FREMANTLE veteran Ebony Antonio will sit out the 2025 NAB AFLW season, the inaugural Docker pregnant with her first child.

Antonio and wife Kara – Fremantle’s first AFLW captain and current assistant coach – announced the happy news on Tuesday night with the caption “this isn’t an April Fools joke”.

The 33-year-old is due in October, and will follow in the footsteps of teammate Kiara Bowers, who is currently making a return from her own pregnancy.

“I’ve got some exciting news, a new little baby Antonio on the way. So I will be sitting out this season, and cooking a little baby inside,” she said in a video posted to Fremantle’s social media channels.

Antonio can play across all three lines, but is often found on the wing, where her height, overhead marking skills and speed poses a constant threat.

After two interrupted seasons with knee issues – also undergoing minor heart surgery for an undisclosed issue – she played all 13 matches for the Dockers last year.

Fremantle now has an open list spot, which can be filled up until the start of the season in mid-August, the Dockers already having returning stars Bowers and Ange Stannett (ACL) in their squad of 30.

Antonio joins Carlton skipper Kerryn Peterson and Geelong stalwart Chantel Emonson as pregnant AFLW players this year.