The rebel VFL teams for Round 1.
North Melbourne-Werribee has named a new-look but still powerful team as it prepares to get its rebel VFLW premiership defence underway against Carlton at Arden Street Oval on Friday.
While the Kangaroos will field just 10 players who took the field for their famous breakthrough flag win over the Western Bulldogs last July, the 11 replacements include five recruits straight off AFLW lists and three more from other VFLW clubs.
New recruit Gen Lawson-Tavan will run out for her 98th VFLW game as she closes on being just the second 100-gamer in the league’s short history, behind fellow North recruit Mia-Rae Clifford who isn’t named for the season opener.
North will also unveil experienced defenders Courtney Ugle, who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Grand Final, and Southern Saints recruit Tessa Boyd. Meanwhile former AFLW-listers Taylor Ortlepp (Carlton), Bridget Deed (Hawthorn), Stella Reid (Richmond) and Charlotte Blair (Collingwood) will also play.
Lisa Hardeman Medal winner Nyakoat Dojiok, Boyd, Reid, Lawson-Tavan and premiership stars Alana Barba and Maddie Di Cosmo will all back up after playing for the rebel VFLW State Team in its historic win over the SANFL in Adelaide last week.
Carlton has taken a different tack, naming five AFLW players, including No.46 draft pick Lou-Lou Field and returning Irishwoman Erone Fitzpatrick, who will play her first game since tearing her ACL in the final round of the 2023 AFLW season.
Brooke Vickers, Amelia Velardo and Lila Keck have also been selected.
The Blues have 10 recruits, headed by former Kangaroos AFLW player Lucy Burke, Casey Demons star Emma Horne, gun Box Hill Hawks defender Nadia von Bertouch and Sandringham Dragons captain Scout Howden.
Lambert-Pearce medallist Dom Carbone will be among an amazing 16 recruits to run out in the black and white stripes for the first time when Collingwood takes on Casey Demons in their rebel VFLW season opener on Saturday.
Carbone, 23, romped to the league best-and-fairest last season when leading the Western Bulldogs from 11th the Grand Final, but crossed to the Magpies in the off-season and picked up where she left off with a starring 25-possession turn in captaining the VFLW to its historic win over the SANFLW last week.
Also named Magpies captain, she will continue her push for a second AFLW chance at Casey Fields in a new-look Collingwood team.
More stunning than the fact the visitors will run out with 16 new players is that it isn’t close to last year, when the Magpies had 20 club debutants in Round 1.
But with due respect to last year’s crop, this year’s should drive them back into premiership contention with 2024 AFLW players Tahlia Gillard – last week’s VFLW best afield – Maddie Boyd, Courtney Jones, Lauren Szigeti and Lily-Rose Williamson and 2022 Essendon premiership player Bella Clarke among the group.
The Demons, in turn have picked six AFLW-listed players – Gabby Colbin, Ryleigh Wotherspoon, Megan Fitzsimon, Saraid Taylor and draftees Maggie Mahony and Amelia Dethridge – as well as former Box Hill Hawk Charlotte Hammans and talented Tasmanians Alice Robinson and Mackenzie Williams.
Sandringham’s famous guernsey will make its VFLW debut against Darebin Falcons at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Saturday, and the newly-named Zebras will have nine St Kilda AFLW players at their disposals.
Joint 2023 Lambert-Pearce medallist Charlotte Simpson will play for the Zebras alongside experienced stars Hannah Stuart, J’Noemi Anderson, Darcy Guttridge, recruit Charlotte Baskaran and youngsters Emmalie Fiedler, Kiera Whiley, Kyla Forbes and Zoe Besanko.
Recruits Lauren Brazzale, Erica Fowler, Eleri Morris and Imogen Evans, and Hawthorn signing Sophie Locke will also play.
Darebin has named former North Melbourne co-captain Sarah King, an unlucky omission from last year’s premiership team, to debut for her new club, with Essendon flag winner Nat McDonald and ex-Hawk Bella Gray among eight recruits.
Box Hill Hawks have landed experienced St Kilda defender Nat Exon and VFLW third-place games player Bec Neaves after a year off for its trip to Deakin University to play Geelong, with another former Saint in representative ruck Maddi Torpey and recruits Ruby Murdoch and Amy Cariss-Brett also in their team.
The Cats have selected new ruck Simone Nalder, Sydney VFLW player Brooke Bailey, former Williamstown youngster Cam Tyrell and a group of young AFL Barwon players, with the youngest leadership pairing in VFLW history in coach Taylah Hassett, 22, joined by captain and Queanbeyan recruit Mel Staunton, 20.
Western Bulldogs will severely miss the departed Carbone, Ugle and Clifford, but they have named former Collingwood AFLW player Sarah Sansonetti, veteran Casey ruck Leah Swain and Northern Territory stars Ruby Benham – who played 17 games for Geelong in 2018-19 – and Ciaralii Parnell to meet Williamstown at Mission Whitten Oval on Sunday.
The Seagulls will look to take the next step from their preliminary final appearance, with ex-Saints Gabby de Angelis and Jemima Wrigley and former Carlton player Izzy Khoury among their first gamers.
Essendon picked AFLW recruit Courtney Murphy, draftee Holly Ridewood, fellow listed pair Matilda van Dyke and Chloe Adams and prolific former Cat Abbey McDonald for its trip to Port Melbourne, with the Borough naming star Southern Saints signing Georgia Foran among five recruits.
BROADCAST AND STREAMING: All matches in the 2025 rebel VFLW season will be live streamed free via the AFL website, AFL Live Official App and VFL App.
NORTH MELBOURNE-WERRIBEE vs CARLTON
Friday 18 April, 9:15am, Arden Street Oval
NORTH MELBOURNE-WERRIBEE
B: N. Hales (30), T. Boyd (17)
HB: E. Jackson (19), C. Ugle (1), C. Fletcher (27)
C: S. Reid (6), R. Tierney (23), M. Zander (10)
HF: B. Deed (15), N. Dojiok (40), T. Meier (2)
F: Z. Flanigan (16), Z. Savarirayan (35)
R: K. Reynolds (44), A. Barba (11), M. Di Cosmo (12)
INT: T. Ortlepp (34), C. Blair (26), C. Ryan (5), R. Sutton (4), G. Lawson-Tavan (32)
EMG: A. Ling (24), G. Nicholas (9), C. van Der Vlies (33)
NEW: Charlotte Blair, 21, 169cm, Collingwood AFLW; Tessa Boyd, 27, 174cm, Southern Saints; Bridget Deed, 22, 168cm, Hawthorn; Caitlin Fletcher, 21, 174cm, Bentleigh; Gen Lawson-Tavan, 28, 175cm, Carlton AFLW; Taylor Ortlepp, 27, 175cm, Carlton AFLW; Stella Reid, 21, 173cm, Richmond AFLW; Charlotte Ryan, 21, 162cm, Southern Saints; Reese Sutton, 20, 166cm, Sunbury; Courtney Ugle, 28, 160cm, Western Bulldogs
CARLTON
B: E. Horne (68), O. Di Donato (51)
HB: L. Field (33), N. von Bertouch (52), A. Velardo (1)
C: A. Trindade (62), B. Vickers (24), H. Bowey (64)
HF: E. Lee (57), S. McCarthy (54), T. Plunkett (69)
F: L. Keck (23), L. Burke (74)
R: G. Matser (58), S. Demeo (66), E. Fitzpatrick (19)
INT: S. Pearce (71), J. Jackson (63), H. Scott (79), M. Fitzgerald (80), S. Howden (70)
EMG: D. Di Santo (76), S. Damon (59)
NEW: Lucy Burke, 27, 180cm, North Melbourne AFLW; Lou-Lou Field, 18, 167cm, Flemington/Western Jets; Erone Fitzpatrick, 24, 165cm, County Laois (Ireland); Emma Horne, 23, 171cm, Casey Demons; Scout Howden, 19, 174cm, St Kilda City/Sandringham Dragons; Jorja Jackson, 20, 165cm, Old Scotch; Grace Matser, 22, 187cm, Box Hill Hawks; Sasha Pearce, 18, 183cm, White Hills/Bendigo Pioneers; Tahlia Plunkett, 18, 166cm, Montmorency/Northern Knights; Nadia von Bertouch, 29, 176cm, Box Hill Hawks
Head-to-Head: North Melbourne 3-2; At Arden Street Oval: North Melbourne 2-1; Streak: North Melbourne 1; Last time: North Melbourne 4.5 (29) def Carlton 1.2 (8) – Round 2, 2024, Arden Street Oval
GEELONG CATS vs BOX HILL HAWKS
Saturday 19 April, 11:05am, Deakin University
GEELONG CATS
B: J. Fitzgerald (51), A. Duff (53)
HB: L. Marescuk (63), M. Walton (49), E. Cook (80)
C: C. Tyrrell (65), M. Staunton (39), M. Morrissy (57)
HF: B. Pratt (36), J. Woods (56), P. Schaap (35)
F: S. White (31), H. Peck (37)
R: S. Nalder (46), Z. Cowan (50), A. Favell (42)
INT: B. Bailey (58), S. Mahar (40), L. Jordan (18), S. O'Kane (33), C. Bryant (81)
EMG: K. Gray (68), O. Stewart (34), O. Woods (67)
NEW: Brooke Bailey, 23, 168cm, East Coast/Sydney VFLW; Ally Duff, 29, 172cm, Barwon Heads; Janessa Fitzgerald, 23, 180cm, Grovedale; Simone Nalder, 34, 186cm, St Kilda; Stephanie O’Kane, 18, 170cm, St Mary’s Geelong/Geelong Falcons; Mel Staunton, 20, 167cm, Queanbeyan; Cam Tyrell, 21, 160cm, Williamstown; Jemima Woods, 21, 174cm, Hillside
BOX HILL HAWKS
B: A. Embleton (48), M. Van Berkel (63)
HB: E. McLinden (35), N. Exon (19), E. Stilve (22)
C: R. Dillon (43), B. Neaves (25), R. Murdoch (34)
HF: S. Stevenson (9), O. Fogarty (8), A. Cariss-Brett (15)
F: G. Collingwood (21), P. Price (54)
R: M. Torpey (77), M. Lee (33), I. Baldwin (12)
INT: M. Kendall (44), J. Matin (76), M. Zielinski (50), T. Cattle (94), E. Robins (64)
EMG: I. Simmons (16), A. Van Rooyen (11), S. Rogers (20), A. Torcasio (30), N. Furjanic (31), M. Whitney (32), G. Baldwin (36), M. Bell (39)
NEW: Amy Cariss-Brett, 20, 169cm, Essendon VFLW; Nat Exon, 32, 165cm, St Kilda; Liv Fogarty, 26, 163cm, Ainslie; Ruby Murdoch, 20, 167cm, Essendon VFLW; Bec Neaves, 28, 173cm, Southern Saints; Paige Price, 20, 184cm, Eastern Devils; Emma Stilve, 19, 165cm, Vermont/Eastern Ranges; Maddi Torpey, 20, 184cm, Southern Saints
Head-to-Head: Geelong 5-4-1; At Deakin University: Geelong 1-0-1; Streak: Box Hill Hawks 2; Last time: Box Hill Hawks 14.8 (92) def Geelong 0.2 (2) – Round 12, 2024, Box Hill City Oval
SANDRINGHAM vs DAREBIN FALCONS
Saturday 19 April, 11:05am, Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval
SANDRINGHAM
B: C. Simpson (63), E. Shepherd (18)
HB: J. Anderson (57), I. Evans (33), C. Aughtie (31)
C: D. Guttridge (55), E. Fowler (5), L. Brazzale (24)
HF: K. Forbes (60), C. Baskaran (62), H. Stuart (58)
F: N. Plane (52), Z. Besanko (51)
R: E. Fiedler (50), D. Jolliffe (4), E. Morris (11)
INT: K. Whiley (54), G. Hodder (7), A. Clarke (19), L. Skinner (40), S. Locke (70)
EMG: A. Tregellis (12), N. Entwistle (32), T. Kearns (23)
NEW: Charlotte Baskaran, 20, 162cm, Hawthorn; Zoe Besanko, 18, 178cm, Frankston/Dandenong Stingrays; Lauren Brazzale, 31, 163cm, Collingwood AFLW; Arianna Clarke, 25, 172cm, Bond University; Imogen Evans, 20, 171cm, Collingwood AFLW; Kyla Forbes, 18, 168cm, Aberfeldie/Calder Cannons; Erica Fowler, 32, 181cm, Collingwood AFLW; Sophie Locke, 23, 165cm, Hawthorn; Eleri Morris, 28, 177cm, Collingwood AFLW; Lily Skinner, 19, 170cm, St Kilda City/Sandringham Dragons
DAREBIN FALCONS
B: R. Christgoergl (5), C. Cococcia (53)
HB: B. Gray (24), C. Ryan (36), C. Kodagoda (15)
C: C. Bunker (33), A. Mifsud (9), A. Gogos (1)
HF: N. MacDonald (60), S. Du Parquet (50), E. Southgate (54)
F: M. De Matteo (52), N. Callinan (31)
R: S. Egan (34), O. Storer (18), E. Cornish (32)
INT: L. McLennan (40), T. Tysoe (14), B. Daddo (10), E. Rayment (35), S. King (43)
EMG: X. Allen (39), L. Burgess (3), A. Duguid (11), P. Kearney (28)
Head-to-Head: Sandringham 5-1; At WSTBBO: Sandringham 4-0; Streak: Sandringham 5; Last time: Southern Saints 5.4 (34) def Darebin 1.3 (9) – Round 2, 2024, WSTBBO
NEW: Cacia Cococcia, 20, 161cm, Kew; Bella Daddo, 23, 170cm, Parkdale; Bella Gray, 28, 178cm, Box Hill Hawks; Sarah King, 26, 185cm, North Melbourne VFLW; Nat MacDonald, 26, 165cm, Warrandyte; Liv McLennan, 18, 170cm, Kew Comets/Northern Knights; Caley Ryan, 21, 167cm, Beaumaris; Taylah Tysoe, 23, 159cm, Beaumaris
Head-to-Head: Sandringham 5-1; At WSTBBO: Sandringham 4-0; Streak: Sandringham 5; Last time: Southern Saints 5.4 (34) def Darebin 1.3 (9) – Round 2, 2024, WSTBBO
CASEY DEMONS vs COLLINGWOOD
Saturday 19 April, 2:35pm, Casey Fields
CASEY DEMONS
B: G. Colvin (30), S. Taylor (45)
HB: S. Casey (22), J. Pacevski (1), M. Williams (28)
C: M. Macdonald (18), T. Burn (4), O. Morris (13)
HF: R. Wotherspoon (42), Z. Klein (3), C. Hammans (17)
F: G. Gall (40), A. Robinson (19)
R: L. Jatczak (14), M. Fitzsimon (34), M. Mahony (49)
INT: D. Madigan (23), T. Williams (36), A. Dethridge (37), E. Morris (27), Z. Mitchell (21)
EMG: K. Phillips (31), N. Banjavcic-Mills (12), A. Vrsecky (24)
NEW: Amelia Dethridge, 18, 172cm, East Brighton/Hockey Victoria; Charlotte Hammans, 24, 172cm, Box Hill Hawks; Zara Klein, 19, 173cm, Collegians; Maggie Mahony, 18, 161cm, Glen Iris/Oakleigh Chargers; Alice Robinson, 24, 161cm, Bridgenorth, Tasmania; Mackenzie Williams, 18, 171cm, North Hobart/Tasmania Devils
COLLINGWOOD
B: B. Clarke (55), M. Boyd (60)
HB: L. Williamson (72), D. Carbone (45), L. Szigeti (63)
C: C. Brewer (40), M. Lang (76), C. Jones (53)
HF: A. Muir (56), M. Bourne (75), T. Henry (58)
F: M. Eastman (57), J. Ivey (33)
R: M. Molenberg (37), T. Fellows (73), J. Ramsdale (51)
INT: M. Ellin (39), A. Gladman (46), C. Hunt (49), T. Sanger (62), J. Anthony (68)
EMG: J. Baxter (41), K. Lennox (47), S. Courtney (66), Z. McCurdy (70), L. Leighton (71)
NEW: Charlotte Brewer, 18, 165cm, Vermont/Oakleigh Chargers/Casey Demons; Mackenzie Bourne, 19, 183cm, Olinda-Ferny Creek/Eastern Ranges; Maddie Boyd, 32, 178cm, St Kilda; Dom Carbone, 23, 161cm, Western Bulldogs VFLW; Bella Clarke, 23, 173cm, Port Melbourne; Molly Eastman 26, 167cm, Richmond; Tahlia Fellows, 25, 167cm, Hawthorn; Amelie Gladman, 18, 166cm, Surrey Park/Oakleigh Chargers; Tamara Henry, 20, 170cm, Darley/North Adelaide; Chloe Hunt, 27, 175cm, Southern Saints; Courtney Jones, 24, 168cm, Richmond; Millie Lang, 18, 177cm, Redan/GWV Rebels/Geelong VFLW; Annie Muir, 23, 164cm, Box Hill Hawks; Tahlia Sanger 18, 168cm, Frankston/Dandenong Stingrays; Lauren Szigeti, 25, 162cm, Sydney AFLW; Lily-Rose Williamson, 20, 168cm, Essendon AFLW
Head-to-Head: Collingwood 6-2; At Casey Fields: Collingwood 5-1; Streak: Collingwood 2; Last time: Collingwood 3.4 (22) def Casey Demons 0.7 (7) – Round 12, 2024, Casey Fields
PORT MELBOURNE vs ESSENDON
Saturday 19 April, 4:05pm, ETU Stadium
PORT MELBOURNE
B: L. Davie (6), M. Buchanan (33)
HB: O. Barton (1), M. Denahy-Maloney (28), C. Anderson (55)
C: I. Stutt (29), E. Ashley-Cooper (8), L. Hart (30)
HF: C. Bromage (4), G. Foran (14), K. O'Keefe (18)
F: P. Gebel-Lamb (22), J. Mifsud (25)
R: G. Booth (13), L. Caruso (5), A. Seton (36)
INT: K. Adams (7), M. Caffry (9), A. Rabot (27), J. Begg (39), R. Slater (20)
EMG: N. Borg (12), N. Davidson (34), L. Wright (19)
NEW: Charlie Anderson, 21, 167cm, Caulfield Grammarians; Jess Begg, 20, 173cm, North Ringwood; Mia Caffry, 23, 167cm, Old Scotch; Georgia Foran, 20, 174cm, Southern Saints; Paris Gebel-Lamb, 20, 157cm, East Ringwood
ESSENDON
B: M. Ford (42), S. Molan (73)
HB: M. Van Dyke (19), L. Bateman (63), G. Azzopardi (67)
C: B. Plummer (57), E. Chaston (61), H. Ridewood (10)
HF: E. Tassiopoulos (49), M. Albrecht (48), T. Davidge (77)
F: J. Richardson (52), A. Jordan (62)
R: C. Murphy (33), C. Adams (15), A. McDonald (53)
INT: I. Porter (70), L. Prince (44), M. O'Connell (56), M. Robinson (80), L. Thompson (74)
EMG: M. Harrison (54), M. Mifsud (46), S. Hobbs (81), M. Ibrahim (41)
NEW: Maddison Albrecht, 18, 160cm, Keilor/Calder Cannons; Grace Azzopardi, 18, 163cm, Sunbury Lions/Calder Cannons; Abbey McDonald, 21, 162cm, Geelong AFLW; Courtney Murphy, 24, 184cm, GWS AFLW; Maggie O’Connell, 21, 172cm, Southport; Layla Prince, 21, 174cm, South Croydon; Holly Ridewood, 18, 174cm, Heidelberg/Northern Knights/Carlton VFLW; Lucy Thompson, 18, 170cm, Ulverstone/Tasmania Devils
Head-to-Head: Port Melbourne 4-2; At ETU Stadium: Port Melbourne 2-1; Streak: Essendon 1; Last time: Essendon 6.3 (39) def Port Melbourne 3.9 (27) – Round 10, 2024, ETU Stadium
WESTERN BULLDOGS vs WILLIAMSTOWN
Sunday 20 April, 11:05am, Mission Whitten Oval
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: T. Hurst (45), T. Crook (30)
HB: R. Benham (44), S. Sansonetti (55), E. Ramsay (46)
C: T. Skenderis (34), A. Klingbeil (53), E. Bishop (35)
HF: B. McFarlane (58), R. Saulitis (56), M. McLeod (31)
F: M. Sandral (39), C. Parnell (36)
R: L. Swain (71), S. Asciak (29), J. Tabb (63)
INT: C. Mailer (60), E. Nekrep (41), I. Davies (43), F. Taylor (48), C. McDermott (38)
EMG: I. Young (51), L. Mills (49), M. Styles (50), A. Henderson (70)
NEW: Ruby Benham, 25, 165cm, Pint; Isabella Davies, 18, 160cm, North Ballarat/GWV Rebels/Geelong VFLW; Chelsea McDermott, 20, 170cm, Collegians; Ciaralii Parnell, 20, 181cm, St Mary’s Darwin/South Cairns/Thunder Academy; Sarah Sansonetti, 23, 172cm, Collingwood AFLW; Leah Swain, 36, 195cm, Casey Demons
WILLIAMSTOWN
B: E. Tyson (21), L. Blue (47)
HB: R. Randell (41), E. Freeman (33), J. Wrigley (7)
C: I. Barker (16), E. Eaves (6), M. Smart (26)
HF: S. Whiting (25), T. Brett (2), G. De Angelis (12)
F: K. Leare (1), B. Gray (44)
R: C. O'Bryan (37), M. Williamson (24), R. Mahony (9)
INT: M. D'Agostino (31), K. Trang (46), I. Khoury (3), G. Howes (11), N. Crowley (40)
EMG: C. Lightfoot (48), A. Marino (28), Z. Guss (29), C. Bux (20)
NEW: Gabby de Angelis, 24, 167cm, Southern Saints; Georgia Howes, 24, 183cm, Black Rock; Izzy Khoury, 22, 164cm, Carlton VFLW; Krissy Trang, 29, 159cm, Burnside Heights; Jemima Wrigley, 24, 167cm, Southern Saints
Head-to-Head: Williamstown 6-4; At Mission Whitten Oval: Williamstown 2-0; Streak: Western Bulldogs 1; Last time: Western Bulldogs 9.6 (60) def Williamstown 2.4 (16) – Preliminary Final 2024, ETU Stadium
UMPIRES
NORTH MELBOURNE-WERRIBEE vs CARLTON
FIELD: Sam Duewal, William Ross, Jack Seymour. BOUNDARY: Angus Cameron, Michael Court, Benjamin Tingiri. GOAL: Nathan Dugdale, James Kandler.
GEELONG CATS vs BOX HILL HAWKS
FIELD: Henry Buckley, Ashlon Gardiner, Kaileb Monro. BOUNDARY: Ashlee Ball, Lachlan Smith, Bailey Wilson. GOAL: Ben Geleit, Brad Heffernan-Benfield.
SANDRINGHAM vs DAREBIN FALCONS
FIELD: Liam Clark, Kezia Laker, Adam Marrow. BOUNDARY: Mitch Bellingham, Ryan Brown, Ben McShane. GOAL: Joshua Aydin, Laura Brogan.
CASEY DEMONS vs COLLINGWOOD
FIELD: Angus Bunker-Smith, Elizabeth Curtolo, Michael Whelan. BOUNDARY: Jayden Dunning, Daniel Molino, Bailey Wilson. GOAL: Cameron Clune, Charlie Lodge.
PORT MELBOURNE vs ESSENDON
FIELD: Jake Dennerley, Brett Lynch, Sophia Tozer. BOUNDARY: Darien Blair, Aiden McDonald, Ryan Pulley. GOAL: Jack Kennedy, Noah Meyers.
WESTERN BULLDOGS vs WILLIAMSTOWN
FIELD: Jai Smith, Jye Stannage, Hayden Whitehouse. BOUNDARY: Tahlia Merrett, Josh Rofe, Jack Stelfox. GOAL: Liam Green, Brady Gutbier.
