AFLW: Meet football’s newest heroes

THEY made history as football’s newest heroes in 2017, but expectations are even higher for 2018. These are the female players you need to keep an eye on.

AFWL

AFTER a stellar start to the AFLW competition in 2017, expectations are high for 2018.

The league will undoubtedly benefit from the stability of having its inaugural year behind it. Clubs will have had time to refine training programs and facilities, and marquee players will be relieved somewhat from the intense spotlight, now the AFLW is more well known and defined to the public and pundits. But will audiences still continue to come out in the numbers they showed in 2017?

Part of that responsibility falls to players whose success stories became folklore of AFLW history — perhaps none more so than Adelaide superstar Erin Phillips, who received the first ever NAB AFL Women's best and fairest award last year, pipping Melbourne’s Karen Paxman and Bulldogs star Ellie Blackburn on 10 votes. First-ever AFL Women's Rising Star Ebony Marinoff, as well as Adelaide’s Sarah Perkins and Collingwood's Moana Hope are also expected to find ways to backup their unbelievable debut season. The Western Bulldogs will be crossing their fingers and toes for Katie Brennan to remain on the ground after an initial season marked by injury, and Greater Western Sydney Giants will be thrilled to have Renee Forth join the team after the marquee player missed 2017 with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Looking ahead, the AFL Women’s Draft in October showed some incredible talent we can look forward to seeing on the field for the first time in 2018. Isabel Huntington, much hyped to be pick one, was snapped up by the Western Bulldogs. Despite some horror injuries — Huntington missed 2017 with a ruptured ACL and broke her leg in 2015 — she has demonstrated immense talent as a key forward for Melbourne University in the VFLW. Chloe Molloy, chosen at pick three to Collingwood, is another anticipated player. At 19 years old, she is co-captain of VFLW club Diamond Creek and played her heart out in this year’s grand final match against Darebin. She comes from a basketball background, having been listed as a development player for the Melbourne Boomers in the WNBL, but proved her Aussie Rules acumen as the equal-highest goal scorer in the 2017 VFLW alongside Katie Brennan. Women’s football is undoubtedly stronger not just for the introduction of AFLW, but for the strength it has brought to grassroots women’s football. The West Australian Women’s Football League (WAWFL) and VFLW, while running as strong competitions in their own right since the early 1980s, now have more attention than ever before. The South Australian Women’s League kicked off in the summer of 2017 and has already proven successful with a number of promising draftees from this competition preparing to show their skills in 2018. Sophie Li is a gun midfielder who placed second in Norwood’s best and fairest and won best on ground in the Redlegs’ comprehensive grand final win over North Adelaide. Her strong ability at clearances and inside 50s will help bolster Carlton’s forward entries to stars Darcy Vesio and Tayla Harris. Courtney Gum, another incredibly strong midfielder, heads to GWS from Glenelg where she won the inaugural SANFL Women’s League Best and Fairest. After polling a maximum three votes in four out of her six games, she led the competition in both disposals per game and contested possession.Jessica Allan, another local South Australian product staying in Adelaide, was snapped up within the draft top 10 after dominating the ruck in the AFLW Under-18 competition. As she plays alongside the Crows’ star premiership ruck Rhiannon Metcalfe, Allan will certainly be a player to watch develop with age and experience under her belt. Allan’s Allies captain, Eloise Jones, will also join Adelaide. Named the Allies’ MVP and All Australian on half-forward flank, Jones has a list of Champion Data number one or elite rankings as long as her arm. The AFLW has also given elite sportswomen from across the country a chance to come back to Australian Rules, having been lured by other sports with greater opportunities to play at a higher level. Following in the footsteps of players such as Erin Phillips, the 2018 AFLW Draft saw a number of cross-code draftees, including two ex W-League players picked early. Evangeline Gooch, pick 10, joins Fremantle’s midfield having played for Perth Glory, and Marijana Rajcic, pick 32, joins Adelaide as a defender. Rajcic played six seasons with Adelaide United, including one as captain, before joining Norwood in 2017. From further across the sporting field comes Emma Mackie, scooped by the Western Bulldogs at pick 27. A former professional road cyclist, Mackie won the 2017 best and fairest award at the Box Hill Hawks in the VFLW by 15 votes, and will add grunt inside the contest for the Dogs. There is so much to look forward to in 2018 for the AFLW, but with so much development happening at club and state level, we’re going to be spoilt for talent for years to come.

Originally published as AFLW: Meet football’s newest heroes