THE SIGNING of seven delisted free agents on Tuesday saw the AFL Women's Trade and Signing Period officially end.
Ten club lists are now almost complete ahead of the 2020 season, with remaining spots to be filled via the NAB AFLW Draft towards the end of the year.
The expansion teams – Gold Coast, Richmond, St Kilda and West Coast – can sign up to seven open-age players from their respective club academies until August.
All clubs can sign up to three rookies until August.
Here's a look at how the main off-season acquisition period played out for all 14 teams.
ADELAIDE
Signed: Sarah Allan, Ailish Considine (rookie), Dayna Cox, Courtney Cramey, Angela Foley, Jessica Foley, Renee Forth, Nikki Gore, Anne Hatchard, Eloise Jones, Sophie Li, Ebony Marinoff, Hannah Martin, Rhiannon Metcalfe, Justine Mules, Maisie Nankivell (rookie), Erin Phillips, Danielle Ponter, Marijana Rajcic, Chelsea Randall, Chloe Scheer, Stevie-Lee Thompson, Deni Varnhagen, Ruth Wallace.
Traded: Jessica Allan to Greater Western Sydney for pick 46
Expansion Signings: Jasmyn Hewett (Gold Coast), Jess Sedunary (St Kilda)
Delisted: Rheanne Lugg (now at Brisbane), Sarah Perkins, Sally Riley (now at Gold Coast), Katelyn Rosenzweig
Retired: Jenna McCormick
Verdict: A very quiet trade period from the reigning premier, which lost only three players to other clubs. None of the trio played this year, with Allan missing due to Australian Army commitments and Hewett (ankle) and Sedunary (foot) injured. The Crows might be looking for another ruck/forward option in the draft, given Metcalfe will be coming off a knee reconstruction and Jess Foley turned 36 last month.
BRISBANE
Signed: Ally Anderson, Lauren Arnell, Emily Bates, Shannon Campbell, Arianna Clarke, Sophie Conway, Gabby Collingwood, Jade Ellenger, Natalie Grider, Jessy Keeffe, Breanna Koenen, Rheanne Lugg (Adelaide), Kate Lutkins, Brianna McFarlane (rookie), Jesse Wardlaw, Sharni Webb, Jess Wuestchner, Jordan Zanchetta, Emma Zielke.
Traded: Sabrina Frederick to Richmond for first-round selection (now pick 16), McKenzie Dowrick to West Coast for first-round selection (now pick 17), Kate McCarthy to St Kilda for first-round selection (now pick 15)
Expansion Signings: Lauren Bella (Gold Coast), Nat Exon (St Kilda), Tori Groves-Little, Leah Kaslar, Paige Parker, Emma Pittman, Sam Virgo, Jacqui Yorston (all Gold Coast)
Delisted: Megan Hunt, Krystal Scott (rookie)
Retired: Bella Ayre, Ruby Blair
Verdict: Although the club was bracing itself for change, losing 11 players to other clubs would have been a shock to fans. Some (Exon, Dowrick) were returning to their home states, others (Bella, Groves-Little, Kaslar) already live on the Gold Coast while a third group was reuniting with former Lions assistant and now-Suns' head coach David Lake. The Lions will be in the market for players capable of filling holes all over the ground, with a particular focus on those who can run and carry. The retention of Victorians Arnell and Conway (who has family ties to Victoria) was a big positive.
CARLTON
Signed: Lauren Brazzale, Chloe Dalton, Alison Downie, Jess Edwards, Georgia Gee, Kerryn Harrington, Tayla Harris, Jess Hosking, Sarah Hosking, Katie Loynes, Abbie McKay, Breann Moody, Natalie Plane, Gabriella Pound, Madison Prespakis, Nicola Stevens, Jayde Van Dyk, Darcy Vescio, Brooke Walker, Charlotte Wilson, Emerson Woods.
Traded: Brianna Davey, picks 67 and 82 to Collingwood for picks 2, 26, 44 and 59
Expansion Signings: Rhiannon Watt (St Kilda)
Delisted: Shae Audley, Kirby Bentley, Reni Hicks, Bridie Kennedy, Tilly Lucas-Rodd (now at St Kilda), Courtney Webb (rookie)
Retired: Amelia Mullane
Verdict: Any trade period where you lose your skipper is a bad one, and the Blues will sorely miss Davey's versatility and game-winning bursts. The positive, if there was one, is that Carlton now has a pick inside the top 10 (pick two) to go with its pick 13. The Blues are probably a few midfielders short given Davey's move and Mullane's retirement.
COLLINGWOOD
Signed: Sophie Alexander, Jordy Allen, Britt Bonnici, Ashleigh Brazill, Lauren Butler, Mikala Cann, Sophie Casey, Steph Chiocci, Sarah D'Arcy, Brianna Davey (Carlton), Sarah Dargan, Erica Fowler, Emma Grant, Georgia Gourlay, Eliza Hynes, Jaimee Lambert, Sharni Layton (rookie), Stacey Livingstone, Katie Lynch, Chloe Molloy, Sarah Rowe (rookie), Ruby Schleicher, Maddie Shevlin, Kristy Stratton.
Traded: Picks 2, 26, 44 and 59 to Carlton for Brianna Davey and picks 67 and 82
Expansion Signings: Darcy Guttridge (St Kilda), Iilish Ross (Richmond)
Delisted: Nicole Hildebrand, Melissa Kuys (now at St Kilda), Jordan Membrey, Georgie Parker, Holly Whitford
Retired: Cecilia McIntosh
Verdict: Collingwood picked up a genuine star in Davey, but it nearly cost the kitchen sink – the club's first four draft picks. The Magpies' opening draft selection will come at pick 67. Player retainment was much better this year than last, with the Pies hanging on to captain Chiocci and stars Molloy, Brazill and Lambert. Forward options remain an issue.
Locked in for 2020!!! YEWWWWWW! @CollingwoodFCW #2020 #AFLW pic.twitter.com/m2Zmty9Fs3
— Ashleigh Brazill (@ash_braz) April 30, 2019
FREMANTLE
Signed: Ebony Antonio, Kiara Bowers, Tayla Bresland, Steph Cain, Mia-Rae Clifford (Geelong), Kara Donnellan, Sabreena Duffy, Evie Gooch, Katie-Jayne Grieve, Gemma Houghton, Leah Mascall, Hayley Miller, Gabby O'Sullivan, Laura Pugh, Matilda Sergeant, Philipa Seth, Ashley Sharp, Angelique Stannett, Jasmin Stewart, Alex Williams.
Traded: Cassie Davidson to West Coast for pick 86
Expansion Signings: Ashlee Atkins, Melissa Caulfield, Kellie Gibson, Brianna Green, Courtney Guard (nee Stubbs), Dana Hooker, Alicia Janz, Parris Laurie (all West Coast)
Delisted: Ebony Dowson, Tayla McAuliffe, Brianna Moyes (rookie)
Verdict: Eight players moving to West Coast hurts, especially Hooker, Gibson and the ruck division of Janz and Laurie. However, it could have been much worse for the Dockers, whose strong season helped them hold on to their five-player leadership group, as well as rising talents Houghton, Sharp and Cain. Rucks will be top of the list come the draft.
GEELONG
Signed: Cassie Blakeway, Madeleine Boyd, Rene Caris, Georgia Clarke, Richelle Cranston, Julia Crockett-Grills, Kate Darby, Olivia Deane-Purcell, Renee Garing, Rebecca Goring, Melissa Hickey, Jordan Ivey, Madeline Keryk, Meghan McDonald, Maddy McMahon (rookie), Phoebe McWilliams, Nina Morrison, Aasta O'Connor, Danielle Orr, Georgie Rankin (rookie), Denby Taylor, Anna Teague, Sophie Van De Heuvel, Rebecca Webster.
Traded: Nil
Expansion Signings: Nil
Delisted: Hannah Burchell (signed by Richmond), Mia-Rae Clifford (signed by Fremantle), Elise Coventry, Maighan Fogas, Hayley Trevean
Retired: Erin Hoare
Verdict: Geelong almost took the moniker "sleepy hollow" to heart, announcing its entire list on the last day and choosing to maintain and develop current players, rather than adding from elsewhere. The Cats will be backing Caris to take the step up to regular AFLW games after the retirement of first ruck Hoare. They will probably be on the lookout for an additional forward and outside run, although the return of Morrison (from a torn right ACL) will help.
GOLD COAST
Signed: Lauren Bella (Brisbane), Tiarna Ernst (Western Bulldogs), Tori Groves-Little (Brisbane), Charlotte Hammans, Ellie Hampson (both u/18), Jasmyn Hewett (Adelaide), Jordann Hickey (Melbourne), Leah Kaslar, Paige Parker, Emma Pittman (all Brisbane), Sally Riley (Adelaide), Jamie Stanton (North Melbourne), Sam Virgo (Brisbane), Kitara Whap-Farrar (u/18), Jacqui Yorston (Brisbane).
Traded: Nil
Expansion Signings/Delisted: N/A (expansion club)
Verdict: A nice, not-so-little expansion signing haul from the Suns ahead of their first AFLW season. Gold Coast has good coverage across the ground, especially in key position posts with Kaslar, Hewett, Ernst, Bella and Hickey. The signings came at a cost, however, with Brisbane given four draft picks before Gold Coast's first selection.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
Signed: Jessica Allan (Adelaide), Jacinda Barclay, Nicola Barr, Rebecca Beeson, Elle Bennetts, Yvonne Bonner, Ellie Brush, Jess Dal Pos, Taylah Davies (rookie), Alicia Eva, Amanda Farrugia, Tanya Hetherington, Jodie Hicks, Erin McKinnon, Ingrid Nielsen, Alyce Parker, Pepa Randall, Aimee Schmidt, Cora Staunton, Louise Stephenson, Britt Tully, Haneen Zreika.
Traded: Pick 46 to Adelaide for Jessica Allan
Expansion Signings: Christina Bernardi (Richmond), Maddy Collier (West Coast), Phoebe Monahan (Richmond), Emma Swanson (West Coast)
Delisted: Delma Gisu, Tait Mackrill, Ebony O'Dea, Brittany Perry, Renee Tomkins, Lisa Whiteley
Retired: Courtney Gum
Verdict: The Giants maintained the majority of their list, including several interstate and international stars in Eva, Stephenson, Bonner and Staunton. Allan is a high-quality recruit who the team didn't have to give up much for, but the loss of classy players Bernardi and Swanson will hurt. The Giants will look to the draft for a key position player at both ends of the ground.
MELBOURNE
Signed: Libby Birch (Western Bulldogs), Harriet Cordner, Tegan Cunningham, Meg Downie, Chantel Emonson (rookie), Maddison Gay, Madeleine Guerin, Tyla Hanks, Shelley Heath, Kate Hore, Bianca Jakobsson, Ainslie Kemp, Sarah Lampard, Lily Mithen, Aliesha Newman, Elise O'Dea, Karen Paxman, Daisy Pearce, Lauren Pearce, Shelley Scott, Casey Sherriff, Shae Sloane, Katherine Smith, Eden Zanker.
Traded: Ashleigh Guest, picks 8 and 48 to Western Bulldogs for Libby Birch and pick 77. Claudia Whitfort and pick 63 to St Kilda for picks 54 and 72.
Expansion Signings: Maddy Brancatisano (Richmond), Cat Phillips (St Kilda)
Delisted: Jordann Hickey (signed by Gold Coast), Brooke Patterson, Talia Radan, Ashleigh Woodland
Verdict: After locking up most of their players early, the Demons took nearly three weeks to finalise a trade with the Western Bulldogs that saw lockdown defender Libby Birch cross to the red and the blue. Former skipper Daisy Pearce returns after a season off due to pregnancy. Might be looking out for a forward in the draft.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Signed: Sophie Abbatangelo, Kaitlyn Ashmore, Daria Bannister, Daisy Bateman, Nicole Bresnehan, Jenna Bruton, Jess Duffin, Jasmine Garner, Britt Gibson, Kate Gillespie-Jones, Jasmine Grierson, Chloe Haines, Libby Haines, Danielle Hardiman, Emma Humphries, Emma Kearney, Elisha King, Emma King, Beth Lynch (rookie), Taylor Mesiti, Tahlia Randall, Ash Riddell, Jess Trend.
Traded: Nil
Expansion Signings: Alison Drennan (St Kilda), Courteney Munn (St Kilda), Jamie Stanton (Gold Coast)
Delisted: Moana Hope, Georgia Nanscawen, Maddison Smith, Jessie Williams (rookie)
Verdict: After entering the competition with a bang during last year's Trade and Signing Period, North was very quiet this year. The club, however, managed to hold on to the vast majority of its stars. Stanton and Drennan are losses in the midfield and need to be replaced, while Hope's axing also leaves a hole up forward.
Seven stars have committed their future to North 👀
— North Melbourne AFLW (@NorthAFLW) April 15, 2019
More 👉 https://t.co/05r9wAcPZF #OurTimeIsNow pic.twitter.com/geTIrI0nqA
RICHMOND
Signed: Christina Bernardi (Greater Western Sydney), Maddy Brancatisano (Melbourne), Hannah Burchell (Geelong), Monique Conti (Western Bulldogs), Katie Brennan (Western Bulldogs), Sabrina Frederick (Brisbane), Phoebe Monahan (Greater Western Sydney), Iilish Ross (Collingwood).
Traded: Pick 1 to Western Bulldogs for Monique Conti, first-round selection (now pick 16) to Brisbane for Sabrina Frederick
Expansion Signings/Delisted: N/A (expansion club)
Verdict: Some interesting tactics from expansion club Richmond, which finished the Trade and Signing Period with the smallest list of the 14 teams. The Tigers recruited some high-quality players in Brennan, Conti, Frederick and Bernardi, but traded picks one and 16 to do so. Defenders and midfielders will be at the top of the Tigers' list when it comes to recruiting state-league players and the draft.
ST KILDA
Signed: Alison Brown (academy), Alison Drennan (North Melbourne), Nat Exon (Brisbane), Darcy Guttridge (Collingwood), Selena Karlson (Western Bulldogs), Melissa Kuys (Collingwood), Tilly Lucas-Rodd (Carlton), Emma Mackie (Western Bulldogs), Kate McCarthy (Brisbane), Molly McDonald (u/18), Courteney Munn (North Melbourne), Cat Phillips (Melbourne), Isabella Shannon (u/18), Jess Sedunary (Adelaide), Rhiannon Watt (Carlton), Claudia Whitfort (Melbourne).
Traded: Pick 9 to Western Bulldogs for Emma Mackie, picks 24 and 30. First-round selection (now pick 15) to Brisbane for Kate McCarthy. Picks 54 and 72 to Melbourne for Claudia Whitfort and pick 63.
Expansion Signings/Delisted: N/A (expansion club)
Verdict: The Saints flew under the radar somewhat compared to the other expansion teams, but they picked up a good mix of players. Exon, McCarthy and Sedunary are strong signings, while Kuys and Mackie add experience. Are still a few defenders short, but have plenty of room to add to the list, having signed only 16 players to date.
WEST COAST
Signed: Ashlee Atkins (Fremantle), Kate Bartlett (Western Bulldogs), Mikayla Bowen (u/18), Melissa Caulfield (Fremantle), Maddy Collier (Greater Western Sydney), Cassie Davidson (Fremantle), Rosie Deegan (u/18), McKenzie Dowrick (Brisbane), Kellie Gibson (Fremantle), Brianna Green (Fremantle), Courtney Guard (nee Stubbs; Fremantle), Dana Hooker (Fremantle), Alicia Janz (Fremantle), Grace Kelly (Ireland, rookie), Niamh Kelly (Ireland, rookie), Parris Laurie (Fremantle), Belinda Smith (Western Bulldogs), Emma Swanson (Greater Western Sydney).
Traded: First-round selection (now pick 17) to Brisbane for McKenzie Dowrick. Pick 86 to Fremantle for Cassie Davidson. Pick 90 to the Western Bulldogs for Kate Bartlett.
Expansion Signings/Delisted: N/A (expansion club)
Verdict: The Eagles have formed a very strong nucleus ahead of their entry to the competition next year. Hooker is one of the top midfielders going around and will be well serviced by rucks Janz and Laurie. They've got plenty of run with Swanson, Smith and Caulfield, while Gibson is a dynamic forward. West Coast will look to stock up on key backs in coming months.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Signed: Deanna Berry, Ellie Blackburn, Eleanor Brown, Nicole Callinan, Naomi Ferres, Ellyse Gamble, Angelica Gogos, Ashleigh Guest (Melbourne), Bailey Hunt, Isabel Huntington, Kirsty Lamb, Brooke Lochland, Aisling McCarthy, Kirsten McLeod, Celine Moody, Kim Rennie, Hannah Scott, Lauren Spark, Bonnie Toogood, Aisling Utri, Hayley Wildes.
Traded: Monique Conti to Richmond for pick 1. Libby Birch and pick 77 to Melbourne for picks 8 and 48. Emma Mackie, picks 24 and 30 to St Kilda for pick 9. Kate Bartlett to West Coast for pick 90.
Expansion Signings: Katie Brennan (Richmond), Tiarna Ernst (Gold Coast), Selena Karlson (St Kilda), Belinda Smith (West Coast)
Delisted: Tessa Boyd (rookie), Jessie Davies (rookie)
Verdict: It's back to the drawing board for the Bulldogs, having lost Brennan, Conti, Ernst and Birch to other clubs. Expect the Dogs to hit the draft hard, having gained picks one, eight and nine to go with its own pick (six). The loss of Conti will hit the midfield, while signing Guest goes some way to overcoming the absence of Birch in defence.