GEELONG is set to win a heated race to sign talented Australian volleyballer Caitie Tipping, who had almost a dozen AFLW clubs battling to secure her signature ahead of the 2025 season.
It's understood multiple clubs who had registered their interest in Tipping have been informed that she has committed to the Cats, who will look to turn the volleyballer into the competition's next cross-code star.
Tipping, who stands at 191cm and will likely play as a ruck at AFLW level, met with Geelong, Hawthorn, Brisbane, Port Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne as she weighed a potential switch from volleyball to football.
Collingwood, St Kilda, Fremantle, Essendon and North Melbourne had also signalled an interest in Tipping, following a successful volleyball career that included stints in the United States and Sweden.
The signing will be a huge boost to a Geelong side that lost rucks Liv Fuller and Erin Hoare over the off-season and Lilly Pearce to an ACL injury earlier this month, with the Cats forced to rely upon forward Kate Darby and the 170cm Gabbi Featherston in the ruck at stages this season.
The 23-year-old Tipping is part of the Australian women's national volleyball program and had been competing in overseas volleyball tournaments while tossing up her switch to football.
As revealed by AFL.com.au last month, multiple AFLW list managers had been impressed by the few glimpses of Tipping's football skills they had seen which led to the clamour for her signing.
Tipping's height and athleticism, as well as her willingness to learn, were demonstrated across several sessions and meetings with AFLW clubs as she pondered where she would sign.
The race for Tipping was also sparked further by the lack of genuine rucks coming through this year's Telstra AFLW Draft, which will be fully national for the first time in the competition's history.
Tipping, who also played competitive soccer as a goalkeeper as a junior, earned a volleyball scholarship at the University of South Alabama in the USA before signing for Linkoping Volleyball Club in Sweden back in 2021.
As a cross-code athlete, Tipping was eligible to join any team of her choosing ahead of the 2025 season and can sign for Geelong via the club's rookie list without having to nominate for the draft.
The Cats, who made it to the AFLW preliminary final last year, won their first game of the season over the weekend following a resounding victory over the Suns. They had previously lost to the Demons and the Blues and drawn against the Kangas.
