Former WA 18s skipper Morgan the latest WAFLW export to earn AFLW debut

Renee Morgan will become the latest West Australian football product to debut when she takes the field for Geelong against Essendon at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday.

The former AAMI WA Football State 18s Girls co-captain will join fellow WA talent, Peel Thunder’s Evie Cowcher, in the Cats’ line-up.

Morgan was rewarded for her strong VFLW performance in last week’s win over Port Melbourne which included amassing 20 disposals in the opening half, while also adding five tackles and seven clearances.

The classy on-baller from South Fremantle was taken by Geelong with pick 43 in last year’s AFLW Draft following a strong year in the ATCO WAFLW and AFLW National Under-18s Championships.

Morgan will be the ninth WAFLW product to debut in the AFLW this season, following in the footsteps of East Fremantle duo Noa McNaughton (Fremantle) and Maya Louvel-Finn (St Kilda), Subiaco pair Olivia Wolmarans (Richmond) and Olivia Crane (Port Adelaide), Perth’s Fina Dethlefsen (Richmond), South Fremantle’s Natasha Entwistle (West Coast), West Perth’s Mia Russo (West Coast) and Cowcher.

The list includes all three of WA’s co-captains from last year – Morgan, Russo and Crane.

Perth pair Isabella Shannon and Poppy Stockwell also debuted for their new AFLW debuts, West Coast and Hawthorn respectively, after getting a second chance in the competition as injury-replacement players after strong seasons in the WAFLW.