VIC METRO boasts five AFLW National Academy members, and while one is unavailable for the upcoming national championships, it paves the way for Metro’s depth to be on display. We profile each of the top-age prospects who are in line to don the ‘Big V’.

>> FULL SQUAD: Victorian squads announced for 2025 U18 National Championships

NATIONAL ACADEMY MEMBERS:

Jordyn Allen (Eastern Ranges)
Defender/Wing | 167cm | 12/11/2007

Speed and smarts is what you get with Allen who will add some serious running capacity off half-back. A classy operator, the Eastern Ranges talent has spent time on a wing and even occasionally on the inside, but she is far better suited to the outside where her damaging footskills and breakneck speed can apply maximum hurt factor to the opposition.

Chloe Baker-West (Calder Cannons)
Utility | 165cm | 02/02/2007

Having played on all three lines over the last few years, Baker-West provides maximum versatility and is one of the greatest accumulators in the draft. While it is uncertain exactly where she will play – and she is coming off a knee knock a couple of weeks back – she seems to adapt to any role. Baker-West boasts elite endurance, gets into the right spots and is ultra-strong in the air for a player of her size as well.

Chloe Bown (Oakleigh Chargers)
Midfielder | 173cm | 20/12/2007

Potentially the top Victorian in this year’s AFLW Draft, Bown has the size of a modern midfielder and can explode from the contest. One point of difference is her ability to use either side of her body, and she reads the ball off hands so well. Around the ground she gets into the most dangerous spots, and sets up plenty of scoring plays inside 50. Bown represented Metro last year and impressed, so expect even bigger things here.

Jade McLay (Calder Cannons)
Tall Utility | 178cm | 01/02/2007

Unfortunately a shoulder injury in the first National Academy game put a line through the rest of McLay’s year, with the Calder Cannons tall going on ice for the remainder of the Coates Talent League and AFLW Under 18s Championships seasons. At least she got to run out for the ‘Big V’ as a bottom-ager 12 months ago and certainly has the runs on the board in terms of draft prospects.

Tayla McMillan (Eastern Ranges)
Midfielder/Defender | 162cm | 25/05/2007

A skilful and tough operator, McMillan is best suited inside, but has been dabbling as a half-back at times this year to add a secondary position to her profile. McMillan uses the ball so effectively be it under pressure or in space, and rarely makes a bad decision. Boasting clean hands and a defensive attitude to match her offensive impact, McMillan is as well-rounded as any other player.

TOP-AGE/OVER-AGE TALENTS:

Josephine Bamford (Eastern Ranges)
Ruck | 182cm | 03/06/2007

One of the standout rucks in this year’s draft crop, Bamford is back for her second campaign at the national championships and looms an even more well-rounded player. She is mobile for her size, is great at ground level and finds the ball like a “fourth midfielder”. The trick will be balancing the ruck-forward load as she impacts far more in the former, but is developing nicely in the latter.

Isabelle Creaton (Eastern Ranges)
Defender | 164cm | 29/01/2007

A player who Vic Metro coach Jarrad Donders has had earmarked from the preseason for his Eastern Ranges side, Creaton provides run and carry out of the back half and can be accountable while still providing offensive drive. In 2025, she has played higher up to even hit the scoreboard with a couple of goals, so can add a point of difference to the defensive half of the ground.

Asher Fearn-Wannan (Eastern Ranges)
Tall Utility | 177cm | 14/12/2007

An incredibly versatile tall who has played just about every role possible, Fearn-Wannan’s athleticism and running capacity allows her to run all day and jump as high as far taller opponents. She has predominantly played off a wing after initially being a half-back, but can go into the ruck or even up forward and use her athletic traits to advantage.

Olivia Gorman (Northern Knights)
Midfielder | 168cm | 25/10/2007

A hard-working midfielder who has put together a body of work over the last two seasons for the Knights. She wins the contested ball well but has been developing her work outside the contest and even impacting when up forward. An ultimate team player who can be a first or second possession winner and make the teammates around her better.

Marlo Graham (Northern Knights)
Midfielder/Forward | 165cm | 15/11/2007

Unfortunately her ripping season form came to a halt due to injury, but the talented midfielder/forward showed plenty prior to that. She was racking up around 30 touches and a game and providing plenty of scoring thrusts. She is one of a couple of nights right on the precipice of the first round given the form and impact she showed.

Phoebe Hargreaves (Northern Knights)
Small Forward | 161cm | 15/07/2007

Having donned the ‘Big V’ at Under 16s level and followed the same pathway as older sister Zoe, Phoebe now gets her chance at Under 18s level. She has settled into life as a small forward – having also played through the middle at times as a bottom-ager – and possesses great finishing skills, a defensive attitude and leadership to help guide others.

Isobella Hishongwa-Gibb (Northern Knights)
Ruck | 181cm | 27/07/2007

Had one of her most complete performances last weekend where she dominated the Sandringham Dragons ruck to clunk seven marks and still get first hands to it at the stoppages almost all of the time. Is still developing her all-round game, but the greater impact across the field was a huge step forward for the talented athlete who has also rotated back and forward for a second position at times.

Bree Horne (Eastern Ranges)
Tall Defender | 178cm | 31/05/2007

Another defender out of the Ranges rated highly internally, Horne gets her shot as well through Vic Metro and is similar to Neuwirth in the way she is tall, can defend, but also has the athleticism to impact offensively. She could be tasked with the second tall forward for the opposition and try and nullify them first and foremost, before releasing the ball out in transition.

Olivia Jesser (Northern Knights)
Forward | 168cm | 04/01/2007

Had an incredible finish to the year last year around the big sticks and has found her niche as that medium forward. Known to kick goals in bags at times, she works hard around the arc and finds space smartly. In a world where everyone is a midfielder who can rotate forward, Jesser gives that natural forward option even though she too has had midfield stints in the past.

Scarlett Johnson (Northern Knights)
Wing/Defender | 175cm | 26/11/2007

Transforming from a centre half-forward to a wing/defender has been an incredibly move for Johnson who is consistently tearing it up for the Knights. In the absence of the injured Graham, Johnson took her game to another level of late and just finds the ball all over the ground. An elite contested mark and reader of the play, she uses the ball well and can effectively play on all three lines.

Storm Johnson (Oakleigh Chargers)
Forward | 167cm | 29/11/2007

Regarded as the best defensive forward Oakleigh coach Ty Vickery had seen during the preseason, Johnson can kick snags herself – such as a brilliant bender from long-range against the Stingrays last weekend – but prides herself on her defensive acts. Aggressive run-down tackles, team blocks and score assists are all part of Johnson’s profile and will add something different to the Metro forwardline.

Alex McBride-Loane (Western Jets)
Tall Defender | 174cm | 03/04/2007

Having gone through the Under 16s pathway like many of these players, McBride-Loane tried out a range of positions but is best suited to the intercepting role in the back 50. She has a ridiculous vertical leap that allows her to compete in the ruck, but will take on a tall forward instead. A booming kick, McBride-Loane is a player who has her head on a swivel looking to switch play when required.

Teagan Murtic (Oakleigh Chargers)
Midfielder | 169cm | 22/10/2007

A real team-first operator, Murtic is a prototype first-possession winner at the stoppage. She is rated so highly internally due to her ability to make her teammates look better, but can also get into space as well. A handball-heavy onballer, Murtic’s release by hand and her pressure around the coalface are all both very strong. Will play a role each week.

Zara Neuwirth (Oakleigh Chargers)
Key Defender | 183cm | 06/02/2007

One of the few who got a gig in the Metro side as a bottom-ager last season, Neuwirth has rare athleticism for a 183cm key defender and has played on some quality players and beaten them this season. Expect her to have quite a few huge tasks again through the national carnival, but is the player you can lock in to full-back for four games.

Sienna Sharp (Sandringham Dragons)
Tall Forward | 177cm | 30/09/2007

Sharp’s hands standout in her game, but the tall forward is not just a marking player. She showed earlier in the year when she had 30-plus disposals that she can play that Jeremy Cameron role out of attack and push right up the ground too. A booming left-foot kick, Sharp finds space well and leads by example as captain of the Dragons. A popular player with her teammates.

Amy Smith (Sandringham Dragons)
Utility | 172cm | 07/11/2007

Another inclusion to the Vic Metro squad after missing out on the hub, the Dragons coaching staff love what she brings to the team and her versatility to play across multiple lines. Recently it has been more of a wing/defender role possibly in readiness for the championships, though her skills and smarts give her the feasibility to play across any position.

Chloe Thorn (Oakleigh Chargers)
Defender/Midfielder | 167cm | 06/02/2007

One of the most consistent players over the last two seasons, Thorn gives 100 per cent effort and has grown into that running defender role. She is more than capable in midfield, but her precise kicking and decision making as well as her aggressive running patterns make her perfect for the facilitator out of defence. Likely to take kickouts due to all those aspects.

Zoe Vozzo (Eastern Ranges)
Wing | 167cm | 06/02/2007

While Vozzo has had her interruptions, the hard-running winger has the polish on the outside that enables her to go forward and impact the scoreboard in a multitude of ways. She runs both ways and while the role can be a tricky one with regards to four-quarter consistency, she has found her spot. Expect her to spend time forward as well.

Macy Watkins (Sandringham Dragons)
Midfielder | 172cm | 24/05/2007

A natural inside midfielder who possesses clean hands and a contested appetite, Watkins is the defensive midfielder all teams need. That was her heavy focus in her bottom-age campaign, and throughout 2025, the Dragons onballer has grown her offensive work too. She starts a lot of scoring chains out of the middle, and is a team-first player.

Zoe Wilkinson (Eastern Ranges)
Midfielder/Forward | 170cm | 17/05/2007

Injury restricted Wilkinson to the eight games last season, but the tough, contested ball-winner is thriving in her midfield/forward role this season. She has hit the scoreboard on multiple occasions, and competes both in the air and at ground level. Not a massive accumulator, but the Eastern top-ager makes her possessions count.

BOTTOM-AGE TALENTS:

Vic Metro’s bottom-age core is quite strong headlined by Oakleigh Chargers goalkicking machine, Bailee Martin. The side also includes 2024 Under 16s MVP in Eastern Ranges’ Brylee Anderson. She is one of four Ranges in the side from the 2008-born crop with Emily Rankin, Scout Semple and Bridie Neale all enjoying really strong seasons for the club.

Eligible Collingwood father-daughter prospect Leni Lockyer (Tarkyn, 227 games) has also made it as a train-on, with Northern Knights speedster Olivia Meagher, Western Jets forward Kiara Boyd and versatile Sandringham Dragons tall Chloe Williams the other names to watch out for over the next 18 months.

FIXTURES

Round 1: vs. South Australia | Sun June 22 @ RSEA Park
Round 2: vs. Western Australia | Sun July 6 @ TBC (Western Australia)
Round 3: vs. Allies | Sun July 13 @ Brighton Homes Arena
Round 4: vs. Vic Country | Sun July 20 @ RSEA Park