NEXT year’s Super Draft worthy crop of AFL Women’s hopefuls are outlined in the 2024 AFL Women’s Academy. Boasting 26 names – all top-agers once again- Victoria has 11 players, ahead of South Australia (five). Western Australia and Queensland both have three, with NSW/ACT (two) the other multiple represented state. Northern Territory and Tasmania each have one.

Among the names in the AFLW Academy are reigning MVP winner, Havana Harris with the key position Queenslander in the mix for the top AFLW Draft selection. Vic Country MVP Ash Centra, Under 16s MVP Lucia Painter, South Australian MVP India Rasheed and explosive West Australian Zippy Fish are all among the top players in next year’s draft crop.

Potential father-daughter Sophie McKay (daughter of Andrew, sister of Abbie) will likely cost the Blues a pretty penny, while Poppy Scholz (sister of Matilda) is another one with ties to the elite level. The AFLW Academy is always a tricky one to pick, but more so for 2024, with the crop so deep and strong.

The AFLW Academy meets across three camps in the calendar year with the first happening in January.

AFL national academy manager Tarkyn Lockyer congratulated all the players on their selection.

“Being part of the AFL National Academy is a fantastic achievement,” he said. “All players selected in the boys and girls squads have demonstrated outstanding football ability and a determination to advance further in their football journey.

“One of the philosophies of the AFL National Academy is to provide players with a different experience to what they receive as part of other programs they are involved in.

“Players will come together for high-performance training camps and have the opportunity to play for their country in representative matches.

“They will also get to integrate into AFL(W) environments and receive access to expert coaching and education to assist their football and personal development.”