Profile of every WA 18s girls squad member ahead of carnival openerThursday, June 19, 2025 - 2:40 PM - by Denholm Melrose - Perth is OK!

The Marsh AFL Under-18s Girls National Championships begin this weekend, with WA facing off against Queensland at 10am WST at RSEA Park in Melbourne on Sunday.

WA has gone in with a strong side including many AFLW draft prospects in 2025, led by the likes of Renee Morgan, Olivia Crane and Mia Russo.

Below we have previewed every player who will don the Black Swan for Western Australia in preparation for the beginning of the tournament:

#1 Shaya Yarran, 160cm, Small Forward (South Fremantle)

A bottom-age prospect from Kelmscott, Yarran made her WAFLW debut in Round 6 and laid six tackles in a game where she showed great defensive work and pressure. She is an exciting player who has a bright future ahead of her and may feature inside 50 for WA to provide textbook small forward craft.

#2 Mel Grage, 165cm, Small Forward (Perth)

An exciting Hills Rangers product, Grage has booted seven goals in nine senior appearances this season and averaged four tackles per game in that same period. She is a classic small forward and was among those to hit the scoreboard in WA’s win over Claremont in their trial match last weekend.

#3 Lucy Greenwood, 163cm, Utility (East Perth)

A versatile athlete with the ability to play forward, wing or as an inside midfielder, Greenwood has a proven track record having already been a 2024 State Academy member and winning East Perth’s leading goalkicker and Best and Fairest awards last season. Greenwood has laid 16 tackles and won 42 possessions in just three WAFLW games so far this year.

#4 Sienna Gerardi, 168cm, Forward (Swan Districts)

It’s a shame Gerardi won’t participate in the Championships due to injury, as she is a scintillating player to watch. An impressive duel-sport athlete with elite burst and rapid pace, the Midvale product was a member of the State U16’s side in 2023 and has made a seamless transition into WAFLW football, kicking seven goals in seven matches in 2024 and this year improving again to average 13 disposals at the top
level. She makes opposition defenders nervous at every stage of the game and will be an important figure in Swan Districts’ finals push in the back half of the year.

#5 Ella Gilbey, 169cm, Small Forward (Claremont)

Gilbey is an elite athlete with rapid pace and is the sister of Claremont’s Sam Gilbey who was very nearly drafted in 2022. She has begun 2025 in superb form having booted nine goals from eight games at the top level.

#6 Eva Flynn, 167cm, Forward (South Fremantle)

An exciting goalkicker who earned 22 scoring shots from 14 Rogers Cup games last season, Flynn has moved into senior football for the Bulldogs this year and her smart patterns and positioning give her the ability to create opportunities for her side.

#7 Mia Russo, 165cm, Midfielder (West Perth)

WA’s leasing midfield prospect in 2025, Russo has put together a remarkable campaign averaging over 21 disposals per game. She has long been touted as a top ten AFLW draft pick, having represented WA in 2023 at the State 16’s and 18’s Championships. She was the U16’s MVP at the Development Championships and the powerful midfielder would love to add another award to her resume this season. She was a back-to-back Rogers Cup Best and Fairest for the Falcons and some continuity in her game will allow her to flourish.

#8 Charli Bassett, 156cm, Small Forward (East Perth)

A bottom-age forward who applies frenzied pressure inside 50 and is also capable of playing higher up the ground and in the midfield, Bassett has impressed as a 16-year-old this season. Averaging more than 13 disposals and four tackles per game for the Royals, Bassett has laid 14 tackles in her last two outings and will look to do the same for WA.

#10 Juliet Kelly, 171cm, Midfielder (Claremont)

One of the premier midfielders in the WAFLW this season, Kelly has taken her game up a notch, now averaging 22 disposals and nearly 10 tackles per contest in 2025. She played arguably the greatest game in competition history earlier this year against East Perth when she gathered a record-breaking 48 disposals, laid 10 tackles, took four marks and kicked a goal, and the former State 16’s prospect will be a prime ball-winning option in the Championships.

#12 Mia Carlshausen, 171cm, Utility (Perth)

Carlhausen is a versatile footballer who represented Western Australia as a State Academy Under 16s player in 2023. She kicked five goals from just three Rogers Cup games this year before making the leap to WAFLW level where she has since averaged 16 disposals from six games and was influential in Perth’s inaugural victory in the competition.

#13 Rikisha Nannup, 166cm, Utility (West Perth)

Nannup is a bottom-ager from the Falcons who impressed enough through four Rogers Cup matches to start the season that she warranted a WAFLW debut in Round 7. She has played three consecutive games since then and improved in each one, finishing with 13 disposals and five marks in her last outing. She can play anywhere and will be a magnet that likely gets swung around the ground a bit, but may start forward after being among the goalkickers in WA’s trial match against Claremont last weekend.

#14 Marie Polimeno, 171cm, Defender (South Fremantle)

Polimeno is a bottom-ager, just 16-years-old and featuring every week in the WAFLW. She was another member of WA’s State Under 16s side in 2023 and opened 2025 with an 18-disposal and three-mark performance for the Bulldogs.

#15 Renee Morgan, 168cm, Midfielder (South Fremantle)

As solid a prospect as there is for WA this year, the reliable hard nut Morgan has become a terrifying player to come up against. Named a co-captain of the State team, Morgan is averaging more than 17 disposals and eight tackles per outing, including an outrageous 35-tackle three-game stretch in which she laid nine, 17 and nine tackles in back-to-back-to-back games. She is another who played both Under 16’s and Under 18’s state games in 2023 as a 16-year-old and will be a vital cog in WA’s midfield throughout the Championships.

#16 Emma Henderson, 165cm, Wing (Claremont)

An over-ager from Denmark who is in her first year of football, Henderson has taken to the rigours of the game brilliantly, showing her useful running and stamina on the wing and laying more than four tackles per game in the WAFLW this season, where she has played nine games.

#17 Alicia Blizard, 174cm, Key Forward (East Fremantle)

Another of the top WA talents in this year’s squad, Blizard impressed as a bottom-ager in last season’s Championships. The noted goalkicker is an athletic freak and can move around the ground with ease, helping her apply manic pressure to defenders trying to exit defensive 50. She is another member of the squad who played State 16s and 18s in 2023 as a 15-year-old and has been on the radar for some time now. Blizard has booted eight goals from seven WAFLW games this season and will look to have a big scoreboard impact across the Championships.

#18 Sienna Timmermans, 175cm, Defender (Perth)

Another over-ager with a background in elite sport, Timmermans was a netballer before crossing codes to play football with the Perth Demons for 2025. In her 10 WAFLW games this year she has laid more than four tackles per outing and stood tall in a backline that has been dealt a lot of opposition inside 50s.

#20 Carys D’Addario, 168cm, Midfielder (Swan Districts)

D’Addario did not play for WA last year due to injury but has taken her game to another level in 2025, becoming one of the most prolific midfielders in the competition. The Swan Districts midfielder is averaging 25 disposals and nearly six tackles per game this year and could step into AFLW football today if need be. She is a clearance beast and her inside work at stoppages and contests will be imperative for WA as she forms part of a star-studded midfield alongside Mia Russo, Juliet Kelly and skipper Renee Morgan.

#21 Alira Fotu, 173cm, Forward (South Fremantle)

Fotu, a handy basketballer and Perth Lynx development player, has spent some time on the sidelines dealing with injury this season but is set to play her first minutes of the year for South Fremantle this weekend. She is a noted goalkicker who booted 32 goals in 18 Rogers Cup games across 2022 and 2023 and was an Under 16’s State representative as well as a National Academy member.

#22 Olivia Wolmarans, 181cm, Key Forward (Subiaco)

Arguably WA’s top draft prospect in 2025, Wolmarans continues to build an unbelievable football resume. She represented WA in both the Under 16s and Under 18s National Championships as a 15-year-old in 2023 and last year won Subiaco’s leading goalkicker award. She has kicked goals for fun in every season of her career, and this season is averaging nearly five marks per game as well. Wolmarans booted three goals in WA’s trial match last week against Claremont in a sign of things to come. She may well be the best key forward in the draft this year and will seek to establish herself as the dominant player in the country in the Championships.

#23 Evie Cowcher, 175cm, Defender (Peel Thunder)

Whilst Cowcher will miss the early stages of this year’s Championships, the star Thunder player has already proven she has enough talent to be a top 10 pick in the AFLW draft. Cowcher, who was named WA’s Best and Fairest at last season’s Champs as a bottom ager (as well as at WA’s Under 16s Champs in 2023), is a ball-winning machine who has averaged 20 disposals or more in every season of WAFLW football she has played. She ended last season with a 33-disposal, seven-mark and six-tackle performance to prove herself as one of the top talents in the country and if, as WA hope, she can return in the latter stages of the Championships she will look to bolster her draft position further. She has a vice-like grip that helps her intercept mark and she provides important line-breaking ability from defensive 50.

#24 Sunni-Quay Peters, 172cm, Defender (Subiaco)

An integral part of ladder-leading Subiaco’s backline and ability to keep teams to low scores, Peters is capable of playing at both ends of the ground. She booted 16 goals in 17 Rogers Cup games last year but played as a defender in WA’s Under 16s carnival in 2023.

#25 Lexi Strachan, 168cm, Wing (West Perth)

A goal-kicking winger who has arguably been the most impressive bottom-ager in the entire WAFLW this season, Strachan is putting together a superb debut season averaging nearly 18 disposals and six tackles per game, including six goals from her nine matches. Between rounds five and nine, she posted either nine tackles or 20-plus disposals in every game, capped off by a spectacular 24-disposal, six-tackle and two-goal performance against East Perth in the derby.

#26 Maya Louvel-Finn, 169cm, Defender (East Fremantle)

As solid a defender as you’ll find, Louvel-Finn was named All-Australian in the 2022 Under 15s School Sport Australia team, one of just five Western Australians to receive the honour. So far this season she is taking four marks and laying nearly five tackles per game. Her standout game came against Subiaco in Round 3 when she collected 20 disposals and grabbed eight marks.

#27 Layla Quinn-Schofield, 166cm, Small Forward (Subiaco)

Quinn-Schofield is a dynamic mover inside 50 and has hit the scoreboard plenty for the Lions. After putting herself on the map last season by kicking 16.8 in nine Rogers Cup matches, ‘LQS’ stepped into senior football and didn’t miss a beat. This year she is posting 13 disposals and four tackles per game, and booted three goals against Swan Districts in a stellar performance.

#28 Ava Stewart, 180cm, Key Defender (Swan Districts)

An athletic key position player who can play forward as well, Stewart is often tasked with shutting down the opposition’s best key forwards and is aerially proficient as a former netballer.

#29 Heidi Ireland, 171cm, Utility (Peel Thunder)

Another member of the 2023 WA Under 16’s state team, Ireland is a bottom age prospect who is putting up impressive WAFLW numbers as a 16-year-old. Averaging more than 12 disposals and five tackles per game, the Collie product is capable of playing in all three segments of the ground.

#30 Addison Opalinski, 173cm, Defender/Wing (Perth)

Opalinski won’t feature in WA’s opening game against Queensland, but the defender and winger is sure to see minutes throughout the carnival. The Palmyra product is posting more than 11 disposals per game and hit the scoreboard on multiple occasions in 2024 in the Rogers Cup.

#31 Cara Dziegielewski, 181cm, Ruck/Key Forward (West Perth)

One of the only bottom-age talents in the squad, Dziegielewski is a former National High Jump runner-up and possesses superb athleticism and leaping ability. The 17-year-old is averaging more than 18 hitouts per game in the WAFLW this season after kicking eight goals in 11 Rogers Cup matches in 2024. Expect her to lead the charge in the ruck throughout the Championships.

#32 Olivia Crane, 182cm, Wing/Defender (Subiaco)

Another of WA’s three co-captains, Crane sadly lost her bottom-age campaign to an ACL injury but has returned to the park this year and impressed averaging 15 disposals and a whopping 10 tackles per game. Crane has been on recruiters minds for a while now, having made her WAFLW debut at just 15 years of age, and putting up more than 15 disposals per game that season. She is one of WA’s top draft prospects this season and will look to lead the side to victory at the Championships.

#33 Melinda Bobby, 170cm, Defender (South Fremantle)

Bunbury product Bobby is an impressive defensive prospect who has played nine WAFLW games thus far for the Bulldogs this year. She is a former South West Junior Football League best-and-fairest winner and has been instrumental in South Fremantle’s backline, with her most productive game coming in the derby wherein she had 15 disposals and laid four tackles.

#36 Zoe Keley, 183cm, Key Forward/Ruck (South Fremantle)

Keley is an over-age player who represented WA last year at the Championships and returns to the side in 2025. She began the year in the Rogers Cup but after kicking three goals in three games stepped back into WAFLW football and won 16 hitouts against West Perth in round 10. Keley is dealing with an injury currently and won’t take part in this year’s Championships but will look to have a big impact on the group in an off-field role as an experienced member of the squad.

#40 Avuya Nomlatyu, 183cm, Ruck/Key Forward (East Fremantle)

Brother of Fremantle Dockers NGA prospect Joshua Nomlatyu, who credits her with helping him on his football journey, Avuya is also a Fremantle NGA herself, and the bottom-age talent is kicking goals for fun in the Rogers Cup. Booting nearly two goals a game this season, Nomlatyu will provide a tall target up forward for WA as she did against Claremont last weekend when she booted a goal in WA’s trial match, and will help chop out in the ruck as well.

All 2025 Marsh AFL National Championships games will be available to stream via Match Centre on the AFLW website.