WA women fill half of AFL marquee player slots

In a great testament to the WA Women’s Football League and the West Australian Football Commission’s female football development programs, eight of the 16 marquee players selected by clubs in the new AFL women’s competition today were from Western Australia.

They include:

Adelaide Crows

Kellie Gibson

Age: 20. Forward, Swan Districts WAWFL, 5 x WA youth girls representative, 2 x WAWFL premiership player

Chelsea Randall

Age: 25. Forward, Swan Districts WAWFL, 3 x All-Australian, 2 x WAWFL Best and Fairest

Brisbane Lions

Sabrina Frederick-Traub

Age: 20. Full forward, South Fremantle WAWFL, 2 x youth girls All Australian, Played with Melbourne 2015, Played Western Australia 2015, 2016, 2016 Australia Post AFL Multicultural Ambassador

Collingwood

Emma King

Age: 22. Ruck, Coastal Titans WAWFL, Selection #1 in 2014 Draft, Played with Western Bulldogs 2014, 2015, 2 x WA State representative

Fremantle

Kiara Bowers

Age: 24. Midfielder, Coastal Titans WAWFL, Played with Melbourne in 2013, 2014, 2015, 5 x WA State representative, 4 x WAWFL League Best & Fairest

Kara Donnellan

Age: 24. Midfielder, Captain Swan Districts WAWFL, Played with Melbourne 2013, 2014, 2015, 3 x WA State representative, 3 x Vic State representative, 3 x All-Australian

GWS Giants

Renee Forth

Age: 29. Midfielder, Captain Coastal Titans WAWFL, 2012 Club Best and Fairest, 4 x WA Representative, Played with Melbourne 2013, 2014, Western Bulldogs in 2015

Emma Swanson

Age: 21. Midfielder, East Fremantle WAWFL, 4 x Club Best and Fairest, Played with Melbourne 2013, 2014, 2015, 4 x WA Representative, Youth Girls All Australian

WAFC Female Talent Manager Alison Moore congratulated all of the players selected and said it was a terrific outcome for women’s football in Western Australia.

“For half of the marquee players to come from WA really demonstrates what a great job our WA Women’s Football League Clubs are doing in partnership with our talent development programs,” she said.

“The WAWFL provides a great competition for female football development and the WAFC has invested in opportunities for elite players to participate in Talent Academies, which has all resulted in a very strong talent pool in our State.

“We will now work closely with community clubs to replenish this talent pool and ensure that we are well prepared to embrace the expected new growth in female participation once the League is launched next year.

“We are entering into a really exciting era with female football and we are really looking forward to what lies ahead.”

The marquee players for the eight women’s clubs – Adelaide, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Greater Western Sydney, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs – were confirmed today at simultaneous announcements in Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

Under the rules of the women’s competition, the eight licensed clubs were asked to nominate up to five marquee players, with each club allocated two.

The clubs will fill the remainder of their 25-player squads via lottery-style state drafts in early October.

Photo: WA Women’s team leadership group Kara Donnellan, Kiara Bowers, Renee Forth, Sabrina Frederick-Traub and Emma Swanson were all named today as marquee players at AFL clubs.