MANY AFL Women’s stars made moves to new clubs in the offseason, and as we head toward Season 7 of the AFLW, and we take a look at some of those players to predict what kind of impact they can potentially make on their new teams.

Today’s focus is former West Coast Eagle turned Geelong Cat midfielder, Mikayla Bowen.

Moving across the country at any age can be difficult, but for someone as young as Bowen to commit to it (21 years-old) when the AFLW is still only part-time, Geelong fans know they are getting one dedicated midfielder. The fact she is young means that she still has a lot of time left in the game to grow what has been a promising start to her AFLW career into something truly magical.

West Coast’s inaugural AFLW signing is a tough and tenacious midfielder, and certainly someone opposition players would want to mess with out there. In the season just gone she averaged 5.8 tackles a game, which is an impressive figure, and the highest figure among her Eagles teammates last season. Now with fellow tackling machines Amy McDonald and Georgie Prespakis as her teammates alongside her in midfield, Bowen will feel right at home.

In her sole game at GMHBA Stadium, Bowen did some of her best tackling work. She currently averages more tackles at the Cattery than at Mineral Resources Park, so it will have been a happy homecoming of somewhat for Bowen.

Although she may not have as much AFLW experience as some of her teammates, she has played under the likes of Emma Swanson at the Eagles, and that kind of experience is something she can bring across to her new teammates. She also captained her home state at the 2019 Under 18 National Championships, so she has some leadership experience and big game experience she can bring to her new team.

And being around the same as as the likes of Prespakis and Nina Morrison, and also having the same speed and tenacity as those two, means they have time to build into a midfield force to be reckoned with in the coming seasons.

Geelong is certainly a team on the rise, with just one or two key aspects missing from their line up before they become a serious contender. Bowen’s inclusion may just be one big part of that missing puzzle piece.