RICHMOND and Carlton have added Irish recruits to their AFLW lists, pushing out representation to a record 39 players.

Another two – Anna Rose Kennedy and Aimee Mackin – are listed but inactive for this upcoming season.

The Tigers have signed Aoibhin (Aay-vin) Cleary, a 25-year-old Gaelic footballer and captain of County Meath on a two-year deal.

A two-time premiership and All-Star player, the Tigers have earmarked Cleary for a rebounding role, with the ability to go through the midfield, with her speed, endurance and agility key attributes.

Cannon will become Carlton's fifth Irishwoman currently on its list, signed as a replacement for the retired Celine Moody.

The Mayo product is a hard-running forward who knows how to find the goals, with plenty of speed and clean skills up her sleeve.

List changes through the trade and draft periods are below, and any additional players will be added when signed.

Ins: Kayleigh Cronin (Ireland), Hannah Ewings (Port Adelaide), Grace Kelly (St Kilda), Georgia McKee, India Rasheed (draft)

Outs: Deni Varnhagen (retired), Najwa Allen (Hawthorn), Taylah Levy (GWS), Tamara Henry, Jess Waterhouse (delisted)

After a season plagued with goal-kicking woes, Adelaide has brought in some talented forwards in McKee, Rasheed and Ewings, while Kelly can play on either flank and is set to combine with sister Niamh.

Inaugural Crow Varnhagen hangs up the boots after 38 games, Allen is a talented defender who struggled to get onto the park in 2024, while Levy was a real find who'll be missed.

Ins: Neasa Dooley (Ireland), Lilly Baker, Claudia Wright (draft)

Outs: Kate Lutkins, Jade Pregelj (retired), Luka Yoshida-Martin (delisted)

A rare quiet player movement period for Brisbane.

While highly talented players in their day, Lutkins and Pregelj were unable to break back into the backline in 2024, and retire having given much to the game over various eras.

Dooley is an explosive half-forward who looks very well suited to AFLW, academy player Baker will add depth to the ruck and key position stocks, and Wright is an athletic defender/midfielder who reads the play well.

Ins: Aisling Reidy, Siofra O'Connell, Maria Cannon (Ireland), Tara Bohanna (Gold Coast), Lou-Lou Field, Abbie McKay, Poppy Scholz (draft)


Outs: Jess Dal Pos, Celine Moody (retired), Marianna Anthony, Lulu Beatty, Jade Halfpenny, Gen Lawson-Tavan, Taylor Ortlepp, Tahlia Read (delisted), Kerryn Peterson (inactive, pregnancy)

Carlton delisted six players after its four-win season, with key back Lawson-Tavan the most experienced of the group, having played 18 games in the past two seasons.

The Blues will also be without the experience of inaugural AFLW player Dal Pos and Moody, the latter only opting to retire in the new year.

Consequently, the recruiting team has heavily targeted Ireland, adding another three players to make a total of five of its 30 players. Former Gold Coast skipper Bohanna will add strength to the forward line, with McKay likely to join her in attack, while Scholz and Field are more suited to defence.

Carlton still has an open list spot, and one to note for the upcoming season – Breann Moody had her wedding over the off-season, and is now Breann Harrington.

Ins: Kellyann Hogan (Ireland), Mattea Breed (Hawthorn), Airlie Runnalls (Fremantle), Ash Centra, Georgia Knight, Violet Patterson (draft)


Outs: Stacey Livingstone, Aishling Sheridan (retired), Charlotte Blair, Lauren Brazzale, Imogen Evans, Erica Fowler, Eleri Morris, Sarah Sansonetti (delisted)

Collingwood added some star power to its midfield, with the powerful Breed and No.1 draft pick Centra, while Runnalls is tireless on the wing.

Knight is a classy half-forward who knows how to find the goals, and there'll be spots on offer in attack after the departure of Fowler and Morris.

Livingstone will leave a significant hole at full-back, having occupied the role since the Pies' very first AFLW game, while fellow inaugural player Brazzale didn't find another home after 73 games in the league.

Ins: Courtney Murphy (GWS), Grace Belloni, Taya Chambers, Holly Ridewood, Sophie Strong (draft)


Outs: Amber Clarke (St Kilda), Ashleigh Van Loon (Sydney), Kodi Jacques, Jacqui Vogt, Lily-Rose Williamson (delisted), Paige Scott (self-delisted, drafted to Richmond)

Murphy will add some ruck insurance, given Steph Wales is currently rehabbing a torn ACL (but returned to running in mid-February).

The double loss of talented forwards Clarke and Scott – both first-round selections in Essendon's first draft – will hurt, and the club were reluctant to part with first-choice defender Van Loon.

All four of the Bombers' draftees are quick with good endurance, a sign the team needed boosting in the area.

Essendon still has an open list spot.

Ins: Bella Smith (Sydney), Matilda Banfield (rookie, hockey), Georgie Brisbane, Holly Egan, Evie Parker, Indi Strom (draft)

Outs: Mikayla Morrison (retired), Ariana Hetherington (North Melbourne), Airlie Runnalls (Collingwood), Jae Flynn, Serena Gibbs, Tahleah Mulder, Tara Stribley, Makaela Tuhakaraina

Fremantle brought in plenty of height, although Smith for Hetherington is somewhat of a straight swap. Brisbane, Parker and Strom are all athletic talls who can play across the park, Parker having made her name as a 179cm winger.

Of the delistings, small forward Tuhakaraina (17 games) is the most experienced of the group, the Dockers having had to cut deep due to a number of injury replacement and inactive players.

The talented Morrison retires at 22, but successfully made a return from two knee reconstructions at the end of last season.

Ins: Caitie Tipping (rookie, volleyball), Piper Dunlop, Alexis Gregor, Sienna Tallariti

Outs: Darcy Moloney (Sydney), Olivia Fuller, Abbey McDonald, Lilly Pearce, Brooke Plummer (delisted), Anna-Rose Kennedy (inactive, personal)

There was one requirement at the top of Geelong's wish list over the player movement period – height.

Both Tipping and Dunlop can play through the ruck, while Gregor is likely to play a key defensive role, with Tallariti off half-back.

Moloney will be a loss, but struggled to consistently crack Geelong's deep midfield, while the Cats are hopeful rebounder Kennedy will return in 2026 after a year back in Ireland.

Geelong still has an open list spot.

Ins: Lily Mithen (Melbourne), Tara Harrington, Havana Harris, Nyalli Milne, Mia Salisbury, Heidi Talbot (draft)

Outs: Tara Bohanna (Carlton), Ashanti Bush, Alana Gee, Jordan Membrey, Lauren McConville, Cara McCrossan, Vivien Saad (delisted)

Mithen will add depth and leadership to a midfield that missed the influence of the departed Ali Drennan last year.

Harris is one of the most talented players in the draft – a ruck who can play in the midfield – and all of the Suns' draftees have come through their academy, coached by new senior AFLW leader Rhyce Shaw.

Gee (St Kilda) and Saad (GWS) have gone on to find new homes after being delisted, while mid-sized forward Membrey kicked 19 goals in 39 games across three clubs in her AFLW career.

Ins: Grace Kos (Ireland), Eleanor Brown (Western Bulldogs), Taylah Levy (Adelaide), Sara Howley, Grace Martin (draft), Vivien Saad (injury replacement, Gold Coast)

Outs: Annise Bradfield (retired), Nicola Barr (St Kilda), Courtney Murphy (Essendon), Jasmine Grierson, Caitlin Miller, Jemma Ramsdale (delisted), Meghan Gaffney (inactive, ACL)

The Giants have high hopes for Kos, believing she could have a similar impact to last year's Irish recruit, Eilish O'Dowd.

Levy will add some spark in attack, and after two years sidelined for personal reasons, Brown is a classy half-back if back to her best. Draftee Howley loves to run, and fellow newbie Martin can slot in anywhere.

The loss of inaugural Giant Barr hurts, but she has had long periods out injured in the past, while the delisted Grierson has since found a home with Sydney.

Ins: Najwa Allen (Adelaide), Keely Coyne (delisted free agent, Western Bulldogs), Grace Baba, Rebecca Clottey, Lavinia Cox, Daisy Flockart, Elli Symonds (draft)


Outs: Charlotte Baskaran (St Kilda), Mattea Breed (Collingwood), Lou Stephenson (Western Bulldogs), Bridget Deed, Casey Dumont, Sophie Locke, Tahlia Fellows (delisted)

Allen's long kicks out of defence will suit Hawthorn's game plan, although losing Breed's strength and size in the contest may have a knock-on effect to the other midfielders, while Stephenson was a more-than-handy stop-gap at both ends of the field.

The delisted players struggled for game time last year, but all bar Dumont were inaugural signings and handy to the initial list build.

The Hawks' draftees are a curious mix, with some athletic raw prospects (Cox, Baba and Clottey), Symonds – who is highly regarded and promising, but injury-prone – and key back Flockart, who the Hawks pounced on a little earlier than anticipated.

Ins: Amelia Dethridge, Maggie Mahony, Molly O'Hehir (draft)

Outs: Rhi Watt (retired), Lily Mithen (Gold Coast), Grace Hill, Delany Madigan (delisted), Aimee Mackin (inactive, ACL)

On paper, a quiet trade period for Melbourne, but the Dees were working till the final buzzer on an ultimately failed trade for Tayla Harris, who has since signed a one-year deal.

The Demons traded out inaugural player Mithen – who was coming off a quiet season – for pick No.2, consequently drafting talented tall O'Hehir. Mahony is a hard-working midfielder, while Dethridge is an unknown quantity, a hockey player who only played school footy.

Watt was a valued servant, providing leadership, fun and stints in the ruck and defence, but Melbourne has plenty of talls on its books.

Ins: Ariana Hetherington (Fremantle), Eilish Sheerin (Richmond), Amy Gavin Mangan, Claire Mahony (draft)

Outs: Liz McGrath (West Coast), Lulu Pullar (Sydney), Lucy Burke, Sophie Kavanagh, Zoe Savarirayan (delisted)

Aside from the heist of the trade period – the reigning premiers picking up Richmond's two-time All-Australian Sheerin for pick No.18 – the Roos made only minor changes to their list.

Hetherington provides coverage for McGrath, but the Roos already play Emma King and Kim Rennie as their primary rucks.

Gavin Mangan becomes the fifth Irishwoman on North Melbourne's list, while young tall Mahony will be afforded time to develop.

Ins: Jemma Charity, Jasmine Evans, Chloe Gaunt, Lily Paterson, Jasmine Sowden (draft)

Outs: Hannah Dunn, Ange Foley, Maddy Keryk, Olivia Levicki (retired), Hannah Ewings (Adelaide), Alex Ballard, Jo Miller, Jasmine Simmons (delisted), Georgie Jaques (self-delisted)

There was a surprise quartet of retirements from Port Adelaide, with Levicki especially coming out of the blue, while Dunn had sat out 2024 after having baby Oliver.

Former Rising Star winner Ewings has had a number of personal issues, with the move to Adelaide seen as a fresh start for both parties, and Jaques has decided to step away from AFLW and return to the SANFLW for now, after a long ACL rehab.

The Power went for a wide array of draftees – classy forward Evans, tall target Gaunt, raw but talented midfielder Paterson, mid-forward Sowden and utility Charity, who is in the process of recovering from her own torn ACL.

Ins: Aoibhin (pronounced Aay-vin) Cleary (Ireland), Montana Beruldsen (Sydney), Sierra Grieves, Zoe Hargreaves, Paige Scott (draft)

Outs: Tamara Luke (retired), Imogen Brown (Sydney), Eilish Sheerin (North Melbourne), Molly Eastman, Courtney Jones, Amelia Peck, Stella Reid, Jemima Woods (delisted)

Fairly significant turnover at Punt Road, after Richmond crashed out in an elimination final.

Sheerin will be a huge loss, with classy draftee midfielder Grieves not quite at her size or strength as a replacement, although Scott can roll through the middle.

The delisted players rarely featured in 2024, Eastman the most unlucky of the quintet, having been an emergency on 10 occasions throughout the season, following 10 games the year prior.

The Tigers will regain Montana McKinnon after a torn ACL, replacing Luke, while they managed to hang onto want-away goalsneak Emelia Yassir after a deal with Essendon fell through, signing her to a one-year deal.

Ins: Nicola Barr (GWS), Charlotte Baskaran (Hawthorn), Amber Clarke (Essendon), Zoe Besanko, Kyla Forbes, Alana Gee (draft)

Outs: Steph Chiocci, Simone Nalder (retired), Grace Kelly (Adelaide), Maddie Boyd, Nat Exon, Caitlin Matthews, Beth Pinchin (delisted)

Inaugural Collingwood skipper Chiocci hung up the boots, as did dependable ruck Nalder, while Kelly will be a significant loss.

Dynamic forward Exon was somewhat of a surprise delisting, but has struggled with various ailments over the past few years.

If Barr can get her body right, she'll be an easy replacement for Kelly, while old athletics buddies Baskaran and Clarke have reunited at the Saints, and will add some class to the midfield and forward line.

Highly talented Gee struggled to find her groove at Gold Coast and was delisted, but hopefully a fresh start will be all that's needed to regain form.

Ins: Imogen Brown (Richmond), Darcy Moloney (Geelong), Lulu Pullar (North Melbourne), Ashleigh Van Loon (Essendon), Jasmine Grierson (delisted free agent, GWS), Zippy Fish, Amelia Martin, Caitlin Reid, Sarah Steele-Park (draft)

Outs: Hayley Bullas, Brooke Lochland, Alana Woodward (retired), Montana Beruldsen (Richmond), Ella Heads (Port Adelaide), Bella Smith (Fremantle), Paige Sheppard, Lisa Steane, Lauren Szigeti, Eliza Vale, Aimee Whelan (delisted)

Sydney was comfortably the busiest team in the player movement period, and also had to cut their list size following a period of expansion team concessions.

Moloney will be reunited with former teammate and friend Laura Gardiner in the midfield, and Pullar will bring pace, skill and leadership coming out of defence, with Van Loon and Grierson also plugging some backline gaps.

The Swans are hopeful mature-age draftee Sarah Steele-Park will be able to impact in a similar vein to Tanya Kennedy, having served as the club's runner last season, while Fish is pure class and speed.

All of the Swans' 11 departees were inaugural signings, with Lochland and Szigeti having served as captains for the first season.

Ins: Liz McGrath (North Melbourne), Lucy Boyd, Kayla Dalgleish, Lucia Painter, Charlotte Riggs (draft)

Outs: Evie Gooch (retired), Octavia Di Donato, Emily Elkington, Sasha Goranova, Jayme Harken, Tess Lyons, Matilda Sergeant, Verity Simmons, Mackenzie Webb (delisted)

With an extended list after a series of long-term injuries, West Coast delisted eight players, given a number will return from knee reconstructions and pregnancy in 2025.

The acquisition of McGrath is interesting, given Sarah Lakay and Lauren Wakfer often hold down the ruck roles. Painter will have an immediate impact through the middle, while Riggs and Boyd will boost the backline.

After 44 games at West Coast and Fremantle since 2018, veteran Gooch called time on her career.

Ins: Lou Stephenson (Hawthorn), Keeley Hardingham, Emma McDonald, Sarah Poustie (draft)

Outs: Eleanor Brown (GWS), Jorja Borg, Keely Coyne, Bree McFarlane, Aurora Smith, Elizabeth Snell (delisted)

A fairly quiet player movement period under new list manager Dan Fisher after significant turnover in recent years.

Stephenson and draftee McDonald will add height and stability to the forward line, and VFLW ruck Hardingham comes in as a replacement for Borg, who was delisted after rupturing her ACL but will continue to receive rehab support from the club.

Poustie is a hard-nosed midfielder, while the traded Brown hasn't played for two seasons due to personal reasons.