WA Players Feature In National Academy Game Against All Stars

Five West Australians have been named to take part in an exhibition match between the Marsh AFL National Academy Girls and a national All Stars team in Melbourne on Sunday.

The Academy side will represent the nation for the second time this year, with three WA players picked for the Australian team and two selected for the All Stars.

Highly-talented West Perth pair Cara Dziegielewski and Lexi Strachan will be joined by Perth’s Mia Carlshausen in the Australian line-up, while Hannah Seaborn from Claremont and fellow Tiger India Bonadeo are part of the All Stars squad.

The National Academy includes of host of this year’s most talented AFLW Draft prospects, who will come together for their third and final high-performance camp of the 2026 program.

This weekend’s camp follows an induction camp at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) last December and another held in Melbourne in April, which included a match against Carlton’s VFLW team that the Academy team won by 46 points.

The National Academy will train at the NEC Hangar on Friday and Mission Whitten Oval on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s showcase match at the Kennedy Community Centre, home of the Hawthorn Football Club.

Players will also take part in a range of education, wellbeing and team-bonding sessions across the three-day program.

Due to several injuries within the National Academy squad, AFL Multicultural Academy member Stephanie Aguinaldo has been added to the squad and will play for the Australia U18 team in Sunday’s match against the All Stars.

Marsh AFL National Academy Manager Tarkyn Lockyer will again serve as head coach the Australia U18 team, with AAMI WA Football State 18s and 16s Girls coach Kate Orme part of the coaching panel alongside AFLW stars Brit Bonnici and Tayla Harris and former AFLW player Kate Darby.

The All Stars team comprises players aged 19 years and under who feature in Talent Pathways program from across Australia.

The All Stars features five of the most promising 2009-born players from across Australia, namely WA’s Seaborn, Maya Duane, Matilda Lange and Peggy Rock.

The program will provide those players with an additional development opportunity ahead of their Draft year in 2027.

Lockyer has declared the match a great opportunity for the players.

“Wearing the Australia jumper and representing the Australia U18 team is a huge honour for any player, and we are delighted to provide our Marsh AFL National Academy participants the opportunity to do that again this weekend,” Lockyer said.

“We’re thrilled to also give more players in our pathways programs the opportunity to showcase their talent and gain an additional development experience by representing the All Stars team in what will be an exciting contest on Sunday.”

AUSTRALIA U18 TEAM LIST

* Won’t play against All Stars due to injury
^ Addition to squad to play against All Stars as injury replacement

ALL STARS TEAM LIST

MATCH DETAILS
Australia U18 vs All Stars
Sunday, June 7
9am WA Time
Kennedy Community Centre, Dingley

HOW TO WATCH
The match will be available to stream live and free on the AFLW website and AFLW Live Official App.

ABOUT THE MARSH AFL NATIONAL ACADEMY
The Marsh AFL National Academy features 25 of this year’s most talented Draft prospects and provides the next generation of stars with valuable experiences, insights and education to best prepare them for the next steps in their football journey.

The holistic program combines football performance and personal growth in a high-performance environment by providing unique opportunities and learnings that differ from other football programs they are involved in.

The 2026 Marsh AFL National Academy marks the 29^th annual intake for boys and 10^th intake for girls.