TONIGHT marks an AFL Women’s Draft like none other before it. All 18 clubs head into the event well aware of the depth and variety on offer. So much so, no two club lists are remotely alike outside the dozen players. While Gippsland Power’s Ash Centra will be the first name read out, there is not much guaranteed about what to expect.

DRAFT BOLTERS

There has always been, and always will be, draft bolters. Though this draft might have more than the status quo given the large variety of players on offer. The first one is expected to be Eastern Ranges’ Grace Belloni whose form throughout the year saw her rise from being draftable, to being a top 30 prospect, then a first round talent. Now, she is expected to land with the GWS Giants at Pick 3.

Most clubs in the range see her as a player in the top dozen or so, with the Giants happy to hand over the top five selection in order to get a player who will fill a forward/midfield role for them. She adds a contested marking element in the front half, and is ultra-consistent through the middle.

A late draft bolter is Bendigo Pioneers’ Lavinia Cox, with the most athletic player – based off Draft Combine data – tipped to now land in the first round. The Hawks are among the clubs keen on the midfielder who has balanced her time between football and basketball. In a huge boost for the Pioneers program, there is a world where they have three Top 20 players too, with tall utility Lexi Gregor.

Cox is not the only State Draft Combine invitee who is potentially set to go higher than first expected, with Eastern Ranges’ Evie Parker also gaining traction. She along with sharpshooter Georgia Knight could make it five Ranges inside the Top 30 alongside the three ‘GBs’ (Belloni, Georgie Brisbane and Grace Baba) if everything went to plan. However just as easily a couple of them could slide into the second or even third rounds.

WIDE DRAFT RANGES

Such is the varied interest in certain players, that some could have a draft range of more than 30 selections. Athletic talls are in vogue, with a club considering a player inside the Top 10, while another club does not have them on their draft board. A second player is tipped to land inside the first round, but if the couple of clubs overlook them, they could slide as far down as the third round.

One element that is make the draft ranges quite different is also the risk assumption each individual club is taking when considering draft prospects. While it is the first AFLW National Draft in the sense that state-based nominations are no longer considered, naturally some players are still hopeful of remaining in their home state. That fact could see certain players slide further than expected value in order to ensure they remain at the club.

NORTHERN ACADEMY BIDDING

Perhaps the only club who can put the feet up and really not have to have a stressful night is Gold Coast. The Suns will essentially aim to match bids on their five nominated Academy athletes. The first will be Havana Harris whose bid should come inside the Top 10. She would have challenged for pick one in an open draft.

Following that, Mia Salisbury and Tara Harrington look set to command first round bids at some stage, starting with around Pick 10, but the Suns have the draft currency to match. Heidi Talbot looms as an early second round bid, with Nyalli Milne later on in the second round or early third.

For the other Northern Academies, Sydney will need to hope an Emma Juneja bid does not come inside the Top 40, while the Giants will be unlikely to match their Academy players with two picks inside the first 21 picks. For the Lions, Lilly Baker looms as the clear choice to remain at the club, while Kaiya Hides and Isabella McDonough are the other Brisbane players nominated.

PIVOT POINTS

There are a few crucial pivot points within the AFLW Draft and even inside the Top 10. Sydney’s likely choice between Emma McDonald and India Rasheed will have ramifications for the rest of the group, with the one not chosen likely to slide to later in the Top 10 or just outside. There is a slight chance that the other could fall to as low as the early teens.

Later on, the Bulldogs look to be the great unknown given a brand new recruiting group but if McDonald is available then she is the favourite to land there, while Essendon and Richmond having multiple first round picks together makes it tough. Adelaide could land a South Australian in a slight coup, with both Poppy Scholz and Charlotte Riggs potential options.

However the most interesting divergence will be once it hits the teens, with so many different preferences that a player with one or two clubs heavily into them might slide 30 picks if they are overlooked. Likewise, positional preference is another big factor, with certain clubs preferring types of players over others to fill needs.