HEADING into the 2024 Telstra AFLW Draft, Melbourne was holding its cards close to its chest.
Consensus was that the club would take one of two Western Australians - Zippy Fish, or Molly O'Hehir.
Fish is a small, agile midfielder/defender in the shape of 2023 AFLW best and fairest winner Monique Conti. Smooth moving and highly skilful. O'Hehir, while also largely a running half back/midfield option, has a bit more height and physicality about her.
The Demons' decision between the two Western Australians with that selection would then dictate how the rest of the top 10 fell.
With pick No.1, Collingwood surprised no-one by selecting clear favourite Ash Centra. Strong, smart, and possessing an elite field kick, she was the obvious first choice. Then Melbourne was on the clock. First, it bid on Gold Coast Academy product Havana Harris.
The Suns matched with pick No.19, and Melbourne was back in selection mode. Finally, the decision would be made, and it didn't take much longer for O'Hehir to become a Demon.
From there the dominoes fell.
Greater Western Sydney, who had the next pick, wanted O'Hehir. Instead, with O'Hehir no longer on the table, the Giants opted for Newtown and Chilwell product Sara Howley.
Somewhat of a bolter, Howley's ability to run and contribute to how the Giants want to move the ball made her a solid second option behind O'Hehir. Her outside game will greatly complement the tough contested work of players like Alyce Parker and Bec Beeson.
Carlton, who held pick No.6, wasn't going to let Fish slide, but Sydney got in one selection ahead of them. This meant that talented tall defender Poppy Scholz shot up the ranks to land with the Blues.
Scholz was a need well-filled for Carlton, where she is set to neatly slot into its backline alongside Harriet Cordner and Kerryn Peterson.
Things were a little simpler for West Coast, who was always going to select tough midfielder/forward Lucia Painter from country Victoria, so pick No.7 was straightforward.
Emma McDonald was a bit of a floater, on the radar of several clubs, but it was the Western Bulldogs who pounced with pick No.8 to help build its forward line, one that lacked a genuine tall forward in 2024.
With Howley snapped up at the top end, both Essendon (pick No.9) and Geelong (pick No.10) had to look elsewhere for their first selections, disappointed that she was out of their grasp.
This left Grace Belloni for the Bombers, someone who the Giants had been linked to at the top end, and key defender Alexis Gregor for Geelong to take before both Richmond and Fremantle had their first selections.
All three clubs were in the market for a strong, versatile key defender like Gregor, but the Cats pounced first.
And all of this was a result of Melbourne's decision at pick No.2, a selection it only held after trading out inaugural player Lily Mithen in a deal struck with Gold Coast.
