FREMANTLE midfielder Kiara Bowers is set to play her first AFL Women’s game after being signed nearly 30 months ago.
Bowers has missed two years of football with a series of knee injuries, including a reconstruction, and is named to play against Melbourne at Casey Fields on Sunday.
Greater Western Sydney's Haneen Zreika is set to become the first Muslim to play in the AFLW competition.
However, Geelong skipper Melissa Hickey will miss the club's historic first AFLW match against Collingwood on Saturday afternoon and Carlton skipper Brianna Davey will make a welcome return to action after a right knee reconstruction last year.
Giants AFLW coach Alan McConnell said the 19-year-old Zreika, an Auburn product, who'll also be the first AFLW representative of Lebanese descent, had come a long way since appearing to dash her dreams mere months ago.
"She's had a fabulous preparation," he said ahead of the team’s trip north to take on Brisbane on Sunday.
"She's done it pretty hard. I delisted her at the end of last year and she's had to earn her spot back on the list."
Zreika was re-drafted with pick 66 in October’s NAB AFLW Draft after impressing with the Auburn-Penrith Giants in last year's AFL Sydney competition.
The club's top draft pick, midfielder Alyce Parker, will make her debut, along with Irish forward Yvonne Bonner.
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Hickey tore her right ACL in March last year, and while she returned to full training a month ago, still needs to get through a few final checks before she plays again.
It means full-back Bec Goring – the club's VFLW skipper – will lead Geelong in her first AFLW game, having been signed last year.
Former Australian netball captain Sharni Layton has been named in the ruck for her first AFLW game with Collingwood, with Irish Gaelic footballer Sarah Rowe also picked to debut.
Carlton skipper Davey, usually a strong centre-half back, will line up forward against North Melbourne after kicking four goals in a practice match. It will be her first official game since rupturing her right ACL in February last year.
Fourteen of North Melbourne's 15 AFLW recruits will play, with just Daria Bannister (who is in the last stages of recovery from a left knee reconstruction) missing out.
Former Blues skipper Lauren Arnell will play her first game for Brisbane after moving in the off-season, with draftee McKenzie Dowrick named at full-forward.
Melbourne's Sarah Lampard will line up in defence in her first game back from a knee reconstruction, while Shae Sloane (sister of Adelaide's Rory), will play alongside her in defence.
Saturday, February 2
Geelong v Collingwood at GMHBA Stadium, 6.45pm AEDT
GEELONG
B: A.Teague 40, R.Goring - C 44, C.Blakeway 4
HB: D.Taylor 28, M.McDonald 11, R.Webster 21
C: R.Garing 12
HF: S.Van De Heuvel 27, M.Boyd 26, N.Morrison 9
F: K.Darby 8, P.McWilliams 23, J.Ivey 5
Foll: A.O'Connor 14, J.Crockett-Grills 6, O.Purcell 16
I/C: D.Orr 2, M.Keryk 45, M.McMahon 24, M.Fogas 13, M.Clifford 7
Emg: G.Rankin 10, R.Caris 1
COLLINGWOOD
B: J.Allen 6, A.Brazill 10, I.Ross 21
HB: S.Livingstone 12, S.Casey 22, E.Grant 5
C: B.Bonnici 8
HF: L.Butler 23 , S.D'Arcy 4, M.Cann 25
F: S.Rowe 7, S.Alexander 24, C.McIntosh 20
Foll: S.Layton 1, S.Chiocci - C 17, J.Lambert 13
I/C: R.Schleicher 18, G.Gourlay 32, S.Dargan 46, K.Stratton 41, E.Fowler 15
Emg: H.Whitford 28, K.Lynch 16
Adelaide v Western Bulldogs at Norwood Oval, 8.10pm ACDT
ADELAIDE
B: R.Forth 27, S.Allan 39, C.Cramey 22
HB: A.Foley 3, C.Randall 26, S.Thompson 14
C: E.Marinoff 10
HF: D.Varnhagen 9, A.Hatchard 33, C.Scheer 4
F: E.Jones 2, M.Rajcic 32, J.Mules 23
Foll: J.Foley 24, E.Phillips - C 13, D.Cox 31
I/C: M.Nankivell 12, H.Martin 6, J.McCormick 5, A.Considine 16, S.Li 19
Emg: S.Riley 8, D.Ponter 15
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: L.Birch 18, L.Spark 11, B.Hunt 21
HB: N.Callinan 10, T.Ernst 19, H.Scott 22
C: B.Smith 12
HF: N.Ferres 16, K.Brennan - C 3, M.Conti 8
F: K.McLeod 6, E.Mackie 25, A.Utri 23
Foll: K.Rennie 24, K.Lamb 27, E.Blackburn 2
I/C: B.Toogood 28, C.Moody 13, E.Brown 9, A.Gogos 36, D.Berry 7
Emg: A.McCarthy 15, S.Karlson 26
Sunday, February 3
North Melbourne v Carlton at North Hobart Oval, 1.05pm AEDT
NORTH MELBOURNE
B: T.Randall 16, B.Gibson 18, J.Bruton 35
HB: J.Trend 21, D.Hardiman 31, J.Duffin 27
C: E.Kearney - C 9
HF: K.Gillespie-Jones 5, J.Garner 25, S.Abbatangelo 1
F: K.Ashmore 10, M.Hope 23, G.Nanscawen 22
Foll: E.King 60, J.Stanton 17, A.Riddell 7
I/C: A.Drennan 8, J.Grierson 19, D.Bateman 11, N.Bresnehan 12, E.Humphries 6
Emg: C.Haines 29, C.Munn 13
CARLTON
B: K.Harrington 9, N.Stevens 21, L.Brazzale 12
HB: J.Hosking 11, K.Bentley 13, J.Van Dyk 36
C: K.Loynes 2
HF: M.Prespakis 4, T.Harris 7, D.Vescio 3
F: T.Lucas-Rodd 18, B.Davey - C 1, S.Hosking 10
Foll: B.Moody 16, S.Audley 26, A.Barden 8
I/C: G.Pound 6, J.Edwards 25, A.Downie 30, C.Dalton 15, N.Plane 32
Emg: B.Walker 14, E.Woods 27
Melbourne v Fremantle at Casey Fields, 3.05pm AEDT
MELBOURNE
B: M.Downie 2, H.Cordner 21, S.Sloane 26
HB: S.Lampard 8, E.O'Dea 5, K.Paxman 4
C: C.Emonson 11
HF: K.Hore 10, B.Jakobsson 7, A.Newman 16
F: E.Zanker 29, T.Cunningham 1, M.Gay 3
Foll: L.Pearce 15, L.Mithen 14, S.Scott - C 12
I/C: C.Phillips 35, K.Smith 13, C.Whitfort 20, T.Hanks 28, A.Woodland 19
Emg: A.Guest 17, A.Kemp 36
FREMANTLE
B: E.Gooch 8, T.Bresland 5, A.Stannett 24
HB: A.Williams 9, E.Antonio 12, S.Cain 20
C: S.Duffy 6
HF: K.Gibson 21, G.Houghton 27, G.O'Sullivan 22
F: P.Seth 18, A.Sharp 1, K.Bowers 2
Foll: P.Laurie 11, D.Hooker 17, K.Donnellan - C 15
I/C: H.Miller 19, K.Grieve 13, L.Pugh 32, L.Mascall 14, M.Caulfield 10
Emg: C.Stubbs 4, B.Moyes 55
Brisbane v Greater Western Sydney at Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex, 4.05pm AEST
BRISBANE
B: S.Virgo 5, L.Kaslar - C 11, S.Campbell 20
HB: L.Arnell 16, S.Webb 4, K.Lutkins 13
C: E.Zielke 8
HF: J.Zanchetta 7, S.Frederick-Traub 14, N.Exon 15
F: J.Wuetschner 23, M.Dowrick 33, K.McCarthy 9
Foll: J.Tawhiao-Wardlaw 30, E.Bates 1, A.Anderson 18
I/C: L.Bella 32, A.Clarke 21, G.Collingwood 28, P.Parker 10, E.Pittman 19
Emg: T.Groves-Little 26, N.Grider 17
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
B: C.Staunton 13, M.Collier 14, T.Hetherington 9
HB: E.Bennetts 22, P.Randall 21, A.Farrugia - C 18
C: J.Dal Pos 7
HF: C.Gum 26, A.Eva 2, C.Bernardi 4
F: Y.Bonner 27, H.Zreika 24, P.Monahan 28
Foll: E.McKinnon 23, E.Swanson 17, A.Parker 3
I/C: L.Stephenson 12, A.Schmidt 11, N.Barr 8, R.Beeson 6, J.Hicks 5
Emg: B.Perry 19, T.Mackrill 32
