AFLW trade news: Melbourne’s Libby Birch, Eliza West and Casey Sherriff on the move
The AFLW trade period opened on Thursday and, just 24 hours later, one of the competition’s stars requested. Plus, a top-10 pick has been traded. Get all the latest news here.
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Hawthorn has blown open the AFLW trade period by snaring premiership pair Eliza West and Casey Sherriff from Melbourne on Friday.
In a blockbuster trade to kick off the player movement period, the Hawks shipped picks 5 and 26 to the Demons for half-forward Sherriff, midfielder West and pick 16.
The 2022 flag-winning Dees immediately bolster a Hawthorn side that went 3-7 and finished 14th last season.
West, 26, averaged 17.2 disposals and 6.4 tackles per game in 2023.
She joins Hawthorn after 36 games at Melbourne.
Sherriff landed at the Dees in 2018 as a replacement player and went on to feature 48 times for the club, starting as a defender before developing into a high half-forward/winger.
“We’re excited to welcome Casey and Eliza to the Hawthorn family following successful stints at Melbourne,” Hawks AFLW list manager Mitchell Cashion said.
“In Casey we’re getting a versatile player with a high footy IQ.
“While experiencing success in a number of positions with the Demons, coming to the Hawks gives her a great opportunity to excel in one position.
“Eliza is a strong inside midfielder who never gives up at the contest.
“She is a proven finals player and will provide additional physicality and pressure in our midfield.
“Not only will Casey and Eliza’s playing abilities enhance our young and developing squad, but so too will their knowledge of what it takes to win an AFLW flag.
“We look forward to seeing them hit the ground running in pre-season ahead of what is set to be an exciting 2024 for the brown and gold.”
West and Sherriff’s departures are two of a mooted five Demons who could be on the move during the trade period.
Midfielder Maddi Gay has reportedly requested a trade to Essendon, while two-time All-Australian key defender Libby Birch wants a move to North Melbourne and Charlotte Wilson could find her way to the Suns.
Elsewhere, 2020 top-10 pick Zimmorlei Farquharson has landed at the Kennel after the Bulldogs snared the Brisbane forward for pick 41 in what was the first move of the trade period.
Farquharson, 21, has kicked 12 goals in 17 games for the Lions since debuting in 2022.
She did not feature at all in Brisbane’s most recent premiership-winning campaign after being moved to the inactive list for the 2023 season.
“Zimmie is a player we identified early as someone who could come in and have a real impact for our team,” said Bulldogs AFLW head of list management and recruiting, Mick Sandry.
“She is a highly talented footballer and is hard to play on due to her athleticism and height.
“She attacks the contest while having class on the outside and we can’t wait to see her in the red, white and blue.”
STAR DEE DROPS FIRST AFLW TRADE BOMBSHELL
AFLW star Libby Birch has requested a trade to North Melbourne in a significant boost for this year’s runners up.
The Melbourne key defender informed the Roos of her decision on Friday, just five days after the club’s 17-point grand final loss to the Brisbane Lions.
Birch featured in all 12 games for the Demons this season – including the club’s two finals – and averaged 8.2 disposals, 2.3 marks and 4.7 spoils.
The 26-year-old is a two-time All-Australian and a two-time AFLW premiership player.
The AFLW trade period opened on Thursday and runs through until December 14.
Birch’s trade request came on the same day that North Melbourne locked away Emma Kearney for a further two years.
Kearney, 34, earned All-Australian honours for an eight consecutive season this year after averaging 20.1 disposals across 13 matches off half-back.
The new deal means the veteran will remain at Arden St until at least the end of 2025.
“From the moment Kearns walked through the doors in 2019, our club has been better for it,” North Melbourne head of women’s football Nathan Hrovat said.
“Drive, focus and ferocity are synonymous with the Kearney name. Kearns has always led from the front. She will do whatever it takes to achieve the ultimate team success.”
Exodus threatens perennial contender’s flag hopes
– Lauren Wood
A bumper AFL Women’s trade period is set to kick off on Thursday as Melbourne braces for multiple departures.
A year on from claiming the season seven premiership and maintaining the majority of its list, at least four Demons have indicated they want to leave the club over the next week.
Maddi Gay, Charlotte Wilson, Eliza West and Casey Sherriff have all requested trades from Melbourne — to Essendon, Gold Coast and Hawthorn respectively — with premiership defender Libby Birch also weighing up her playing future with a potential shift on the cards.
Melbourne list boss Todd Patterson said while it was a different scenario to last season, the club was eyeing a move up the draft order with the draft set for December 18, days after the trade period concludes, along with some established talent.
“The overwhelming feeling amongst our club our program is that we’ve still got a lot of confidence in the list and whilst we don’t want to replicate what others have done, you’ve seen from Brisbane as a great example, that losing players is not necessarily the end of the world,” Patterson said.
“What has been missing through the expansion periods with our retention and our success at the back-end of the draft is that we really missed out on getting some of that young talent through the draft.
“So, that is going to be a key focus for us, getting ourselves up the draft order as high as we can and really targeting that next wave to come with our already established 22 to 25-year-olds, which are some of the best players in the competition.”
Birch, 26, is understood to be considering a number of options, including Hawthorn.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players are able to sign multi-year contracts for the first time.
Despite significant interest from a number of Victorian clubs, Greater Western Sydney playmaker Alyce Parker on Wednesday re-signed with the Giants for a further two years.
“Although this season we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, I feel confident the club is on the right track to turn things around and I want to be part of helping us return to finals as quickly as possible,” she said.
“I believe I can contribute to this environment and consequently, work together towards achieving team success.
“Personally, I feel like I have so much more growth to come and I’m excited to do that in the orange and charcoal.”
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Originally published as AFLW trade news: Melbourne’s Libby Birch, Eliza West and Casey Sherriff on the move
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