Related Research Articles
The Darebin Women's Sports Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is a sports club based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne that is primarily notable for its Australian rules football team which competes in the highest-level Victorian state league – the VFL Women's (VFLW). It is the only VFLW club that is not affiliated with a side from the national AFL Women's (AFLW) competition or the Australian Football League (AFL).
Daisy Pearce is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) and is the current AFLW senior coach of the West Coast Eagles.
Katie Brennan is an Australian rules footballer with and captain of the Richmond Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for and captained the Western Bulldogs from 2017 to 2019. Brennan was signed as a marquee player by the Bulldogs ahead of the inaugural AFL Women's season in 2017, and was their leading goalkicker in 2019.
Ellie Blackburn is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She served as Western Bulldogs co-captain in 2019, and as their sole captain from 2020 to 2023. Blackburn is the Western Bulldogs games record holder with 71 games and equal goalkicking record holder with 29 goals.
The 2017 AFL Women's season was the inaugural season of the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, the highest-level senior women's Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season ran from 3 February to 25 March, comprising a seven-round home-and-away season followed by a grand final contested by the top two clubs. Eight Australian Football League (AFL) clubs featured in the inaugural season: Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Greater Western Sydney, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.
Lauren Arnell is a retired Australian rules footballer and senior coach of the Port Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's competition, having previously played for Carlton and the Brisbane Lions. She served as Carlton's inaugural AFLW team captain in the 2017 season and won the 2021 premiership with the Brisbane Lions, before becoming Port Adelaide's inaugural coach in 2022.
Chelsea Randall is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Adelaide Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. She is one of the club's inaugural AFLW team co-captains.
Emma Michelle Kearney is an Australian rules footballer and former cricketer. A decorated midfielder in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition, Kearney won the league's best and fairest award while playing for the Western Bulldogs in 2018 and has captained North Melbourne since 2019. She previously played cricket for the Melbourne Stars in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) and for Victoria in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL).
Melissa Hickey is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and the Geelong Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She served as Geelong captain in the club's first two AFL Women's seasons. She also played in the Victorian Women's Football League/VFL Women's for eleven seasons, representing the St Albans Spurs, Darebin and Geelong. In the VWFL/VFLW, Hickey won seven premierships, represented Victoria on three occasions and featured in the VFL Women's team of the year.
Kaitlyn Ashmore is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She has previously played for Brisbane and North Melbourne. She was drafted by Brisbane as a priority signing in the 2016 AFL Women's draft.
Elise O'Dea is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Carlton Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She served as Melbourne co-captain for the 2019 season.
Aasta O'Connor is a retired Australian rules footballer who played as a ruck for Western Bulldogs and for Geelong in the AFL Women's competition. She is also a member of the Darebin Falcons' VFL Women's team.
Karen "Paxy" Paxman is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW). A defender, 1.70 metres (5.6 ft) tall, Paxman plays primarily on the half-back line with the ability to push into the midfield. She first played football at sixteen years of age and won a premiership and league best and fairest in her first year. She played in the premier division of the Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL) from the 2008 season and won three VWFL premierships with St Albans and Darebin, in addition to a VFL Women's premiership with Darebin. Her accolades in football include three league best and fairests, state representation on four occasions, best-on-ground in a grand final, and five-time AFLW All-Australian honours.
Libby Birch is an Australian rules footballer who plays for North Melbourne in the AFL Women's (AFLW). She previously played for the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne. She previously played netball and captained Victoria at the National Netball Championships. Birch is currently studying a Physiotherapy degree at La Trobe University. In 2016, Birch switched from netball to Australian rules football and was recruited by the Western Bulldogs as a rookie after having only played football for three months for the Darebin Falcons in the VFL Women's.
VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football League (VWFL), and has since evolved into what is also the second primary competition for AFL Women's (AFLW) clubs in Victoria.
Kirsty Maree Lamb is an Australian rules footballer playing for Port Adelaide in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition. She has previously played for the Western Bulldogs Lamb previously played cricket for Victoria in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and for the Melbourne Renegades in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).
Christina Bernardi is an Australian rules footballer who has played for Collingwood, Greater Western Sydney, Richmond and Carlton in the AFL Women's (AFLW). In 2018, she was Collingwood's leading goalkicker and was selected in the All-Australian team.
The 2014 AFL women's draft was the second national women's draft organised by the Australian Football League, held to select Melbourne and Western Bulldogs players for the Hampson-Hardeman Cup, an exhibition match. It was conducted on 19 May and consisted of 24 picks, with 12 players selected by each team. Teams were permitted to retain 12 players from the 2013 match, and completed their lists through the draft. Coastal Titans player Tiah Haynes was selected by the Bulldogs with the first pick. The Titans provided the most players in the draft, with five selected.
The 2015 AFL women's draft was an opportunity for Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs to select players for the Hampson-Hardeman Cup. It consisted of a draft before the first match, held on 20 April and including 34 picks, and a mini-draft before the second match, held on 22 July and including 10 picks. Before the first match, teams were permitted to retain six players from their 2013 squads, and completed their lists through the draft. Coastal Titans ruck Emma King was selected by the Bulldogs with the first pick.
The 2018 VFL Women's season was the third season of the VFL Women's (VFLW). The season commenced on 5 May and concluded with the Grand Final on 23 September 2018. The competition was contested by thirteen clubs.
References
- ↑ "Two Peel Thunderbirds selected in first AFL National Women's Draft". Mandurah Mail. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ↑ Twomey, Callum (16 May 2013). "Pearce the first pick in AFL's inaugural women's draft". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ↑ Pellizzeri, Teo (15 May 2013). "Pearce tops women's draft". The Age . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ↑ Jolly, Laura (26 June 2013). "Eltham midwife No. 1 pick in women's draft". Herald Sun . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ↑ Rodd, Mitch (17 May 2013). "Demon Melissa Hickey bound for MCG". Sunraysia Daily . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ↑ Burgan, Matt (16 May 2013). "2013 AFL Women's Draft order". Melbourne Football Club. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2018.