SATURDAY TEAMS: Debuts galore as expansions sides unveil top draft picks
NUMBER one draft pick Montana Ham, Hawthorn young gun Jasmine Fleming and top West Australian Ella Roberts headline a host of debutants across a big Saturday of games.
The top six 2022 NAB AFLW draftees will all play during round one, while St Kilda star Georgia Patrikios will play her first game after sitting out the entirety of season six due to the League's vaccination policy.
Ham and fellow Victorian Sofia Hurley (pick No.5) will run out in Sydney's first game, alongside highly rated NSW draftee Cynthia Hamilton, while former Blue Bridie Kennedy will also return to the field after four seasons out of the game.
Meanwhile Hawthorn has named 12 debutants for its inaugural AFLW match, to be held at Marvel. Earlier in the week coach Bec Goddard informed Dominique Carbone, Jasmine Fleming (pick No.2), Zoe Barbakos, Tahlia Fellows, Charlotte Baskaran, Bridget Deed, Mackenzie Eardley (pick No.6), Sophie Locke, Tamara Smith, Lucy Wales, Eliza Shannon, and Catherine Brown they would each be running out for the first time.
Wales will be going head-to-head with twin Steph in the ruck, who has been named for Essendon.
The Bombers' first ever side boasts fewer first gamers, with VFLW stars Federica Frew and Amelia Radford included. Amber Clarke (pick No.4), Wales, Ashleigh Van Loon, Paige Scott and Mia Van Dyk.
Van Dyk will become the youngest player to ever play an AFLW game at just 17 years and 241 days.
Gold Coast has confirmed three debutants for their match against North Melbourne. Local draftee Jasmyn Smith, replacement signing Georgia Clayden and Tasmanian Claire Ransom will all line up in the red and yellow for the first time. Delisted free agent Ashlee Atkins will also play her first for the Suns.
The Roos also have an exciting batch of new faces, including Irish duo Erika O'Shea and Vikki Wall. Winger Taylah Gatt and forwards Sophia McCarthy and Charli Granville have also earned the call up for round one.
After significant change over the off season, West Coast will also have three first gamers – Ella Roberts, Isabella Simmons, and Sasha Goranova - added to five club debuts – Jess Sedunary, Emma Humphries, Mikayla Western, Kate Bartlett and Krstel Petrevski.
Ebony O'Dea has been named for Port Adelaide, despite partially collapsing a lung in a practice match earlier in the month, and top South Australian selection Hannah Ewings (pick No.3) will make her debut alongside fellow draftees Sachi Syme and Amelie Borg.
In addition to welcoming back Patrikios, the Saints will unveil VFLW ball winner Hannah Stuart as they travel north to take on Sydney. Clara Fitzpatrick will also make her return to footy after two seasons on the sidelines because of visa issues and an ACL injury, while Erin McKinnon and Nicola Stevens will play their first game in new colours.
Debuts aren't the only milestones, either. Hawk Kaitlyn Ashmore, Lion Shannon Campbell, Kangaroo stars Jasmine Garner and Emma Kearney, Port Adelaide's Justine Mules and new Saint Stevens will all play career game 50.
Saturday, August 27
North Melbourne v Gold Coast at Blundstone Arena, 1.10pm AEST
NORTH MELBOURNE
B: B.Brown 36 J.Ferguson 20
HB: N.Bresnehan 12 S.Wright 17 E.Kearney - C 9
C: I.Eddey 3 J.Garner 25 A.Smith 15
HF: E.Gavalas 22 V.Wall 13 T.Craven 5
F: T.Randall 16 E.King 60
Foll: K.Rennie 26 J.Bruton 35 A.Riddell 7
I/C: C.Granville 2 S.McCarthy 21 M.King 23 T.Gatt 8 E.O'Shea 14
Emerg: G.Matser 29 E.Maurer 19 H.Bowey 18
GOLD COAST
B: W.Randell 15 V.Saad 39
HB: L.Ahrens 7 S.Watson 14 S.Danckert 9
C: D.D'Arcy 20 J.Stanton 17 A.Atkins 37
HF: K.Howarth 23 T.Bohanna - C 12 T.Meyer 34
F: A.Bush 19 C.Rowbottom 8
Foll: L.Bella 2 A.Drennan 33 C.Whitfort 4
I/C: E.Hampson 1 G.Clayden 18 J.Dupuy 27 C.Ransom 32 J.Smith 40
Emerg: A.Bradfield 16 G.Davies 22 G.Biedenweg-Webster 10
West Coast v Port Adelaide at Mineral Resources Park, 1.10pm AWST
WEST COAST
B: H.Bullas 24 B.Smith 14
HB: B.Schilling 30 D.Hooker 17 A.McCarthy 11
C: M.Western 21 J.Sedunary 10 S.Goranova 8
HF: I.Lewis 6 K.Bartlett 20 S.McDonald 35
F: A.Schmidt 7 E.Roberts 4
Foll: S.Lakay 23 E.Swanson - C 13 K.Gibson 2
I/C: I.Simmons 9 C.Rowley 5 C.Thomas 3 K.Petrevski 32 E.Humphries 12
Emerg: A.Bushby 15 J.Britton 18 E.Bennett 27
PORT ADELAIDE
B: A.Borg 21 H.Dunn 24
HB: I.Tahau 10 A.Ballard 19 E.O'Dea 2
C: J.De Melo 11 J.Yorston 6 A.Foley 3
HF: A.Dowrick 5 E.Phillips - C 22 O.Levicki 18
F: G.Houghton 27 J.Mules 14
Foll: E.McGrath 29 J.Teakle 15 M.Moloney 9
I/C: C.Hammond 28 H.Ewings 12 S.Syme 20 M.Maclachlan 16 K.Surman 26
Emerg: J.Halfpenny 4 S.Goodwin 13 T.Doumanis 8
Sydney v St Kilda at North Sydney Oval, 5.10pm AEST
SYDNEY
B: E.Heads 12 G.Lawson-Tavan 24
HB: S.Hurley 25 B.Smith 11 S.Skinner 15
C: L.Steane 21 B.Lochland - C 1 M.Eastman 9
HF: S.Dargan 5 M.Ham 18 B.Tarrant 20
F: R.Privitelli 19 A.Hamilton 30
Foll: A.Morphett 7 A.Newman 16 A.Woodward 13
I/C: P.Sheppard 4 B.Kennedy 2 A.Whelan 22 L.Szigeti 28 C.Hamilton 10
Emerg: K.Reynolds 0 S.Ford 3 Z.Hurrell 17
ST KILDA
B: E.Friend 16 R.Ott 20
HB: H.Priest - C 14 B.Jakobsson 8 J.Van Dyk 36
C: D.Guttridge 5 G.Patrikios 21 M.McDonald 1
HF: A.Richards 22 K.Shierlaw 12 N.Stevens 2
F: C.Greiser 17 J.Matin 19
Foll: E.McKinnon 10 R.Dillon 25 O.Vesely 23
I/C: H.Stuart 18 C.Fitzpatrick 24 T.White 9 A.Burke 3 N.Xenos 27
Emerg: D.Jolliffe 4 L.Burke 30 S.Nalder 34
Essendon v Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium, 7.10pm AEST
ESSENDON
B: D.Marshall 6 C.Phillips 35
HB: S.Van De Heuvel 27 S.Alexander 24 S.Cain - C 20
C: A.Barba 11 J.Doonan 12 G.Gee 2
HF: D.Bannister 3 J.Wuetschner 21 F.Frew 17
F: B.Toogood 8 A.Clarke 33
Foll: S.Wales 30 M.Prespakis 4 J.Vogt 10
I/C: E.Gamble 14 A.Van Loon 26 A.Radford 22 P.Scott 32 M.Van Dyke 19
Emerg: A.Morcom 0 R.Tierney 23 M.Ryan 0
HAWTHORN
B: A.Makur Chuot 34 M.Eardley 17
HB: K.Ashmore 10 L.Stephenson 12 A.Gilroy 7
C: E.Shannon 33 J.Fleming 5 C.Baskaran 14
HF: Z.Barbakos 6 T.Luke 22 S.Locke 21
F: S.Perkins 23 T.Cunningham 1
Foll: L.Wales 31 J.Duffin 27 T.Lucas-Rodd - C 18
I/C: T.Smith 24 B.Deed 15 D.Carbone 4 C.Brown 42 T.Fellows 8
Emerg: L.Elliott 20 A.Kemp 19 E.Everist 25
https://www.womens.afl/news/99891/s...re-as-expansions-sides-unveil-top-draft-picks
You'll probably work out my team from the name if by some fluke I manage a good result.
