39 minutes ago, ChaserJ said:

Todd Patterson's our head of recruiting in AFLW and has done a pretty good job.

This year's crop is viewed as something of a super draft, a lot of talented players in that first 10 and this year will be the first truly national draft, so can draft players regardless of state (no nominating which state you want to be drafted to).

I can see why we'd want to load up on picks.  If we could nab pick 2 from GC, Zippy Fish or India Rasheed would be incredibly good gets (Ash Centra expected to be selected by Collingwood @ 1). 

I quite like Sarah Howleys game from the Falcons as well. Looks to have a good inside and outside game with speed and skills.

1 hour ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

'Zippy Fish'?

Getouttahere!

But worth moving up for!

Full name is Zipporah, but nicknamed Zippy (and yes she is very quick!)

11 hours ago, ChaserJ said:

Full name is Zipporah, but nicknamed Zippy (and yes she is very quick!)

Zipporah / Tziporah is a Hebrew name meaning 'bird'.

The combination of bird / fish / human would be a potent weapon - make it happen Dees!

19 hours ago, Dees_In_October said:

The intensity of scrutiny/resources must surely be far below what exists in the men's. But because of that, in some ways, moving up the draft in the W might be MORE worth it, since the depth of quality is shallower and presumably the players at the top are the most known quantities in the pool. Interesting to think that these draftees would have been 11 years old for season 1 - a big shift at a pivotal time in a young athlete's career.

We've rarely had much to work with in terms of high picks. But there's been creativity and effort in our recruiting outside the draft, which is still coming to fruition. List manager Todd Patterson was apparently in contact with Grace Beasley for six or seven YEARS while she was playing basketball (including overseas) prior to her signing for 2024.

But aside from the 2023 draft which is too early to judge, 2020 is really the only year we've had access to high picks since early in the comp. That year we got: Bannan (pick 5), McNamara (15), Caris (17, now at Geelong), Fitzsimon (35), Kendall (41), Simmons (48, played a few seasons at West Coast).

Looking at the other draftees that year, our decisions look as good as they ever do with the benefit of hindsight.

Point of correction, Maggie Caris left football for netball, she plays for Melbourne Vixens

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last paragraph of this article does not read like someone who wants to leave Melbourne for the Gold Coast - https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1262261/theres-more-to-life-lily-mithen-on-stopping-her-emotional-rollercoaster

17 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

Mithen has to go. Tell her she's not wanted. Pick 2 is a no brainer. Mithen has been ordinary for 2 years now time to go , I'll pack her bags. She always be known as a premiership player but reality says she's no longer in our best 21.

I'll point out where I disagree with your "Mithen has to go" sentiment, is in her morale building.  I had a chat with my sponsored player, Gabby, about the season, and she was absolutely emphatic about what the turnaround in the team was to go from four losses in a row to winning five out the of the next six matches - Gabby said a bit part of it was Lily.  She set the tone in building back the morale, she played a massive role in changing mindsets, and Gabby was very clear in saying that if Lily wasn't there, the'd have lost a lot more games after that Essendon game.  Morale was so low after the Essendon game, and was low after the Hawthorn game.  Who turned them around?  Lily.  

15 minutes ago, Katrina Dee Fan said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last paragraph of this article does not read like someone who wants to leave Melbourne for the Gold Coast - https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1262261/theres-more-to-life-lily-mithen-on-stopping-her-emotional-rollercoaster

 

3 minutes ago, Katrina Dee Fan said:

I'll point out where I disagree with your "Mithen has to go" sentiment, is in her morale building.  I had a chat with my sponsored player, Gabby, about the season, and she was absolutely emphatic about what the turnaround in the team was to go from four losses in a row to winning five out the of the next six matches - Gabby said a bit part of it was Lily.  She set the tone in building back the morale, she played a massive role in changing mindsets, and Gabby was very clear in saying that if Lily wasn't there, the'd have lost a lot more games after that Essendon game.  Morale was so low after the Essendon game, and was low after the Hawthorn game.  Who turned them around?  Lily.  

I've always thought she has been a big part of the culture of the team and it's why I tread carefully with her and her performance on ground.

It just appears she's really struggling with the bigger and faster opponents now in the system

I'm not sure what position she plays.

I don't think she can hold her own as a mid anymore so where does she play?

Would love to see Lil come out and have a big 2025...

Lily is a heat and soul player

She also has, seemingly, an opportunity to extend her career and take on a key leadership position

It would seem to me that the decision is hers to make; she’s been approached and wined and dined, now the hard bit comes - making a call on a huge life decision

Edited December 3, 2024Dec 3 by whatwhat say what

Gold Coast. That’s where careers go to die. Really it’s probably a cash splash by the $suns. They have 3 or 4 top academy juniors and need steady strong leaders. Lil needs to choose her heart or to cash in!! 

I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to live in that cesspit of a city, let alone play football there.....

17 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Gold Coast. That’s where careers go to die. Really it’s probably a cash splash by the $suns. They have 3 or 4 top academy juniors and need steady strong leaders. Lil needs to choose her heart or to cash in!! 

I think it will be the club encouraging her to look for options.  Based on her onfield performance this year the club is trying to use any currency she has to advance our pick and get her contract off to someone else.  

The AFLW trade period is set to kick off on Thursday, with the official pre-trade draft order for the first four rounds:-

ROUND ONE

1 Collingwood

2 Gold Coast Suns

3 GWS Giants

4 Sydney Swans

5 Carlton

6 West Coast Eagles

7 Western Bulldogs

8 St Kilda

9 Geelong

10 Melbourne

11 Essendon

12 Richmond

13 Fremantle

14 Hawthorn

15 Port Adelaide

16 Adelaide

17 Brisbane Lions

18 North Melbourne

ROUND TWO

19 Collingwood

20 Gold Coast Suns

21 GWS Giants

22 Sydney Swans

23 Carlton

24 West Coast Eagles

25 Western Bulldogs

26 St Kilda

27 Geelong

28 Melbourne

29 Essendon

30 Richmond

31 Fremantle

32 Hawthorn

33 Port Adelaide

34 Adelaide

35 Brisbane Lions

36 North Melbourne

ROUND THREE

37 Collingwood

38 Gold Coast Suns

39 GWS Giants

40 Sydney Swans

41 Carlton

42 West Coast Eagles

43 Western Bulldogs

44 St Kilda

45 Geelong

49 Melbourne

47 Essendon

48 Richmond

49 Fremantle

50 Hawthorn

51 Port Adelaide

52 Adelaide

53 Brisbane Lions

54 North Melbourne

ROUND FOUR

55 Collingwood

56 Gold Coast Suns

57 GWS Giants

58 Sydney Swans

59 Carlton

60 West Coast Eagles

61 Western Bulldogs

62 St Kilda

63 Geelong

64 Melbourne

65 Essendon

66 Richmond

67 Fremantle

68 Hawthorn

69 Port Adelaide

70 Adelaide

71 Brisbane Lions

72 North Melbourne

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/power-rankings/aflw-draft-power-rankings-november-2024/

 

Power rankings for those that are interested. If Mithen goes we might have 2 x top 10 picks

24 minutes ago, Nascent said:

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/power-rankings/aflw-draft-power-rankings-november-2024/

 

Power rankings for those that are interested. If Mithen goes we might have 2 x top 10 picks

be interesting to see if the filth big on harris

they should

7 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

be interesting to see if the filth big on harris

they should

Havana Harris is GC academy - filth no chance

2 hours ago, Nascent said:

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/power-rankings/aflw-draft-power-rankings-november-2024/

 

Power rankings for those that are interested. If Mithen goes we might have 2 x top 10 picks

If keen to read up on the prospects, Rookie Me have done an AFLW version of their draft guide. It's handy guide and probably the best available resource on prospective AFLW draftees:

https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2024-aflw-draft-guide/

2 hours ago, godees said:

Havana Harris is GC academy - filth no chance

yeah but more about making gc17 pay up

I posted this is the Lily Mithen thread but thought it should go here too.

A POTENTIAL six-club deal has been mooted to unlock blockbuster AFLW trades for Tayla Harris, Lily Mithen and a handful of other players, with the League's Trade Period officially opening on Thursday.

Harris is yet to formally request a trade away from Melbourne but has a clear preference to get to Hawthorn, despite interest from Collingwood, while Mithen is understood to be open to joining Gold Coast.

The Demons would subsequently land the coveted No.2 pick (from the Suns) and multiple top 10 selections, while the Crows and the Kangas would shuffle up the draft order with their first-round picks.

However, the six-club deal hinges on whether Hawthorn would be willing to part with pick No.14 as part of a trade for Harris and Allen, with the likelihood still being that the deals are broken up independently.

Melbourne has separately been shopping its No.10 selection to rival clubs as part of potential pick swap deals as a contingency plan, should a move taking Harris to Hawthorn fall over.

A trade taking Mithen to Gold Coast appears a formality regardless of whether it's completed as part of the mega trade or independently, with Melbourne considered a certainty to ultimately land the No.2 pick as part of the move.

https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1262641/six-club-mega-deal-floated-as-stars-tayla-harris-and-lily-mithen-eye-new-homes

Loving the discussion. If it were up to me I'd struggle to be cut-throat about it. But I also want our club to make bold moves and not to get left behind in a competition where the value of experience vs. talent of the youth can be skewed in unintuitive ways. Looking at our list, one of our trade strengths is players who we can upgrade on in terms of on-field performance, but who other clubs are desperate for in terms of their experience and culture-building skills. It's tough to look at players this way, but it's an advantage we won't have much longer.

Having looked at the Rookie Me Central guide, it's clear we finally have the opportunity to get the kinds of players we need (thankfully, unlike last year!). There's no point messing around with later picks; if we're going down the youth path, we have to really commit and go for quality. And that means making moves to get those picks...

Of course, doing so without tearing apart the fabric of the team or destroying morale is important, but I'd like to give the club some credit for its track record in handling things professionally. And to trust that players can do the same.

After the injury plague of this season, we've never had a better idea of exactly what we've got (on-field in terms of positions and off-field in terms of leadership and resilience) - and also our ability to develop players even when having to throw some to the wolves. That's quite different to where we've stood before and I think it's shaped our draft strategy.

I've also got my eye on some uncontracted players on our list (Gall, Gillard, even Chaplin) that it would be really detrimental to lose - for the long-term and we need to offer something to retain.

More experience players out ? We lost 5 experienced players at end of 2023 and whilst Gall and Pisano showed promise, the team was weaker as a result.  Step backwards can work but I’m questioning going again for a second year to weaken the squad.  It’s only a 30 woman squad so depth plays a part and injuries hurt.  I think we hold pick 10 and draft in a strong young midfielder. Hanks Purcell and another young gun to refresh the midfield.  Like the men’s team, young mids coming in are the key. 

Edited December 6, 2024Dec 6 by spirit of norm smith
K

2 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

More experience players out ? We lost 5 experienced players at end of 2023 and whilst Gall and Pisano showed promise, the team was weaker as a result.  Step backwards can work but I’m questioning going again for a second year to weaken the squad.  It’s only a 30 woman squad so depth plays a part and injuries hurt.  I think we hold pick 10 and draft in a strong young midfielder. Hanks Purcell and another young gun to refresh the midfield.  Like the men’s team, young mids coming in are the key. 

The great thing about the rise of AFLW is the rise in participation and improvement of pathways for young girls.  The downside of that for the players that have been around since the early years, the young players coming in are more talented footballers.  I don't think our women's side can win the flag in 2025, they might make the 8, but I do think we have enough young talent to contend again with an aggressive draft hand this year.

Very similar to our men's side, add a couple of high quality mids this year and we can get back into contention real quick.

13 minutes ago, drdrake said:

The great thing about the rise of AFLW is the rise in participation and improvement of pathways for young girls.  The downside of that for the players that have been around since the early years, the young players coming in are more talented footballers.  I don't think our women's side can win the flag in 2025, they might make the 8, but I do think we have enough young talent to contend again with an aggressive draft hand this year.

Very similar to our men's side, add a couple of high quality mids this year and we can get back into contention real quick.

An yet every team that got one of our 4 top players we traded out last year not only made the finals this year, but also soundly beat us during the season.  One even won her third premiership.

Edited December 6, 2024Dec 6 by Katrina Dee Fan

56 minutes ago, Katrina Dee Fan said:

An yet every team that got one of our 4 top players we traded out last year not only made the finals this year, but also soundly beat us during the season.  One even won her third premiership.

I think the recruitment team for Melbourne Aflw side knew our list was on the slide, we would struggle to keep up with North, Brisbane, Adelaide.  If we keep those players yep we make finals, most likely finish 4th to 8th, could we win the flag, IMO no.  Can we do a quick reset and go again I think we can but unfortunately we will have to give up some stalwarts to get the picks we want.

our side is currently on the slide because of the calibre of players we traded last year.  Libby Birch was one of the best players on the weekend in North's Grand Final win.  Eliza West just won Hawthorn's best and fairest and was one of the key players that got them to the finals.  Maddi Gay was named All Australian.

Edited December 6, 2024Dec 6 by Katrina Dee Fan

I feel like we could judge the end of 2023 losses much better if we'd had a less injury plagued season this year! You can look at it glass half full or half empty. Certainly the loss of West impacted us badly and in retrospect we gambled with our depth and lost. But as good a player as West is, I think we were too 'samesy' with her, Hanks and Purcell in there, when competing against the best teams, at least. If we'd known that both Beasley and Purcell would be out for much of the season, well, that's the benefit of hindsight.

It's interesting looking at the list age. At the end of 2023, we had 3 players on our list aged 18-20. Heading into 2024, there were 7. Yet as our list currently stands, at the start of 2025, we'd be down to 2 players 20 or under. I just think, if you're not able to compete with the top teams, retention and failing to refresh just compounds the problem in the long run. Maybe I skew too far towards this way of thinking because I've long been concerned that we would rest on our laurels (the advantages of getting in first) and get left behind when the long-awaited boost in quality youngsters arrives. I suppose the question is, has it arrived? Our recruiters seem to think so.

Though I guess if the trades go through, we'll be gambling on our depth again.

 

Edited to add: Harris looking more likely to stay, so that's a relief. Covers a lot of positions and will be hungry.

Edited December 6, 2024Dec 6 by Dees_In_October