WAFLW young guns Noa McNaughton and Sienna Gerardi will remain in Western Australia for the start of their AFLW careers after being snapped up in Monday night's pre-season draft.
McNaughton to Fremantle
McNaughton, a 19-year-old midfielder-forward who has been in impressive form for East Fremantle early in the season, was taken by Fremantle with the fifth pick of the draft. The Dockers' AFLW list manager Darryn Fry expressed the club's satisfaction, stating, "We are really happy to add Noa to our list." He added, "She has been in strong form in the WAFLW so far this year, even recently getting on the end of a couple of good goals on the weekend just gone, which reinforces what we have seen in her game. She is really lively, with pace and a natural talent for hitting the scoreboard."
Gerardi to West Coast
At pick No. 6, West Coast also opted for a WA product in 18-year-old Gerardi, who is also a talented basketballer but has focused her attention on football this year. West Coast's AFLW list manager Jordan Loxley described securing Gerardi as a "fantastic outcome for our club." He elaborated, "Sienna is an electric small forward who is equally good at ground level or jumping over opponents in marking contests. I've no doubt Sienna is going to excite our supporters for a long time."
Eagles' Final Pick
The Eagles also held the final selection of the draft at No. 11 and opted for South Australian winger Lily Smart. Loxley commented, "We watched Lily closely last year, and it's been really pleasing to see her grow her game. We're excited about her trajectory and look forward to welcoming Lily to the west."
Draft Background
The Dockers opened up a spot for the first edition of the competition's pre-season draft after putting injured forward Aine Tighe on the inactive list, while the Eagles had two spots due to Ali Drennan's pregnancy and the retirement of Sophie McDonald.
Hard-Luck Stories
Midfielders Juliet Kelly and Jamie Henry were the WA hard-luck stories of the draft, being overlooked despite dominant form in the State league. Claremont's Kelly set a competition record by gathering 48 disposals in a single game last year as a 17-year-old but has now been overlooked in successive drafts, while 20-year-old Henry has averaged 34 disposals and 9.2 tackles per game for Swan Districts this season.
