileen Gilroy is in the Hawks’ sights, while reigning league best and fairest winner Emily Bates is weighing up her future.
Expansion clubs have been in the sights of existing teams, with Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich lashing the model that allows teams entering the competition to sign up to 14 players from other clubs.
But Goddard says a “bigger picture” view is required.
“I think I’ve got a bigger picture perspective,” she said.
“Certainly when I was coaching at Adelaide and there were only eight teams in the competition, of course you don’t want expansion to happen.
“But when you look at it with a lens of (that) we want the athletes to become full-time eventually, then the best time for the competition is to have 18 clubs in that. The players and the criticism that’s coming around that about ‘stealing’ players – look at it from a bigger picture perspective and see that in the end, while there might be a bit of pain for the next couple of years in terms of player movement, I think that’s going to settle right down.”
SISTERS SIDE BY SIDE?
THE news of Madison Prespakis’ shift to Essendon sent social media into meltdown on Monday night, and the focus for Dons fans quickly shifted to whether a bit of sisterly ambition might come into play.
Georgie Prespakis was immediately flagged by some, who questioned whether the sisters – and staunch Bombers fans in their youth – could line up together.
Unfortunately for Essendon supporters, AFLW Moneyball can reveal that Georgie has agreed to a new two-year deal that will tie her to the Cattery, where she has flourished since joining the AFLW competition.
TAY? NO WAY
DEMONS forward Tayla Harris is out of contract after joining the club on a one-year deal, determined to prove her worth before any extension.
And while her Grand Final performance against a dominant Chelsea Randall would have left her smarting, she isn’t going anywhere.
Harris’s manager has declared that the star – who has a new documentary out next month – is “definitely” staying after an All-Australian season.
It comes as teammate and skipper Daisy Pearce continues to weigh up her future.
Pearce, who claimed a third club best and fairest on Monday night, said this week that she is still letting the “dust settle” before making any decision on whether to play on.
YOUNG GUNS FIRE
The upcoming AFL Women’s draft has some industry figures salivating.
It has been declared by some to be the best draft in some years, given the Covid pandemic’s effect on teenage football in recent years.
And leading the pack is Dandenong Stingrays star Amber Clarke, who scooped the pool at this week’s NAB League girls awards.
Clarke, who also won the best-on-ground medal in last week’s premiership decider, claimed the league best and fairest after delivering six best-on-ground showings.
Runner-up and Western Jets premiership skipper Charlotte Baskaran was pipped by just one vote, but took out the captain of the year gong.
We’re waiting with bated breath to see them at the top level.
GROWING PAINS
Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich raised eyebrows recently when he lashed the expansion process saying: “We’re the ones who put the time and effort into developing players … (then expansion pulls) the rug out from under us. It drives me fr***ing mad”.
Now one of his premiership-winning Lions from 2021, has joined an expansion club, as the first former AFLW player to become a head coach.
Lauren Arnell has become the first former AFLW player to transition into a head coach role in the league and having been at the Lions during the expansion that saw Gold Coast enter the competition and take a number of Brisbane players, she said she could understand her former coach’s comments.
“I can completely understand where Craig’s coming from and Craig’s been a huge mentor to me in the past, and I played through those days of rebuilding post that initial expansion period,” she said.
“So, I completely understand Craig’s position and, and the work that he and Bree Brock (Lions head of AFLW) have put into rebuilding the footy club after being almost obliterated by the initial expansion.
“But I do know, also, that Craig’s really supportive of me being in this role and is looking forward to seeing myself and our team here at Port Adelaide having some success.”
TOP CROW
The triumphant Crows will crown their side’s best and fairest player on Thursday night, with midfielders Anne Hatchard (the 2020 club champion) and Ebony Marinoff (the reigning club champion) expected to poll well. But don’t discount All-Australian defender Sarah Allan, who has had an excellent season, or forward Ashleigh Woodland who has set a new AFLW record for most goals scored in a season, with 21.
On Friday, the Crows will then jump on a plane and head to Queensland for their post-season footy trip, which if their recent premiership celebrations are anything to go by, will be a lot of fun.
But when they return, it will be a swift “back-to-business”, with the players to have some serious conversations with Crows’ list management, as Port Adelaide eyes off their list.
But the Crows are confident they’ll be able to retain the majority of their players given their winning culture, with constant dialogue happening with all their players’ managers.
PORT’S PLOTTING
As an expansion club, the Power have been given the one-off chance to take up to eight currently signed Crows (and a total of 14 players across the league).
New Power coach, Lauren Arnell, says conversations have begun to gauge player interest in coming to Alberton.
“There’s many conversations across the competition and being an Adelaide-based club and an SA-proud club we’re pretty keen to have continued conversations with those original SA-based players,” she said.
“Part of us coming in this late into the competition, it does mean that there are hopefully opportunities for SA-born talent to come home and play at Port Adelaide.”
It’s well-known that Port would love to lure Crows star Erin Phillips to Port, but Arnell hasn’t ruled out the possibility that her former Lions teammate – and reigning W-Award winner – Emily Bates might be swayed to join the Power.
“There’ll be a number of players across the competition (we talk to),” Arnell said.
“I think, again, going back to due diligence and building the best possible program that we can, there’ll be a whole range of players that we speak to in the coming weeks.”
As soon as the AFL announces the long-awaited Sign and Trade period, expect a flurry of activity in SA.
BLUES SECURE SIGNATURE AFTER RIVAL’S PLAYER RAID
Carlton has signed AFL women’s coach Daniel Harford for another two years.
Harford, who has led the women’s outfit at the Blues since the end of 2018, said he knows expansion presents both the competition and Carlton with “a new set of challenges”, he is raring to go with a short turnaround into next season.
“I want to continue to ensure the players have a strong support system behind them as we head into pre-season,” Harford said.
“We have a solid list, with a great group of players and the team environment at the club is one of support and inclusivity.
“With four more teams coming into the competition we’ll be presented with a new set of challenges, but I can’t wait to get stuck in with the players, coaches and support staff and start preparing for the season ahead.
“I love this club and will be doing everything possible to give us the best chance to share some success with our members and supporters.”
Harford’s two-year deal comes just days after it was revealed star player Madison Prespakis and speedy forward Georgia Gee would be leaving for expansion club Essendon.
Carlton head of women’s football Brett Munro said Harford would ensure a “positive team environment”.
“First and foremost Daniel believes in the values of the club; and he drives those values throughout our AFLW program, we know he is the right person to lead this team in our pursuit of success,” Munro said.
“We started to show some strong results in the back end of last season, winning three of our last four games, and we’ll be looking to build on that heading into a new season.
“Our playing list has certainly changed during his four years here and his ability to adapt along with that as a coach has been first class.
“Our list is the youngest in the competition and Daniel has shown that development is a big focus and will continue to be over the next few years.
“A connected program is a strong program and by signing Daniel until 2024 we can ensure a positive team environment that aligns with what the club believes in.”
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