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Sydney has taken huge Victorian midfielder Montana Ham with their first-at any time choice in the AFLW draft.
Key details:
- Montana Ham explained a significant section of the reason she opted to engage in in NSW was to be closer to the seaside
- 4 new AFLW golf equipment — Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Essendon — experienced the first 13 picks in the draft
- The seventh AFLW year will mark the very first 18-workforce season, matching the men’s league
Ham — who hails from Victoria and grew up a Western Bulldogs supporter — will now sign up for former Bulldog Brooke Lochland at the Swans immediately after previous week selecting to nominate NSW as her point out of option.
The AFLW draft, as opposed to the AFL draft, permits gamers to nominate the state they want to be drafted in, supplied numerous are balancing get the job done and analyze commitments, which include Ham, who is now finishing 12 months 12 research in Victoria.
She mentioned the selection to go north was generally a “way of life” choice, such as her motivation to be nearer to the beach front.
“I really like that Sydney is on the h2o. The h2o was a big element of who I was increasing up,” she told media after becoming drafted.
Ham will be joined by Victorian Metro teammate and fellow midfielder Sofia Hurley, who also produced the preference to transform her back again on her home state and was taken by the Swans at choose variety five.
New golf equipment having shape
Together with Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Essendon are all joining the AFLW from season seven, which starts in August.
The 4 new golf equipment had the initially 13 picks in the draft, as portion of a to start with spherical with 36 options.
With decide on variety two, Hawthorn took Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Jasmine Fleming.
Fleming has an superb sporting pedigree as the daughter of Australian cricketer Damien Fleming, though her uncle Gary O’Donnell performed 243 game titles for Essendon and her aunt, Shelley O’Donnell, represented Australia with 84 caps in netball.
Next in the footsteps of her father, Fleming played cricket as properly as football ahead of choosing to prioritise AFLW.
“It was a difficult decision,” she mentioned. “I enjoy both sports equally. It seriously just arrived down to option. Oakleigh gave me the option and I beloved it so a great deal I wanted to enjoy yet another period with them.”
With choose three, Port Adelaide took midfielder Hannah Ewings from North Adelaide, who was introduced her jumper by incoming superstar Erin Phillips and new mentor Lauren Arnell.
“It was remarkable to be supplied that [guernsey] from Erin,” Ewings said, including that Phillips’s father Greg had also been her coach when she to start with moved to Adelaide.
“I idolise her as a result of her game and as a particular person. I have looked up to her my entire daily life.”
The noted ball-winner and stoppage participant was taken forward of the Power’s following decide, Glenelg defender and midfielder Sarah Goodwin, headlining a solid South Australian draft contingent.
Probably the initially compact surprise of the night arrived when the Bombers selected Dandenong Stingray Amber Clarke at decide on variety four.
Clarke had been joined to the Hawks at select amount six but Essendon swooped in early on the outstanding athlete, who was eyeing off a Commonwealth Games look in hurdling just before breaking her foot a number of years back.
Clarke started athletics when she was four and holds each Australian and Victorian documents.
Essendon pulled a thing of a surprise once again with their second select, getting effective forward Paige Scott.
Scott experienced loomed as one thing of a draft floater, but led the purpose-kicking in the under-19 championships as a 17-calendar year-old and will line up along with Bonnie Toogood in the Bombers’ inaugural forward line.
West Coast then provided a single of the really feel-great times of the night time, using sisters Lauren and Zoe Wakfer.
Zoe, who accompanied Lauren to the draft, mentioned she was “gobsmacked” to be recruited.
“I considered I was just here to check out Lauren get drafted since I realized she was heading to go,” she claimed.
“I did not even rock up in the right attire.”
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