A trailblazer’s journey from AFLW stardom to life beyond football
THE 10th AFL Women’s season is set to play out in 2025, and the competition has come a long way since its first round of matches about eight years ago to the date. As a way to celebrate the milestone, Rookie Me Central will be catching up with some of the pioneers of the early […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Lily Smart
REIGNING Sturt Development League Best and Fairest winner Lily Smart made her senior debut last weekend, with the talented athlete getting a taste for the SANFLW. Playing off a wing, the teenager who won silver for Australia in the Under 18s Women’s Long Jump at the Oceania Athletic Championships showed she can compete at a […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Molly Reimers
DANDENONG Stingrays forward Molly Reimers is a former basketballer who has found her home inside 50 for the country Coates Talent League Girls side. She added 12 games last season to eight in her first year at the Stingrays, after showing promising signs in the AFLW Under 16s carnival in 2023. Now entering her top-age […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Meg Lappin
POTENTIALLY looming as the second father-daughter selection tied to an interstate club, Geelong Falcons’ Meg Lappin has been one of the big improvers the last 12 months. A raw tall who really found her feet as a bottom-ager, the daughter of Brisbane triple premiership player and 279-gamer Nigel enters her top-age year as one to […]
Mackereth loving footy, family and friends
ONE OF the most talented prospects in this year’s draft, and certainly one of, if not the most outgoing one, Glenelg‘s Eloise Mackereth is a player who just loves everything about her football. The South Australian thrives in the forward 50 as well as she does in the social circles, and while she is composed […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Nikhita Spiteri
TACKLING machine Nikhita Spiteri has built her game around ferocious defensive pressure, and upped her production rate considerably in 2024. The bottom-ager played 11 games for the Murray Bushrangers and produced some strong performances along the way, to earn an invite into Vic Country’s summer hub program. We spoke to Spiteri at the recent Coates […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Chloe Bown
STAR dual-sided talent Chloe Bown is one of the top Victorian prospects in this year’s AFLW Draft, having already impressed as a bottom-ager for Vic Metro and being a member of the National Academy. The Oakleigh Chargers star is a midfielder-forward with plenty of weapons and inflicts maximum damage on the opposition with her work […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Lily Baxter
ONE of four South Australians in the National Academy, South Adelaide wing Lily Baxter is a player to watch in 2025. The hard-running Panther started her career as a dynamic attacking forward, but after developing her defensive work the last 12 months, is a fully fledged wing who can hurt opposition teams both ways. We […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Madeleine Quinn
A NATIONAL Academy member, Swans Academy ruck Madeleine Quinn is one of the top tall draft prospects in this year’s AFLW Draft crop. Quinn has outstanding athleticism, and can impact both in the air and at ground level, not afraid to get involved in transition and can become that modern “fourth midfielder” once the ruck […]
AFLW Draft Q&A: Mikaylah Antony
A SPEEDY half-back with plenty of upside, Central District‘s Mikaylah Antony had an eye-catching first season at SANFL Women’s last year and earned a call-up to the Under 18s side for the National Championships. Heading into 2025, she hopes she can have a proper “breakout” year after finding her feet at the level in 2024. […]
